Obituaries

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– Compiled by April Miller –

Joseph M. Hurley

Joseph M. Hurley, a Rye resident for 44 years, died peacefully Oct. 23. He was 89.

Mr. Hurley was born July 14, 1917, to Andrew and Martha Hurley in Jamestown, N.Y.

He served in World War II as a Technical Sgt. of the 459th Bomber Group in the U.S. Army. After leaving the military, he attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he received both a bachelor's and a master's degree in management engineering. He was a member of Sigma XI honor society and the American Legion.

He married Lois Keeler Aug. 21, 1948.

Mr. Hurley was a parishioner and lector at Resurrection Church. His hobbies included model airplane building, music, and model trains.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years; four children, Michael Hurley, of Columbia, N.C., Patrick Hurley, of Harrison, Maureen Milet, of Rye, and Kathy Sparanese, of Harrison; and seven grandchildren.

A Mass was held at Resurrection Church.

Donations in his memory can be made to P.O.T.S. (Part of the Solution, a food program through Resurrection Church), 2763 Webster Ave., Bronx, NY 10458.

Steven Packer

Steven Barry Packer, a longtime resident of Rye, died Oct. 18. He was 77.

Mr. Packer was born Dec. 8, 1928, in Brooklyn, to Morris and Paula Packer.

He studied economics at Columbia University and the University of Chicago before becoming Chief Economist for the Mobil Oil Corporation. Mr. Packer also served in the Navy during the Korean War.

He married Alice Sandberg Aug. 12, 1956. They moved to Rye from Forest Hills in 1967.

After retiring from Mobil in 1985, Mr. Packer taught economics at St. Peter's College for eight years.

Mr. Packer loved tennis, swimming, and deep-sea fishing.

In addition to his wife of 50 years, he is survived by two sons, Robert and his wife Camilla of New York and Richard of Austin, Texas; granddaughters Zara and Zeba; and a sister, Julie Mazo of Savannah, Ga.

A funeral service was held at Community Synagogue.

Sven Rydberg

Sven Rydberg, formerly of Rye, passed away at his home in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Oct. 19. He was 89.

Mr. Rydberg was born Aug. 17, 1917, in Stoby, Sweden. His love of the sea and great sense of adventure led him to leave home at age 18 to pursue a maritime career. He attended navigational schools in the United States and England, working for international shipping companies early in his career. During that time he served as a crew member on a square-rigged sailing ship that circumnavigated Cape Horn, an accomplishment that later earned him full membership in the International Association of Cape Horners.

In 1942, Mr. Rydberg joined the United States Army Transport Service and worked on ships carrying troops and military supplies to Europe. Those ships survived enemy attack on several occasions.

In 1948, he became a U.S. citizen. At the swearing-in ceremony, Federal Judge Meaney called Mr. Rydberg a hero and said, "I deem it a privilege in making you an American citizen." Four months earlier, Mr. Rydberg had led a lifeboat mission in 30-foot waves to rescue a member of the US Women's Army Corps who had been swept overboard.

He met his wife, Brita Olofsson, through mutual friends in New York City, and they were married Jan. 18, 1950. They moved to Rye in 1951, where they lived for almost 18 years.

Under the Navy's Military Sealift Command (the civilian successor to Army Transport), Mr. Rydberg led various types of missions. He captained the USNS Range Sentinel, which supported the Navy's Polaris and Poseidon fleet ballistic missile flight test program.

He was also commander of America's first Antarctic research ship, the USNS Eltanin, from 1962 to 1963. To honor Mr. Rydberg for his work on the mission, the United States Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names designated a 30-mile long section of Antarctica as Rydberg Peninsula. In 2001, the National Science Foundation presented him with the Antarctic Service Medal of the United States of America in recognition of "valuable contributions to exploration and scientific achievement" under the US Antarctic Research Program.

He retired from the Military Sealift Command in 1979, having received numerous commendations and awards, including the Navy Superior Civilian Award. The award, the Command's highest honorary civilian award at the time, was given for "exceptional demonstration of courage, competence, and effectiveness in the direction of his command during a hazardous mission."

Mr. Rydberg was predeceased by his wife. He is survived by a son, Kent Sven Rydberg, of Hampton Bays; two daughters, Mary Cugno, of Port Chester, and Anita Swift, of Newport, Ky., and four grandchildren, Allison and Christian Rydberg, of Hampton Bays, Linda Cugno, of Encinitas, Calif., and Brian Cugno, of Port Chester.

A private ceremony and burial was held on Edisto Island, S. C.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mr. Rydberg's memory to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1893, Memphis, Tenn., 38101-9950.