Obituary of Donald F. Obreza

Obituary of Donald F. Obreza Donald Frank Obreza, age 75, of Herkimer, NY went to be with our Lord on Wednesday evening March 16, 2022 at his residence after a lengthy battle with cancer. Don was born May 7, 1946 in Little Falls, NY to Anthony Obreza and Amelia “Molly” Logar. He grew up on his family's farm in Paines Hollow, where he helped tend to the livestock and farming chores. He attended Owen D. Young Central School for all his schooling and particularly excelled as a wrestler. Upon graduating in 1964, he enlisted in the United States Army and served three years as a mechanic while stationed first in France and later in Germany. He earned the rank of Specialist 5th class (E5). It was while he was in France that he met his spouse, Marie-Odile Barres. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army, they married on Sept 2, 1967 in Evreux, France, and came back to live in the Mohawk Valley where they continued to learn each other’s languages and begin a family of their own. Upon his discharge from the Army, Don briefly worked at Mohawk Data Systems in Herkimer before beginning his career working alongside his brother, Dick, at Richard Obreza Trucking, Inc. in Mohawk on June 1, 1971 as Dick’s first employee. Don’s tenure there began as a truck driver and mechanic before transitioning into his role as maintenance foreman, which he held until his retirement in November 2020. He was a self-taught computer programmer who designed and wrote all of the data tracking and computer programs still used by the company today. His knack for financial precision and tracking, right down to the ten thousandth of a decimal place, made him well-respected in the industry especially among truck, tire, and fuel vendors. Don very much enjoyed working alongside his brother, Dick, and nephew, Matthew Obreza, as well as his grandson, Joshua Obreza, and niece, Molly Bonnell, in more recent years. Don’s dedication to his family is surely his most important legacy. He treasured times spent at family gatherings, and went to great lengths to shower his love on his family both in person and from a distance. Even during his lengthy battle with cancer and the complications of Parkinson’s disease and dementia, he never stopped showering us with his love. His dedication to his wife of 54 years, and her dedication to him, is a lasting testament to what true love looks like. Even in his final days and death, they were together teaching us the strength and beauty of love. Although a quiet-natured man, Don had a great sense of humor and loved to crack jokes and wasn’t afraid to show his silly side. He loved animals and especially grieved the loss of his most recent dog, Charlotte. In his spare time, Don loved going to movies, working in his beautiful flower and vegetable gardens and enjoying the bountiful fruits of his labor. He could often be found tinkering and working on home improvement projects for himself or a friend or family member; there wasn’t much he couldn’t fix or build or do. If he didn’t know how to do something, he learned how to do it. Don also enjoyed golfing, a sport he took up in his 50s. He loved his yearly springtime golf trips to Virginia with his sons-in-law and brother-in-law, Jim. Don is survived by his wife, Marie-Odile (Barres) Obreza; daughter, Catherine (Obreza) Fetterman and her husband, Michael; daughter, Valerie (Obreza) Aldi and her husband, Dean; grandson, Joshua Obreza and his wife, Kristen ; granddaughter, Sarah (Wells) Dawley; and granddaughter, Nicole Fetterman. Also mourning his loss are his sister, Sandra (Obreza) Patterson; sister, Maureen (Obreza) Bonnell and her husband, James; sister-in-law, Judith (Stoudt) Obreza; sister-in-law Evelyne (Barres) Lecaillon; brother-in-law Philippe Lecaillon; sister-in-law Dominique Barres; brother-in-law Alain Barres; brother-in-law Jean Barres and his wife Regine; niece, Angela (Patterson) Schaffer and her husband, Randy and their family; nephew, Matthew Obreza and his wife, Kimberly and their children; niece, Marjorie (Obreza) Chetney and her husband, Matthew and their children; niece, Jennifer Bonnell; niece, Molly Bonnell and her husband, Bradford Roberts; nephew Bruno Amouroux and his children; nephew, Willy Baramble and his wife Emilie and their children; niece Melanie Barres; niece Ursula Billaut and her husband Thierry and their children; nephew, Renaud Lecaillon and his children; nephew, Frederic Barres and his children; nephew, Boris Leclerc; niece Marion Leclerc and her children; niece, Kathy Leclerc and her children; niece Carole Barres; niece Sarah Barres; nephew, Sebastien Bougras and his wife Carine and children; niece Julie Bougras Leroy and her husband Alexis and their children; niece AnneLise Barres and her children; nephew Yohann Barres and his children; cousin, Janet Atutis and husband, Peter, as well as many other cherished family members and dear friends in Massachusetts, Virginia, Ohio, France and Slovenia. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his beloved step-mother, Antonija (Skerl) Obreza; brother, Richard Anthony Obreza, brother-in-law, Albert Patterson, mother-in-law, Marguerite (Cipierre) Barres, father-in-law, Felix Barres, sister-in-law, Andree (Barres) Amouroux, sister-in-law Chantal (Barres) Leclerc, brother-in-law, Jean-Pierre Leclerc, and nephew, Stephane Bougras. The family wishes to thank the many thoughtful people near and far who have provided tangible support, love and prayers throughout Don’s lengthy illness, as well his most compassionate oncologist, Dr. Alicia DeTraglia, and Ann L. and Angela D. of Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc who have helped to provide care for Don and his family, and made it possible for his wife to care for him at home. Friends and relatives are invited to attend calling hours for Don on Monday, March 21, 2022 from 4:00PM - 7:00PM at the Enea & Ciaccia Family Funeral Home, 4309 Acme Road, Town of Frankfort, Ilion, NY (315) 894-8000. Donald's funeral service will commence on Tuesday morning, March 22, 2022 at 11:30AM from the chapel of the Enea & Ciaccia Family Funeral Home. Procession will follow to St. Mary's Cemetery in East Herkimer where Don will be laid to rest in the family plot with full military honors accorded by the US Army. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please consider a memorial gift donation to either Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc, https://hospicecareinc.org/ or Guardians of Freedom Memorial for military and first responder animals and their handlers: gofmemorial.org. The Obreza family has entrusted the care of their beloved Don to Harry and Kevin Enea and Martin L. Ciaccia, Funeral Directors. Online notes of sympathy may be left at www.eneafamily.com.