Obituary of Valentinas Peter Kleabonas

Valentinas Peter Kleabonas, 81, of Chuctanunda Street, passed away peacefully Friday afternoon at the Samuel Stratton Veteran?s Medical Center. Born in Amsterdam on May 22, 1924, the son of Steven and Ona Luksus Kleabonas, emigrants from Lithuania, he lived here his entire life. He eagerly joined the US Army and served for most of World War II. Tino served with the Third Army 94th Infantry Division, 919th Field Artillery Baker Battery. He landed on Utah Beach in 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge, and also served in the occupation of Germany and Czechoslovakia and was awarded the Bronze Star. A proud veteran, he was a life member of the Disabled American Veterans, life member of the VFW, the National and Upstate Chapters of the 94th Infantry Division, the John J. Wyszomirski Post 701 American Legion, the Polish American Veterans and was a charter member of the former Lithuanian American Veterans. Following the War, he returned to this area where he met and married the former Louise Nathan on Sept. 19, 1948. He finished his education with a GI bill and became an accomplished woodcrafter and worked for the area?s finest cabinet shops in Schenectady. He later worked for GE and was credited for several patents. Tino then went on to open his own custom furniture making shop, ?Jay-Val?, and shared his talents with the community. He worked for a time for the Jefferson County Assoc. for Retarded Children and set up many programs for the sheltered workshop. He retired in 1977 from the Gloversville School District as a supervisor of buildings and grounds, being responsible for the entire district?s locations. A lifelong communicant of St. Casimir?s Roman Catholic Church, he was a former member of the BPO Elks Lodge 101. His loving family includes his wife Louise A. Kleabonas; his children, Stephanie Schechter and her husband Stephen of Niskayuna, Claudia Conkey and her husband Robert of Guilderland and Matthew P. Kleabonas of Hagaman; grandchildren, Kelly Fahed and her husband Majdi of Rockland, Maine, Elizabeth Conkey of Guilderland and Sarah Schechter of East Greenbush; four nieces, and two cousins who reside in Lithuania. He was predeceased by an infant son, Michael Valentine Kleabonas, and two brothers, Anthony B. and John E. Kleabonas. Services are Tuesday at 10:15 am at the Betz, Rossi & Bellinger Family Funeral Home, 171 Guy Park Avenue, followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 am at St. Casimir?s Church with Fr. Stanley J. Swierzowski, celebrant. Interment with military honors will take place in St. Casimir?s Cemetery. Calling hours are Monday from 4-7 pm at the funeral home where Post 701 will conduct a service at 6:30 pm. Contributions may be made to the Hagaman Volunteer Fire Department, or the DAV Charitable Service Trust, both in care of the funeral home office.