Rev. Francis Dunbar, 90

A funeral Mass was offered July 20 at Our Lady of Hope Church, Whitehall, for Rev. Francis Dunbar, who died July 16. He was 90 and was a priest of the Albany Diocese for 63 years.

A native of Whitehall, he served as associate pastor at St. Francis de Sales parish in Herkimer, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Hudson Falls and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany; and was pastor at Immaculate Conception parish in Haines Falls and, for 17 years, at St. Anthony’s in Johnstown.

When Father Dunbar retired in 1998, he returned to his hometown of Whitehall, happy to live his daily life among the faithful in the area he called home. That’s not surprising, for he once told The Evangelist in an interview that “the experiences of everyday life in the world and the influence of the priesthood are the Lord’s blessings today.

“The Lord’s Gospel, the holy sacrifice of the Mass and the sev­en sacra­ments are the mean­ing of life for the priest, his people and society,” he added.

In fact, the Mass always seemed preeminent in Father Dunbar’s thoughts. He said that “the Eucharist is the heart of the priesthood. To preside at the table of the Lord’s word and body, and to serve the people of God has been a most meaningful vocation.”

Having gathered Catholics around the table of the Lord for many decades, may he now be gathered into the arms of the Lord.

Survivors include a sister, Anne Nichols of Whitehall. Interment was in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery, Whitehall.