Obituary of Francis W. Feely

Avoca / Cohocton– Dr. Francis Walter “Doc” Feely passed away Tuesday February 7, 2017 after an extended illness, at Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial Hospital in Dansville. Francis was born March 1, 1933 in Brooklyn, NY to Dr. Walter F. and Florence E. (Burke) Feely who both predeceased him. Upon the death of his father while Francis was young, his mother relocated her family to Cohocton, NY. Cohocton was chosen by his mother so that she could follow her family of Long Island farmers who had relocated their farming operations to this area. Francis loved the rural setting and remained a resident of Cohocton and Avoca for the rest of his life. Francis graduated from Cohocton Central High School in 1951. He went on to study at Niagara University and Georgetown Dental School, graduating from there in 1959. He established a private family dental practice in Avoca that he operated for 30 years. He was proud to introduce his dental services to an underserved area and he enjoyed serving several generations of families. Later, he left private practice and served the New York State Department of Corrections at the Groveland and Livingston Correctional facilities as a facility dentist until his retirement in 2006. Francis was employed throughout high school and college on the family farmsteads in Freehold, NJ and Cohocton. He was a truck driver for Shays Trucking Service in Dansville for a period of time. Later in life he operated a small grain farming operation with his brother in law, Lyle Fox. Dr. Feely also remained true to his farming heritage by owning and racing a number of standard bred horses with his friends throughout the years. His other hobbies and civic interests were; flying as an instrument rated aircraft pilot, membership in the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, a number of terms as a Town Board member in Avoca, participation in the Steuben County and local Republican Parties, a number of harness racing clubs and organizations and the Steuben County Fair board. Doc cherished his family and friends, his Irish agricultural heritage and his Catholic faith. In his last years of life, Doc devoted much of his time reciting devotions to Divine Mercy for his family and friends. Doc was pre-deceased by his parents, Dr. Walter F. and Florence Feely. He is survived by two sons, Walter Feely (Wendy Heskell) of Cohocton and Jim (Heather) Feely of Cohocton; his ex-wife, Freda Feely of Cohocton; his grandchildren of which he adored them all, Francis, Bradley (Stephanie), Amanda, Emily, Ashley, Olivia, Isabella and Amelia; his brother, Bill Feely of Canisteo; his nephew, Pat (Chris) Feely of Trumansburg and his niece Amy (Tom) Congdon of Canisteo. Doc’s family and friends may call Sunday from 1-4pm at the St. George-Stanton Funeral Home, 109 West Naples St., Wayland. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Doc Monday at 11am at St. Pius Church in Cohocton. Committal prayers and interment will take place immediately following at St. Pius Cemetery. Contributions in memory of Dr. Francis W. Feely may be made to Avoca Hose Company #1, 3 Chase St., Avoca, NY 14809.