Anthony Umina

DELMAR Anthony ''Kenny'' Umina, 68, transitioned to eternity on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at St. Peter's Hospital, surrounded by family and friends. He had battled chronic lymphocytic leukemia for 16 years. Ken is survived by his beloved wife of 27 years, Carol A. Furman and their children Anthony J. and Deborah I. Umina ; his daughters Carolyn Rafferty and Anne Horak (David) and four grandchildren, Justin and Tyler Rafferty, Katrina Martin, and Emily Horak, as well as godsons Christopher Stephenson and Travis Spears. Other survivors include two sisters, Joyce Saxton and Phyllis Spears, two brothers Nelson Spears and G. Edward Spears, a sister-in-law, Janet Furman, CSJ and a brother-in-law, Robert J. Furman and several nieces and nephews. Born in Brooklyn on December 28, 1942, he was the son of the late Blanche E. Parkin and Benson H. Umina. When he was two years old, his father was killed in action in World War II while serving in the South Pacific aboard the USS Mt Hood. His mother later married George W. Spears and they settled in Auburn, NY where they raised six children, of which Kenny was the oldest. His mother, step father and sister Sandra Spears Stephenson have predeceased him. Ken grew up in the central New York communities of Cortland and Auburn. He was so inspired by his father's sacrifice that he volunteered for duty in the United States Navy. During the Vietnam era, he served four years on active duty at sea, completing two tours of duty with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. During the Cuban missile crisis he was detailed to the Cuban blockade on the USS Ingraham DD 694. While serving on the USS Borie DD 704, his ship was detailed to the Baltic Sea. He was transferred to the inactive reserves in 1964 and honorably discharged in 1966. Upon returning to civilian life he took advantage of the GI Bill and attended college. He graduated from Auburn Community College and earned a bachelor's degree from SUNY Oswego. He later went on to receive a master's degree from SUNY at Albany. His professional career took him to live in several areas of the state. He has resided in the town of Bethlehem since 1976. Before retiring in 1999, Ken Umina had a long and distinguished career in law enforcement and criminal justice. As a police officer in Port Chester, he received the Westchester County Shields Award for bravery. After entering employment with the NYS Department of Correctional Services, he served in four maximum-security correctional facilities, rising to become the department's youngest captain. Working in conjunction with the New York State Police, he began the DOCS K-9 unit and was the unit's first administrative officer; he also helped design and administer the agency's statewide Communication Control Center. He also held the positions of facility operation specialist, and executive assistant to the commissioner. After being taken hostage at Coxsackie Correctional Facility, he became the founding director of the state-of-the-art Crisis Intervention Unit that was tasked with defusing violent situations in the prison system and conducting hostage negotiations. This unit was quickly put to the test in January 1983 during the Ossining (Sing Sing) prison disturbance when he acted as the chief negotiator and directed the on-site negotiations with inmates who were holding nineteen employees as hostages. After five days of non-stop negotiations the hostages were released unharmed. Umina received nationwide recognition for this success and Governor Mario Cuomo officially applauded his actions. Ken went on to teach hostage negotiation techniques to law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. Ken was also appointed by then Mayor Ed Koch to serve as Special Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Dept. of Correction. As Deputy Director for Program Operations with the NYS Division for Youth, he enacted numerous innovations including a client classification system, an unusual incident reporting system and standardized facility emergency response procedures. In 1987 Governor Cuomo appointed him to the Parole Board. Upon his confirmation by the State Senate he served two six-year terms as a parole commissioner. Ken was an adjunct instructor of criminal justice at the Auburn Community College and lectured at the State Police Training Academy and the Correctional Services Training Academy. Elected in a nationwide election and served a term on the Board of Governors of the American Correctional Association. He was a co-founder and vice president of the NYS Correction and Youth Service Association. His career in criminal justice spanned 33 years. Upon retirement he devoted his life to parenting his young son Anthony J. Umina. For many years Ken coached soccer for the Bethlehem Soccer Club. He served on the Board of directors of the Tri-Village Little League. Ken managed several little league baseball teams including a post season All Star Team. He served on the board of directors of the Bethlehem Mickey Mantle Baseball Club and the Bethlehem Basketball Club. Ken very much enjoyed annual fishing excursions and canoeing trips to the Adirondacks. A 20 year communicant of the former St. John's/St. Ann's parish in Albany's South End, he served the parish as a lector, Eucharistic minister, and pastoral council member. When the parish merged with St. James and St. Francis of Assisi, Ken remained active in the merged parish. He looked forward to going on the St. John's/Ann's men's group annual retreat at the Benedictine priory is Weston, Vermont. In August of 2000 he attended the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese Men's Cursillo group forty five. Ken was also involved in local politics and government. He was a Town of Bethlehem district committeeman, an election district leader, and a longtime member of the Albany County Democratic Committee. During his retirement years he served on the Town of Bethlehem Zoning Board of Appeals. Ken was a life member of the Disabled American Veterans and a member of the American Legion Nathaniel Adams Blanchard Post # 1040 in Delmar. In 1995 he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and he would battle the disease for 16 years. After he was diagnosed with leukemia he resolved to not count the days but rather to try to make each day count. He tried his best to make that happen. The family would like to thank the staff at NY Oncology Hematology and the hospital staff at St. Peter's Hospital 6th floor Pavillion and ICU. Relatives and friends may call at the Applebee Funeral Home, 403 Kenwood Ave., Delmar on Sunday, October 30, 2011 from 2:00 to 7:00 pm and are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial which will be held on Monday, October 31, 2011 at 10:00 am at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church (formerly St. John's/Ann's), Fourth Avenue at Franklin Street, Albany. Burial with military honors will be in Bethlehem Cemetery, Delmar. Contributions in Ken's memory may be made to St. John's/St. Ann's Center, c/o St. Francis of Assisi Church, 391 Delaware Ave., Albany, NY 12209 or the American Legion Blanchard Post, 16 West Poplar Drive, Delmar, NY 12054