SCHENEVUS - Cecelia Marie Gearon Roland, known to most as Rusty, peacefully passed away Friday December 4, 2009 after a prolonged struggle with congestive heart failure.

Born June 2, 1928 in Babylon, NY, the first child of Joseph Michael Gearon and Oonaugh Frances Keown Gearon, she is predeceased by both parents and her brother, Michael Gearon. She is survived by sister, Cathy Gearon of Woodland Hills, CA and brother, Pat Gearon of Fairfield, IA.

Rusty graduated from Syracuse University in June of 1949. She met Ralph Roland, her husband of 49 years, at Syracuse. They were married December 2, 1950. Ralph Mayo Roland passed away June 30, 2000.

Rusty was mother of six children, all of whom survive. Richard Roland and his wife, Faith Roland, of Bellevue, WA, Kathleen Lowery and her husband, Mark Lowery, of Chesterfield, MO, Paddi LeShane and her husband, Patrick Sullivan, of Hartford CT, Scott Roland of Maryland, NY, Craig Roland of Cummings, GA and Barbara Roland-Milano of Niskayuna, NY. Rusty is also survived by grandchildren, Taylor Roland, Michael and Katherine Sullivan, Daniel and Erin Sullivan and by great-grandchildren Patrick Sullivan, Alice Sullivan, and Liam Sullivan.

Rusty Roland retired as Associate Director of Government Affairs for Cornell University. In this position she served as head of Cornell's Albany NY Office of Government Affairs. Rusty was Principal Lobbyist for the NY State Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Ecology, Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and The Cornell New York Medical Hospital.

Leading to her Lobbying career, Rusty was Senior Extension Associate, Public Policy, for Cornell Cooperative Extension. She worked in consumer education and as a Public Policy Liaison between the NYS College of Human Ecology and the NYS Legislature and various state agencies.

For ten years she was a Cooperative Extension Television Specialist in the Capitol District of New York, producing and hosting several regularly-scheduled consumer education television programs. She had been a Cooperative Extension Agent, a radio host, and a home economics teacher as well.

Serving as co-chair of a 1977 NYS Home Economics Association policy workshop, Home Economists Make Policy, Not Coffee, Rusty was a leader in conceptualizing, programming, and teaching about the role of Home Economists in public policy formulation. Rusty was one of the first women ever registered nationally to Lobby for a major educational institution.
She was president of the NYS Association of Home Economists and served on the Public Affairs committee of the National Association. She served on the NYS Consumer Education Board and was an active member of the NYS Governor's Conference on Families Planning and a member of the NYS delegation to the 1980 White House Conference on Families.

In her "retirement" Rusty served as a member of the Deans' Advisory Council of the NYS College of Agriculture at Cornell. She volunteered at the Huntington Memorial Library in Oneonta and The Fenimore House Museum in Cooperstown. She was an active partner in GlimmerGlass Antiques.

Viewing hours will be from 6-8PM, Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at the Heller Funeral Home, Schenevus.


A private funeral mass will be held on Thursday December 10, with burial following, weather permitting. She will be buried next to her husband in the Schenevus Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations might be directed to the Community Connections Food Bank of Opportunities for Otsego, 3 West Broadway, Oneonta NY 13820 (607-433-8373) or the Schenevus-Maryland Emergency Squad, 105 County Highway 34, Schenevus, NY 12155.

Online condolences may be made at, www.hellerfuneralhome.com.

The Heller Funeral Home, 25 Arch St., Schenevus, is serving the family.