Anthony J. Wirmusky

Hoosick Falls – Major Anthony J. Wirmusky, US Army Retired, died on Thursday, September 10, 2009, surrounded by his family at the Hoosick Falls Health Center after valiantly battling cancer for the last several years.
Major Wirmusky, known as Tony, was born in Hoosick Falls, NY, on November 10, 1918, the only son of John and Teresa (Rimkunus) Wirmusky, deceased.
A life-long resident of Hoosick Falls, he attended St. Mary’s Academy (as did his five sons) and RPI in Troy, NY. While attending RPI, he decided to enlist in the NY National Guard, which was mobilized at the beginning of World War II.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Faye (Smith) Wirmusky, and his children, A.J., Richard, Frank and Peter. One of his five beloved sons, Stephen, pre-deceased him in 1993. He was also pre-deceased by Helen (Wirmusky) Van Eseletine. He is also survived by his sister, Regina (Wirmusky) Hubbard, his niece, Teresa (Hubbard) Brennan, his grandsons, Anthony and Joseph Wirmusky, and his goddaughter, Peg (Rimkunus) Barratto.
His military service in WW II took him across the American South to California and into the Pacific Theater in Hawaii and the Philippines. He was a tank brigade commander, twice awarded the Bronze Star for battlefield valor.
Following his military service, Major Wirmusky married Faye Smith in 1946. For many years he ran the Owl Garage, a Wirmusky family business. In 1958 Major Wirmusky was appointed by President Eisenhower to the position of Postmaster in Hoosick Falls. He retired from that position in 1981.
Tony was a Director of the old Permanent Savings and Loan Bank and a Legion of Honor member of the Hoosick Falls Kiwanis Club. Tony played poker with Howard Haynes and Gene Salluzzo (both deceased) every Monday night for more than fifty years in a card club known as the “Undertakers.”
Tony and Faye also had close family ties with members of the Hayden, Lawler and Murphy families and numerous close ties with retired comrades and friends in Hawaii, where they wintered for many years. Summers found Tony at Hedges Lake where the family has owned a cottage since 1956, the setting for a lifetime of family celebrations.
A Mass of Christian Burial was offered on Wednesday, September 16, at 11 am from the Immaculate Conception Church on Main Street in Hoosick Falls. Burial with military honors followed the Mass at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Hoosick Falls. Relatives and friends called at the Church on Wednesday from 10 am until the start of the Mass. Pallbearers were A.J., Richard, Frank and Peter Wirmusky, Teresa Brennan and Peg Barratto. Honorary Pallbearers were Bill Murphy, Dick Lawler, Tom McEvoy and Rob Hayden.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Hoosick Falls Health Center through the Mahar Funeral Home, 43 Main Street, Hoosick Falls, NY, 12090, which is handling the arrangements.