Ethel Anna Herman

LYONS - Ethel Anna Herman, it is with great sadness that we announce the passing of the matriarch of our family, Ethel Anna (McGovern) Herman, on Tuesday (August 2, 2022) at the age of 100, with her family by her side. Friends may call from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday (August 10) at Weeks-Keysor Funeral Home, 5 Phelps Street, Lyons, N.Y. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. at the funeral home with Rev. Dean Cornwell officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wayne County Humane Society or another animal rescue of your choice. Special recognition is owed to the many special dogs in Ethel’s long life. Ethel was born on July 27, 1922, in Newark, N.Y., the youngest of seven children – and the only girl. Her six older brothers adored and doted on her, lovingly giving her what would become her lifelong family nickname, “Babe.” They taught Babe how to play baseball and ride a bike, and they were even known to let her tag along with them on dates to the drive-in. Ethel married her husband, Dewey, in 1943, and they welcomed a son and daughter after Dewey’s return from serving in WWII. Ethel worked in the main office at the Newark High School for many years. They opened Herman Brothers furniture and appliance store in Lyons in 1945 and Ethel worked there with her family until her retirement in 2012 at the age of 90! Ethel enjoyed spending time with her family, traveling all over the world, staying in touch with many distant relatives and friends, and spending summer vacations fishing on Black Lake with her son, Gene. She was a lifetime lover of dogs, chocolate, and scarves. She was always up for a shopping trip, a game of euchre or dominos, throwing a big family party, or getting her beautiful hands dirty in the garden. Her granddaughters were her pride and joy. As children, they spent nearly every weekend at Gram’s house, wearing her makeup and jewelry, running through sprinklers in her lawn, smelling roses in her garden, and turning her pristine living room into a play room. She taught them all how to bait a fishing hook and how to drive a car, and she always read the most wonderful bedtime stories. Ethel will be lovingly remembered by her son, Gene Herman; daughter, Jan (Bill) Herman-Gordon; granddaughters, Kristin (Lance) Ramer, Melissa (Sean) Taylor, Amanda Herman, and Bree (Jeff) Lukosavich; great-grandchildren, Em and Megan Taylor, Landon and Grant Ramer, and Paige, Henry, and Finley Lukosavich; Gram’s beloved little “puppins”, Millie; and so many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. Ethel was predeceased by her husband, Dewey Herman; parents, Norman and Anna McGovern; brothers Norman, Bill, Percy, Earl, Carl, and Floyd McGovern; daughter-in-law, Barb Herman; son-in-law, John Gordon; and best friends (and sisters-in-law), Molly McGovern and Rose Herman. The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Sandra McGovern, Barb Passalacqua, Melanie Tweedie, Laura Henry, and many other cherished aides, for their unconditional support, for loving Ethel as if she was their own, and for being there for her and for the family during the last precious moments of Ethel’s life. www.keysorfuneralhomes.com