11/25/2025
THREE MILE BAY- William “Ted” Utess, of Three Mile Bay, NY, passed away peacefully at home on November 22nd, 2025. Arrangements have been entrusted to Becker-Cleveland Funeral Home Inc., Chaumont, NY.
Ted was born on September 12, 1938, in Batavia, New York, to William and Alfreda (Kumpf) Utess. He spent much of his childhood in Batavia before moving to Point Peninsula in the Town of Lyme, where his family owned and operated the Shangri-La Campground and Marina until 1960. A graduate of Lyme Central School’s Class of 1956, Ted went on to work for General Motors before taking over his parents’ marine canvas business, Utess Cover-n-Cushion, in 1961.
On April 21, 1967, he married Sigrid (Bolz) Weiler in Chaumont, NY. Together, they continued to operate Utess Cover-n-Cushion until selling the business in the late 1980s. Ted was a dedicated longtime member of the Three Mile Bay Fire Department, serving as Fire Chief from 1969–70 and again in 1978. He also served on the Town of Lyme Board of Assessment Review for sixteen years, including time as chairman, and worked as a bus driver for Lyme Central School for thirty-six years before retiring in 2000.
Ted was a man of many interests and talents. Along with taking his family to visit his wife’s family in Germany, he loved boating, ice fishing, woodworking, and restoring antique steam engines. He built a working replica of a 1904 Oldsmobile and was often seen driving it around town. After earning his pilot’s license, he took on the challenge of dismantling and restoring a Piper Cub airplane, which gave him many hours of enjoyment in the skies above Northern NY. It wasn’t unusual for Ted to land his plane in his daughter’s backyard, pick up his grandson, and fly him to Weedsport for a cheeseburger.
Ted is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Sigrid, a son, William J. Weiler, and his wife, Yvonne, a daughter, Ellen M. Wiseman and her husband, William, a grandson and his wife, Benjamin and Shanae Wiseman, a granddaughter and her husband, Jessica and Andrew Thompson, and six great-grandchildren—Rylee, Harper, and Lincoln Wiseman, and Liam, Owen, and Elena Thompson. He is also survived by a sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Sam Crisino, along with a niece and nephew.
He was predeceased by his parents and a daughter, Catherine S. Weiler.
A funeral service will take place on Saturday, November 29th at 11 AM at the First Baptist Church in Three Mile Bay, NY. Following the burial at the Three Mile Bay Cemetery, family and friends are invited to a reception at Sally Port View.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ted’s memory to the First Baptist Church in Three Mile Bay (PO Box 175 Three Mile Bay, NY 13693) or the Cape Vincent Ambulance Squad (180 E. Broadway Cape Vincent, NY 13618)