Obituary of Maria Theresa Goetz

Maria Theresa (Ria) Goetz, a beloved local antique artist and craftswoman, died at the age of 90 in her Swan Lake, NY home on Monday October 19, 2020 following a long battle with illness. Ria was born in Yugoslavia on June 22, 1930 to Alois and Elizabeth Thaler.

She spent her childhood years living in Innsbruck, Austria and immigrated to New York on the General Greeley Merchant Ship on December 1951. She worked as an artist in Brooklyn, NY before marrying and moving upstate to Swan Lake, NY. She continued her art, specifically catering to antique repairs.

Ria was a devoted mother, grandmother, gardener, and farmer. She took great pride in maintaining the landscape around her 19^th century home, making sure it was always adorned with begonias and many beautiful flowers. She also spent a lot of time baking, especially her notorious lemon meringue pie and apple cake. Her love for animals was expressed in the time and energy she put into her chickens and cows, which were always running around somewhere in the backyard. She saw beauty in nature and life, expressing this in her painting and the love she shared with everyone.

Ria is survived by her children, Thomas Goetz, Theresa Joseph, and William Goetz; her sister Edith Herold; and her grandchildren Jessalyn Goetz, Isaac Joseph, and Sydney Goetz. She is predeceased by her parents; her sister Josephine Pohl; and her brother Franz Thaler.

Visitation will take place on Saturday, October 24, 2020 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. at Colonial-Ramsay Funeral Home in Kauneonga Lake, with a graveside service at 2 p.m. at the Evergreen Cemetery in Bethel, NY. Rev. David Coon will officiate. Social distancing guidelines set forth by the New York State Department of Health will be in place; masks are required at all times.

Arrangements are under the care of Colonial-Ramsay Funeral Home in Kauneonga Lake, NY. For additional information please contact the funeral home at 845-583-5445 or visit www.colonialfamilyfuneralhomes.com.