Obituary of Jude Lawrence Stier

Lawrence Stier November 7, 1927-February 20, 2011 Lawrence Stier, 83, of Liberty passed away early Sunday morning, February 20, 2011 from complications of cancer. The son of the late Frank and Sarah Stier, he was a life-long resident of the Town of Liberty. Larry was well-known in Liberty and Sullivan County as the owner of Stier's Hotel in Ferndale, for his forty year career as a lawyer in private practice, and for his many contributions to the community in public service and as the leader of community organizations. Larry served in the occupation forces in northeastern Italy at the end of World War II. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1949 and Harvard Law School in 1952. He returned to Liberty and practiced law here until he retired in 1993. He was elected as a Liberty Town Councilman in 1961 and served from 1962 until 1966. He served for a year as the Town Justice and then was elected Justice in the Village of Liberty and served in that position for fifteen years from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. Larry served as Assistant County Attorney for 19 years. During that time he represented Sullivan County Community College and handled the legal work during the construction of the SCCC campus in Loch Sheldrake. He was also the Attorney for the Town of Liberty from the mid-1980s through 1993. Beyond his government service, Larry contributed in many ways to the community. For thirty years, he served on the Board of Directors of Community General Hospital, which later became Catskill Regional Hospital. He was the President of the Board during the critical three year period in the 1970s when the hospital in Harris was built and opened. For twenty years, Larry was a member of the Board of Congregation Ahavath Israel in Liberty. He was a member of the committee that planned and built the synagogue and community center on Chestnut Street. Larry also contributed his time as a lawyer to local organizations, including the Liberty Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Larry was a member of Rotary Club for over fifty years, serving as President in 1961. He is survived by his beloved wife, of 59 years, Dorothy, children Marc and Nancy, daughter-in-law Diane, granddaughter Katja, and his niece, nephews and their children. He was predeceased by his brother, Harold Stier. The funeral will be held at Congregation Ahavath Israel, 39 Chestnut Street, in Liberty, at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, February 22. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made in his name to Congregation Ahavath Israel or the American Cancer Society. Arrangements are under the direction of the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home of Monticello. www.josephngarlickfuneralhome.com