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She was born June 23, 1961 in Batavia, a daughter of Ronald and Mary Jane (Dillon) Heywood of East Bethany.

Kim was a graduate of Pavilion Central School, GCC, and she earned her bachelor's degree at Brockport State College. She was a bookkeeper for several local businesses, and an employee of Lenape.

She was a member and dedicated Deacon and Elder of the East Bethany Presbyterian Church, and also attended the Congregational Church of Riga. Kim was a loving, kind, thoughtful, giving person who always put others first; she will be sadly missed. We have lost a very bright light in our family, but she'll shine brightly in Heaven.

In addition to her parents, she is survived by her fiance, Jerry Clark of Riga; daughter Danielle (Timothy) Dosch of Florida; son, Shawn McGiveron of Warsaw; grandchildren, McKenzie and Savannah; brothers, Doug (Peg) Heywood of East Bethany, and Richard (Melissa) Heywood of Tennessee; sisters, Bonnie (Ken) Morgan of Tennessee, and Linda (Randy) Page of Batavia. Several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews also survive.

Family and friends are invited to call on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the H.E. Turner & Co. Funeral Home, 403 East Main Street in Batavia. Kim's funeral service will be held on Monday (May 16) at 11 a.m. at the East Bethany Presbyterian Church, 5735 Ellicott Street Road in East Bethany. Burial will be in East Bethany Cemetery at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to East Bethany Presbyterian Church.  Please leave a condolence, share a story, or light a candle at www.bataviafuneralhomes.com.

Ethyl I. Sojda, age 84, of Creek Rd, Batavia, NY, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on April 8th, 2022. Ethyl was born in Batavia as the only daughter of the late Vincent N. and Ruth M. Kirch. She was a life-long resident of Alexander, NY.

After graduating from Alexander Central School, she held various jobs until she married her late husband, John F. Sojda, Jr. in 1961 and raised three children. As a dedicated mother she could be seen braving any weather to watch her children’s sporting events. She returned to work in 1977 and held a number of positions with local companies over the following thirty years. In her last role she was a Loose Ends hostess managing the GCC cafeteria where many folks came to enjoy her kind and pleasant personality and her dedicated work ethic.

Though a long-time crocheter, later in life she became a serious quilter and active in the Batavia Museum Quilt Guild. She produced a number of quilts for family and friends that are still enjoyed daily.

For a number of years, she was also a volunteer with All Babies Cherished. It was not uncommon to see her with her knitting material creating baby hats for the regional hospital system. For many years she was an assistant to John Sojda, Jr. in his role as Alexander Town Justice. Part of her charm and grace was how resiliently and quietly she met life’s challenges—both her own and those of others who knew her.

Ethyl is survived by her sons John and Steve (Barb), her daughter Ann, five grandchildren; Lily Whisman, Jacob (Paige), Stephanie (Patrick) Guarino, Michelle (Andrew) James , and Angela (Martin) Pohl, great-grandchildren; Ezekiel Guarino, Emily and Eli James, Alex, and Maria Pohl. She was preceded by her brother Merlin Kirch and has 4 surviving brothers (Ralph, Arnold, Harold, and Myron), and many nieces and nephews.

Mass at St. Mary's in Batavia at 9:30am Saturday June 25th followed by a graveside service at West Bethany Cemetery. Lunch to follow at her home at

9926 Creek Rd.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alexander Rescue Squad PO Box 336 Alexander, NY 14005 or Homecare & Hospice 29 Liberty St. Suite 6 Batavia, NY 14020. For more information please call (585) 591-1212 or to leave a message of condolence visit www.marleyfuneralhome.com. Arrangements completed by Marley Funeral Home, LLC, 135 Main Street, Attica, NY 14011