Jessie (Corr) Gird passed away July 8th, 2005. She was born in Verona, NY, to Arthur Corr and Reva (Cavanaugh) Corr. Jessie is well known for her participation in Church, history organizations (i.e. D.A.R., S.A.R., Mayflower Descendants and Colonial Dames), genealogy, the Ilion Methodist and Herkimer Reformed churches, and Republican Party. She served on the Ilion School Board for 16 years and was appointed by President L.B. Johnson as the first woman in New York on a New York draft board. She has helped in many areas, including legislation to protect Native American burial grounds, developments of Fort Stanwix and Erie Village. Her present project is the historical recognition of the Black River Canal. Her devotion to the principles of democracy and patriotism inspired participation in over 50 years of public and political service. Jessie became concerned about the deletion of teaching about the Mayflower Compact in elementary schools in New York State. She worked with officials at various levels and personally purchased and delivered over 100,000 copies of the Mayflower Compact to all elementary schools in Herkimer County and a few in Oneida County. She was in her 80s and continued this effort until arthritis precluded the walking it entailed. Her husband, John, passed away in 2000. She is survived by her brother, John Corr; her sisters, Barbara Kohli, Virginia Waterman, Betty Kryskowski, and Hilda Gildander. A sister, Mildred Prusinowski, predeceased her. She has three daughters, Mary, widow of Ralph Thomes, VA, Ellen, wife of Ronald Knapp, VT, Marjorie, wife of Rev. David Risseeuw, NJ. There are six grandchildren, Rev. Marshall Hudson-Knapp and wife, Lucinda, VT, Susan McCampbell and husband, Thomas, VA, Ralph G. Thomes and wife, Linda, VA, Robert Burger II and wife, Theresa, FL, John Burger and wife, Yvonne, MD, Garrett Gird and wife, Jeanne, PA. There are eight great-grandchildren, Naomi and Moses Hudson-Knapp, Kadee and Mara Burger, Patrick, Matthew, and Michael McCampbell, Jack, Sam, and Aidan Gird. The Sterling brothers of Ilion were an important part of her family: Lee, Ron, Don, Jack, Arthur, Jerry, and their wives. Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Monday, July 11, 2005, at the Reformed Church of Herkimer, N. Main St., Herkimer. Interment will be held at Armory Hill Cemetery, Ilion. Calling hours will be Sunday, July 10, 2005, from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the Applegate & Day Funeral Home, 102 West St., Ilion, and Monday, July 11, 2005, from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. at the church prior to the service. Those people who need free transportation assistance to the calling hours may call the funeral home at 895-7722. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts to the American Heart Association or the West Wing of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center of Bennington, VT. Donation envelopes are available at the Applegate & Day Funeral Home, Ilion. For directions to the funeral home, click the facilities link above.