LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Doug and Marikay McHoul and Family upon
the occasion of their designation as recipients of the Lifetime Achieve-
ment Award by Family Services on April 7, 2011

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize that the
quality and character of life in the communities across New York State
are reflective of the concerned and dedicated efforts of those individ-
uals who would devote themselves to the welfare of the community and its
citizenry; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Doug
and Marikay McHoul and Family upon the occasion of their designation as
recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award by Family Services to be
celebrated at its 2011 Family of the Year Awards Dinner on Thursday,
April 7, 2011, at The Grandview, Poughkeepsie, New York; and
WHEREAS, Several generations of the McHoul Family have worked togeth-
er, making decisions vital to the success of the family business, The
McHoul Funeral Home; Doug and Marikay McHoul and their five children
continue to run the funeral home while at the same time giving back to
their community; and
WHEREAS, Doug and Marikay McHoul met in embalming school; as children,
both worked in their own family's funeral home; later in life when they
started their own business in Hopewell Junction, New York, they could
not afford employees so their children filled in, not only with the
grocery shopping, the cooking and the cleaning, but they were also
transporting bodies and filing death certificates after school; and
WHEREAS, The McHoul children were more than employees, they were part-
ners, participating in all of the decisions at the McHoul Funeral Home
and therefore have always been considered part-owners of the family
business; and
WHEREAS, The McHoul's business takes them to fires, auto accidents and
hospitals as well as into their own neighbors' homes; dealing with trag-
edy requires a deep caring for others, a compassion and a desire to give
back to the community; and
WHEREAS, Many have benefited greatly from the McHoul family and their
services, including The United Way, the school system, the church, the
fire district, the historical societies, and almost every Dutchess Coun-
ty organization; and
WHEREAS, Marikay McHoul's service work and leadership in the Daughters
of the American Revolution (DAR) has inspired her children and grand-
children to also join the Children of the DAR and to carve out their own
charitable niche; and
WHEREAS, Doug and Marikay McHoul's grandson Jacob is currently working
with Vassar Hospital to provide a room where hospitalized teenagers can
spend time and their son Doug Jr. currently serves on the Board of the
Children's Museum and is a founding member of the Southern Dutchess
Chamber of Commerce; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his volunteer work, the elder Doug McHoul
served proudly in the Dutchess County Legislature for twenty years, four
of them as chair; and
WHEREAS, In the 1990s, Doug McHoul cut back to part-time at the funer-
al home to serve as full-time director of the Dutchess County Office of
the Aging and went on to serve as Commissioner of Dutchess County
Personnel; and
WHEREAS, Doug and Marikay McHoul can boast a lifetime of achievement
and a remarkable family legacy passed down in the belief that the more
you give to your community, the more you will receive; and

WHEREAS, In the Spring of 2011, the younger McHoul generation will
open a second funeral home in Fishkill, New York; one of the grandchil-
dren has also decided to follow in the family's footsteps and has
recently started embalming school; and
WHEREAS, Today, the five McHoul children describe themselves as best
friends; they work together, have lunch together most weekdays, and hold
family dinners every Sunday for about twenty-five siblings, spouses,
children, and miscellaneous friends; and
WHEREAS, Doug and Marikay McHoul now bask in the sun in Puerto Rico,
enjoying their retirement dream while their Dutchess County legacy lives
on through their children and grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Doug and Marikay McHoul and their family have continually
demonstrated extreme competence, extraordinary intelligence and diligent
leadership in their unwavering service to their community; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who
enhance the well-being and vitality of their community and have shown a
long and sustained commitment to excellence certainly have earned the
recognition and applause of all the citizens of this great Empire State;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Doug and Marikay McHoul and Family upon the occasion of their
designation as recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award by Family
Services on April 7, 2011; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Doug and Marikay McHoul and family.