Lisa E. Faulkner, age 60 of Wellsville, New York passed away on Sunday, March 8, 2020 at Wellsville Manor Care Center. She was born on October 27, 1959 in Corning to Robert and Marion Faulkner.
As a child born with Down's syndrome, Lisa was a trail-blazer from the very beginning, as Bob and Marion chose to keep her at home to raise alongside her six older siblings, despite the pressure from well-meaning friends and family to place her in the many institutions available at the time.
In 1967, at the age of eight, Lisa was one of only a handful of students to take advantage of the first pilot programs for special needs children in New York State. Though, at that time, no local classroom space was yet set aside in the C-PP school district for this program, it would require her and her classmates to ride a half-hour bus ride to a church basement in Bath, twice a day every school day – where Lisa would always greet her teachers with a sunny smile and her trademark "Ah, Morning!".
During her school years, Lisa spent every year participating in the Special Olympics in the track and field events and, her favorite event, bowling, in which she won several medals and certificates. On one particular sunny summer day, just before the relay race was about to begin, Lisa proudly made the declaration to the starter coach that that day just happened to be her birthday, which prompted him, using his microphone, to share the good news with the crowds in the bleachers – as a cheer went up and Lisa waved and smiled broadly from the track below, a groan was also rising from Lisa's parents who very well knew that Lisa's birthday was NOT that day, but rather, in October … didn't stop Lisa from blowing kisses to her fans in the bleachers and granting them a flourishing bow in the end.
In the late 1970s, Lisa participated in New York State's Very Special Arts Festival, held in Albany where she had one of the most exciting moments in her life when she got to not only meet, but dance with, Jimmie 'J.J.' Walker from the TV series 'Good Times' who was one of the celebrity hosts that year and who's catch-phrase 'Dyn-o-mite!' summed up Lisa's personality to a 'T'.
She graduated with a New York State general education degree in 1981, with many of the same students who had ridden that school bus with her to that church basement in Bath starting back in 1967, Quite a few other students stood with her that day on the CFA stage, as the pilot program had grown, taken root and the C-PP School district saw its merit and created room for many special needs programs over the years, providing an education to hundreds of children who, once upon a time, would have been institutionalized. Lisa was many things to many people, and I hope those attending her service will share their fond memories of her with us, but Lisa was also a hero for those boys and girls with special needs that followed her down the path that she and her fellow classmates had blazed so long ago.
Lisa is survived by siblings: Robert Faulkner of Gang Mills, Marcia Bastian of Wellsville, Michelle (Charles) Cody of Beaver Dams, Tara (Michael) Gross of Coopers Plains.
In addition to her parents, Lisa was predeceased by siblings: Sharon Spiess, Marlene Wentling and Scott Faulkner.
As a child born with Down's syndrome, Lisa was a trail-blazer from the very beginning, as Bob and Marion chose to keep her at home to raise alongside her six older siblings, despite the pressure from well-meaning friends and family to place her in the many institutions available at the time.
In 1967, at the age of eight, Lisa was one of only a handful of students to take advantage of the first pilot programs for special needs children in New York State. Though, at that time, no local classroom space was yet set aside in the C-PP school district for this program, it would require her and her classmates to ride a half-hour bus ride to a church basement in Bath, twice a day every school day – where Lisa would always greet her teachers with a sunny smile and her trademark "Ah, Morning!".
During her school years, Lisa spent every year participating in the Special Olympics in the track and field events and, her favorite event, bowling, in which she won several medals and certificates. On one particular sunny summer day, just before the relay race was about to begin, Lisa proudly made the declaration to the starter coach that that day just happened to be her birthday, which prompted him, using his microphone, to share the good news with the crowds in the bleachers – as a cheer went up and Lisa waved and smiled broadly from the track below, a groan was also rising from Lisa's parents who very well knew that Lisa's birthday was NOT that day, but rather, in October … didn't stop Lisa from blowing kisses to her fans in the bleachers and granting them a flourishing bow in the end.
In the late 1970s, Lisa participated in New York State's Very Special Arts Festival, held in Albany where she had one of the most exciting moments in her life when she got to not only meet, but dance with, Jimmie 'J.J.' Walker from the TV series 'Good Times' who was one of the celebrity hosts that year and who's catch-phrase 'Dyn-o-mite!' summed up Lisa's personality to a 'T'.
She graduated with a New York State general education degree in 1981, with many of the same students who had ridden that school bus with her to that church basement in Bath starting back in 1967, Quite a few other students stood with her that day on the CFA stage, as the pilot program had grown, taken root and the C-PP School district saw its merit and created room for many special needs programs over the years, providing an education to hundreds of children who, once upon a time, would have been institutionalized. Lisa was many things to many people, and I hope those attending her service will share their fond memories of her with us, but Lisa was also a hero for those boys and girls with special needs that followed her down the path that she and her fellow classmates had blazed so long ago.
Lisa is survived by siblings: Robert Faulkner of Gang Mills, Marcia Bastian of Wellsville, Michelle (Charles) Cody of Beaver Dams, Tara (Michael) Gross of Coopers Plains.
In addition to her parents, Lisa was predeceased by siblings: Sharon Spiess, Marlene Wentling and Scott Faulkner.
Lisa E. Faulkner, age 60 of Wellsville, New York passed away on Sunday, March 8, 2020 at Wellsville Manor Care Center. She was born on October 27, 1959 in Corning to Robert and Marion Faulkner.
As a child born with Down's syndrome, Lisa was a trail-blazer from the very beginning, as Bob and Marion chose to keep her at home to raise alongside her six older siblings, despite the pressure from well-meaning friends and family to place her in the many institutions available at the time.
In 1967, at the age of eight, Lisa was one of only a handful of students to take advantage of the first pilot programs for special needs children in New York State. Though, at that time, no local classroom space was yet set aside in the C-PP school district for this program, it would require her and her classmates to ride a half-hour bus ride to a church basement in Bath, twice a day every school day – where Lisa would always greet her teachers with a sunny smile and her trademark "Ah, Morning!".
During her school years, Lisa spent every year participating in the Special Olympics in the track and field events and, her favorite event, bowling, in which she won several medals and certificates. On one particular sunny summer day, just before the relay race was about to begin, Lisa proudly made the declaration to the starter coach that that day just happened to be her birthday, which prompted him, using his microphone, to share the good news with the crowds in the bleachers – as a cheer went up and Lisa waved and smiled broadly from the track below, a groan was also rising from Lisa's parents who very well knew that Lisa's birthday was NOT that day, but rather, in October … didn't stop Lisa from blowing kisses to her fans in the bleachers and granting them a flourishing bow in the end.
In the late 1970s, Lisa participated in New York State's Very Special Arts Festival, held in Albany where she had one of the most exciting moments in her life when she got to not only meet, but dance with, Jimmie 'J.J.' Walker from the TV series 'Good Times' who was one of the celebrity hosts that year and who's catch-phrase 'Dyn-o-mite!' summed up Lisa's personality to a 'T'.
She graduated with a New York State general education degree in 1981, with many of the same students who had ridden that school bus with her to that church basement in Bath starting back in 1967, Quite a few other students stood with her that day on the CFA stage, as the pilot program had grown, taken root and the C-PP School district saw its merit and created room for many special needs programs over the years, providing an education to hundreds of children who, once upon a time, would have been institutionalized. Lisa was many things to many people, and I hope those attending her service will share their fond memories of her with us, but Lisa was also a hero for those boys and girls with special needs that followed her down the path that she and her fellow classmates had blazed so long ago.
Lisa is survived by siblings: Robert Faulkner of Gang Mills, Marcia Bastian of Wellsville, Michelle (Charles) Cody of Beaver Dams, Tara (Michael) Gross of Coopers Plains.
In addition to her parents, Lisa was predeceased by siblings: Sharon Spiess, Marlene Wentling and Scott Faulkner.
As a child born with Down's syndrome, Lisa was a trail-blazer from the very beginning, as Bob and Marion chose to keep her at home to raise alongside her six older siblings, despite the pressure from well-meaning friends and family to place her in the many institutions available at the time.
In 1967, at the age of eight, Lisa was one of only a handful of students to take advantage of the first pilot programs for special needs children in New York State. Though, at that time, no local classroom space was yet set aside in the C-PP school district for this program, it would require her and her classmates to ride a half-hour bus ride to a church basement in Bath, twice a day every school day – where Lisa would always greet her teachers with a sunny smile and her trademark "Ah, Morning!".
During her school years, Lisa spent every year participating in the Special Olympics in the track and field events and, her favorite event, bowling, in which she won several medals and certificates. On one particular sunny summer day, just before the relay race was about to begin, Lisa proudly made the declaration to the starter coach that that day just happened to be her birthday, which prompted him, using his microphone, to share the good news with the crowds in the bleachers – as a cheer went up and Lisa waved and smiled broadly from the track below, a groan was also rising from Lisa's parents who very well knew that Lisa's birthday was NOT that day, but rather, in October … didn't stop Lisa from blowing kisses to her fans in the bleachers and granting them a flourishing bow in the end.
In the late 1970s, Lisa participated in New York State's Very Special Arts Festival, held in Albany where she had one of the most exciting moments in her life when she got to not only meet, but dance with, Jimmie 'J.J.' Walker from the TV series 'Good Times' who was one of the celebrity hosts that year and who's catch-phrase 'Dyn-o-mite!' summed up Lisa's personality to a 'T'.
She graduated with a New York State general education degree in 1981, with many of the same students who had ridden that school bus with her to that church basement in Bath starting back in 1967, Quite a few other students stood with her that day on the CFA stage, as the pilot program had grown, taken root and the C-PP School district saw its merit and created room for many special needs programs over the years, providing an education to hundreds of children who, once upon a time, would have been institutionalized. Lisa was many things to many people, and I hope those attending her service will share their fond memories of her with us, but Lisa was also a hero for those boys and girls with special needs that followed her down the path that she and her fellow classmates had blazed so long ago.
Lisa is survived by siblings: Robert Faulkner of Gang Mills, Marcia Bastian of Wellsville, Michelle (Charles) Cody of Beaver Dams, Tara (Michael) Gross of Coopers Plains.
In addition to her parents, Lisa was predeceased by siblings: Sharon Spiess, Marlene Wentling and Scott Faulkner.
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