Whit Mallam - Past President

Whitney W. Mallam was been a practicing attorney in Niagara Falls for over 40 years.  He served both on community boards and as volunteer for several organizations.  

Whitney's great, great, great grandfather is Parkhurst Whitney who came to Niagara Falls in 1810.  Mr. Whitney was one of the owners of the Cataract House.  The hotel was located right on the bank of the Niagara River by the Falls.  Under his ownership, it became the largest hotel in Niagara Falls at the time.  Mr. Whitney's wife, Cylinda, traces her roots to the Mayflower in 1620.   The Three Sister Islands are named in honor of Mr. & Mrs. Whitney's daughters.  Little Brother Island is named after their son.  Both Parkhurst and Cylinda are buried in Oakwood Cemetery, as are their children and grandchildren.

Mr. Mallam resided in Lewiston, NY. He died in 2022 and is greatly missed.

Connie Rodhy - Past Director

1939 - 2013 Connie Rodhy was born in 1939 at St. Mary's Hospital on Sixth Street in Niagara Falls and graduated from Niagara Falls High School Class of 1957.  She worked as a clerk part time her last two years of high school at Duncan Motors Ford Dealership on Main Street and then in 1962 went to work for the State of New York, Department of Labor for thirty years plus.  Her beloved spouse Ken died in 1993 and in 1997 she went to work at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Roman Catholic Church for 11 years.  Her connection to Oakwood Cemetery is having her mother's family buried there and the beautiful stories about so many who are laid to rest at Oakwood.  She has been a Trustee on Oakwood's Board for a couple of years and loves doing what she does for the cemetery such as the Memorial Day Service and fund raising.  She is very interested in genealogy and has enjoyed finding out so much about her family with the help of her friend Pete Ames.  

Connie passed away December 17, 2012 with her loving family near by.  She will be missed by the community and her friends at Oakwood.  She had a way of making everyone around her feel special.

Dorothy Marsh Rolling - Past Vice President

1938 - 2019 A resident of the Town of Niagara, daughter of the late William Marsh and Mary Vince.  She was a graduate of St. Mary's High School and Buffalo Mercy School of Nursing.  She worked at Mt. St. Mary's Hospital from 1960 - 1985 as a registered nurse.  In 1986 she was hired as the Niagara County Historian and worked until 1999.  She has been the Town on Niagara Historian for the past several years.  Her husband Jerauld Roderick is a resident at Oakwood, a descendant of the Roderick Porter and Frederick Dean families.  Her four children and eight grandchildren live the in the Niagara Falls area.
Dorothy passed away in January of 2019 with family and friends by her side. She made a mark upon Oakwood with her tireless work on our Town Grounds section as well as finding all our veterans. Dorothy loved the back porch of Oakwood House and fixed it up to sit out there to catch her breath and look over her Town Grounds section. Dorothy will be missed.

Larry Steele - Oakwood Cemetery Administrator Emeritus

1935 - 2016 Larry has retired 3 times. Larry's family owned Steele Electric an industrial electrical supply company.  Along with his mother, Larry ran the business until he sold it to Wehle Electric of Buffalo.  Despite the competition with Wehle, Mr. Steele was asked to join them as an advisor, and ended up staying another 10 years.

Larry comes to the cemetery through his love of local history.  Larry is a Board Member of The Friends of the Local History Department at the Niagara Falls Public Library.  Larry also manages the gift shop in the Library.  Knowing of Larry's vast business knowledge, the Oakwood Cemetery Board of Directors created the position of Administrator and asked Mr. Steele to accept.  Larry once again said yes and immediately set up a budget and goals for the cemetery. Thanks to Larry's diligence and attention to details, he has turned the finances of the cemetery around.  

Larry lives in Western New York with his wife, Carol and his beloved Golden Retriever Abigail.  Larry has 2 daughters and a son, and is Grandfather of seven.

Larry passed away in July of 2016 and is sadly missed.  A street clock, and a memorial bench were dedicated in his name.  Also, our office was re-named, the "Laurence G. Steele Visitor's Center".