Pennsylvania Obituary and Marriage Records, 1947-2010
Robert Wood
Robert Wood, 51, a resident of Essington, Tinicum Township and former longtime resident of Glenolden, died on July 12th at his home.
Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late John and Christine Wood. He grew-up in Glenolden and lived there most of his life until moving to the Essington section of Tnicum Township ten years ago. He was a graduate of Interboro High School.
Mr. Wood enjoyed playing his guitar, and would often compose songs complete with lyrics as he played his guitar. He loved the outdoors, and especially liked to fish whenever he could. Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his daughters who were the center of his life.
He will be remembered as a loving and devoted father and grandfather.
He is survived by his daughters, Rose Wood of Philadelphia, Kristen Povorotney of Morton, Veronica Wood of Essington; and Kelly Wood of Tallahassee, Florida; his step-son who he helped raise, Mark Roberts of Essington; his brothers, Jack Wood, George Wood, Ken Wood, and Michael Wood; his grandson, Jaxson; and his former wife, Donna Wood Huscher of Pottstown.
His visitation will be on Saturday from 9:30 A.M. to 11 A.M. at the Griffith Funeral Chapel, 520 Chester Pike in Norwood. His funeral and burial will be private.
Contributions: To The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, 8601 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia, Pa. 19153.
Frank J. Skoczen
Frank J. Skoczen, 48, a resident of Folcroft, died on July 9th at his home.
Born in Darby, he was the son of the late Frank and Anna Lee Skoczen. Mr. Skoczen grew up in Southwest Philadelphia and attended John Bartram High School. He was a resident of Folcroft for the last 14 years.
Mr. Skoczen was employed in the food service industry for many years. He enjoyed rock music and was a drummer in a local band. He enjoyed the outdoors, and especially enjoyed fishing.
Mr. Skoczen was predeceased by his sister, Maryanne Smith.
He is survived by his wife, Kimberly Fulmele Skoczen; his son, Michael D. Skoczen of Folcroft; his sisters, Patricia Monreal of Colwyn, and Kathy Belmont of Folcroft; his brother, Charles Skoczen of Spring Hill, Florida; and his nieces and nephews.
His memorial service will be held on Thursday at 8 P.M. at the Griffith Funeral Chapel, 520 Chester Pike in Norwood. His visitation will be on Thursday from 6:30 P.M. to 8 P.M. at the funeral home. His burial will be private.
Contributions: To the Educational Fund for Michael D. Skoczen, c/o PNC Bank, 501 Chester Pike, Prospect Park, Pa. 19076.
Gloria A. Haggerty
Gloria A. Haggerty, 89, a resident of Lehighton, Pa. and a former long time Ridley Park resident, died on March 1, 2013 at the Summit Nursing Home in Lehighton, Pa.
Born in Schuylkill Haven, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Charles and Oneida Grim. She resided in Ridley Park for many years before moving to Lehighton in 2001.
Gloria was a member of Olivet Presbyterian Church while living in Ridley Park and then became a member of Zion Church of Christ in Lehighton.
She was the wife of the late William J. “Bud” Haggerty and was predeceased by her sister, Grace Shappell.
She is survived by her sisters, Wauneta Orwig and Naomi Frehafer of Lehighton, PA; her brother Russell Grim; and her nieces and nephews.
Her funeral service will be held on Thursday, March 7 th, at 12:30 P.M. at Olivet Presbyterian Church, 10 th & Washington Avenue, in Prospect Park, Pa. Her visitation will be on Thursday from 11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at the church. Her burial will be in Glenwood Memorial Gardens in Marple Township.
Contributions: In lieu of flowers, contributions made in Gloria’s memory to Olivet Presbyterian Church, 1001 Washington Avenue, Prospect Park, Pa. 19076 would be appreciated.
Sharon D. Showell
Suddenly on February 25, 2013, Sharon D. Showell entered into eternal rest.
Born on September 7, 1959. Sharon graduated from Interboro High School in Glenolden, Pa.
Sharon always had a smile on her face and a passion to help others.
Sharon was employed by the City of Philadelphia as Administrator until her retirement.
Pre-deceased by her loving mother, Alberta Showell.
In her demise, Sharon leaves behind her son, Shaun Elwood Showell, her two sisters, Catherine and Donna Showell and a host of cousins, relatives and friends.
Graveside rights will be held on Saturday, March 9, 2013 at Holy Cross Cemetery, 626 Bailey Road, Yeadon, Pa. 19050 at 2 P.M.
Contributions: in lieu of flowers, the family ask that donations may be made to: Delaware SPCA, 455 Stanton Christiana Road, Newark, DE 19713 www.delspca.org
Sara L. Seamen
Sara L. Seamen (Nee Williams) a resident of Ridley Park, beloved wife of the late Richard A. Seamen, passed away peacefully on February 21, 2013 at home at the age of 90 years.
Sara graduated from Glen Nor High School and retired from Strawbridge & Clothier.
She was predeceased by her husband Richard, sister Frances Williams, and brothers Jack Williams and Roger Williams.
She is survived by her daughters, Kathy (John) Slaughter and Linda Starecheski; her brother Joseph (Nancy) Williams; sisters Mary (John) Forbes, Ruth (Robert) Edson; sisters-in-law Helen Jean Williams and Joan Williams; brother-in-law James (Joan) Smith; her five grandchildren Jeff, Lisa, Amanda, Sharon, and Ernie; her eleven great-grandchildren Ocean, Sierra, James, Naia, Cade, Sara, Michael, Francesca, Lavinia, Eddie, and Elena; and many nieces and nephews.
Her graveside service for family and friends will be on Friday, March 1, 2013, at 1 P.M. at Eastlawn Cemetery, 7 th Street and Girard Avenue, in Milmont Park, Pa. with her burial to follow.
Contributions: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Sara’s name to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 628 E. Chester Pike, Ridley Park, Pa. 19078.
W. Gilmore "Gil" Tower
March 20, 1929 - February 13, 2013
Gil passed away peacefully on February 13, 2013. As many of you know, Gil underwent heart surgery back on September 20, 2012. The surgery went well, but he developed pneumonia that greatly slowed his recovery. He was still weak in January when his gallbladder began to act up and needed to be removed. After the apparently successful surgery, he once again developed pneumonia. This time he was unable to recover.
Gil was born at home in Lexington, Massachusetts to Winslow and Dorothy (Walsh) Tower. He was always proud that his family line stretched back to the Revolutionary War era in Lexington and he was brought up participating in the town’s annual re-creation of the Battle of Lexington Green which triggered the American Revolution.
Gil attended then far-off Georgetown University, leaving the push lawn mowing of the family’s spacious property to his younger brother Jay - a fact that Jay reminded him of with a grin in just the last few days.
Tennis was one of Gil’s life-long loves. He played on the Georgetown tennis team and kept active with the sport until the doctor told him to stop a year or so ago. His personal goal when he underwent his risky heart surgery last September was to get back on the court to hit some balls with his tennis buddies in and around Swarthmore.
Gil worked as a statistician on the 1950 US Census where he encountered a vivacious, curvaceous and, as he soon found out, audacious, young Lebanese-American lady from Rhode Island who shared his passion for Gilbert and Sullivan and the Red Sox. He and Norma Corey were married on Thanksgiving Day, 1951, and they shared 61+ years together, singing through both good times and bad. Their life together showed they both took seriously the words of the vow, “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health”. Gil and Norma had two sons, Ken and Don, who were the focus of their lives until they began to share the spotlight with grandchildren Roger and Samantha.
Gil and Norma’s social life revolved for many years around close friends in the various places they lived and included many a late evening of friendly, but intense, bridge playing.
A solid tenor, Gil loved music, particularly Gilbert and Sullivan and the Christmas caroling that he, Norma and their family did around their neighborhoods for many years. He and Norma hosted the extended family’s Christmas gathering for more than 40 years.
In his work life, Gil was one of the pioneers of the computer age, training as one of the first generation of programmers for the old, room-filling, Univac computers. [It is ironic that, as computers got smaller and more powerful, Gil got less and less interested in them; until it got to the point that Norma was the computer jockey who sent the blizzard of emails from their PC.] Later, Gil became a management consultant and worked for several prominent firms in the field.
In retirement, gardening became one of Gil’s passions. He took courses through Penn State, became a “Certified Master Gardener” and, each spring, couldn’t wait to bring new life out of the ground with his sugar snap peas.
Gil is survived by Norma, his wife of 61 years, brother Jay (wife Bobbie), sons Ken (Rosana) and Don, grandchildren Roger & Samantha, and brother-in-law Carl Corey (Barbara) and many beloved nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Gil's name to either the:
Lexington Historical Society (nonprofit), P.O. Box 514, Lexington, MA 02420 https://lhsoc.weebly.com/index.html
Or
The Alzheimer's Association ("... the world's leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research.") https://www.alz.org/join_the_cause_donate.asp
His memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 2 P.M. at the Griffith Funeral Chapel, 520 Chester Pike, Norwood, Pa. His visitation will begin on Saturday at the funeral home from 1 P.M. to 2 P.M. His burial will be private.
Donald Cardwell
Donald Cardwell, 78, a former resident of Southwest Philadelphia, passed away on February 9, 2013 surrounded by his loving family.
He is survived by his wife, Rose; brothers Larry and Andy; children Donna Arthur, John Mahoney, Marlene DiLuzio, Susan Connell, the late Patricia Wright and Joe Mahoney. “Pop” to his loving caregiver Gina DiLuzio, Madison and Morgan Connell, Joseph Bramanti, Tara and Thomas Wright.
His funeral and burial will be private.
Robert "Booper" McCord
October 31, 1954 - November 25, 2012
Robert McCord, 58, formerly of Sharon Hill and Folcroft, passed away on November 25, 2012. He recently retired to Naples, Florida. He enjoyed spending time with his family and fishing.
Predeceased by his wife, Janice (nee Coppock) McCord. Beloved father of Kimberly McCord, Jaclyn McCord, and Kristine Soderland (Mark). Brother of Michael McCord. Grandfather of Jessica, Paityn, Mark, and Mia.
Friends and family gathering will be from 10 A.M. to 11 A.M. with a Prayer Service at 11 A.M. on Saturday, February 2, 2013, at the Griffith Funeral Chapel, 520 Chester Pike, in Norwood. Burial of cremains to follow at Saints Peter & Paul Cemetery in Springfield.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Louis T. Harms
Louis T. Harms, 96, a resident of Wallingford, Pa., died on January 22, 2013 at The Taylor Hospice Residence in Ridley Park, Pa.
He was born in Edmonton, Alberta. He was the son of the late Henry and Frieda Harms.
Louis served in World War II in the Pacific Theater for several years. He earned an MA in Economics at Temple University, a PhD in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, and did post graduate studies at Harvard.
He was the son of a minister, but his passion was science and knowledge. His goal upon arriving at the University was to read every book in the library. He eventually became a professor, chairman of the Economics Department at Temple University, and Associate Dean of the Business School. He was also a champion for the less fortunate, from demonstrating against the University diner’s policy of whites only in 1932, to writing a book in the 1950’s warning about technology causing job loss, to making sure the University had a diverse faculty. He enjoyed a long retirement starting in 1986.
He is survived by his wife Kathe, with whom he celebrated his 70th anniversary in 2012, and by his daughter, Monica Harms, son Peter L. Harms, brother William Harms, and grandchildren Peter J. Harms, Andrew Harms, Christopher Del Roccili, and Caitlin Del Roccili.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, February 2, 2013, at 11 A.M. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 301 N. Chester Road, in Swarthmore, Pa.
Contributions: In lieu of flowers, contributions made to Taylor Hospice Residence, P.O. Box 147, Ridley Park, Pa. 19078-2284 would be appreciated.
Eugene "Gene" Carr
October 26, 1925 - January 10, 2013
CarrEugene “Gene” Carr, 87, a lifetime resident of Darby and Collingdale, died on January 10, 2013.
He was a devoted son, brother, uncle, and friend. Gene worked and retired from Westinghouse.
The Carr and Callahan families would like to invite you to his Memorial Service on Sunday, January 27th, at 2 P.M. at 1127 Villanova Avenue in Swarthmore, Pa. 19081.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Crozer-Keystone Hospice at Taylor Hospital, 5030 State Road, Suite 3001, Drexel Hill, Pa. 19026.
Anthony A. "Tony" Grassi
Anthony A. “Tony” Grassi, 81, a resident of Morton and a former resident of Yeadon; died on January 10, 2013 at his residence.
Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late Anthony and Edith Grassi.
Tony was a veteran of the Korean War having served in the U.S. Navy. He will be remembered as a man who was devoted to his family.
He was the husband of the late Catherine Grassi, who died in 1998.
He is survived by his daughter, Maureen Grassi; his sons, Anthony Grassi, Jr. and Daniel Grassi; and his sister, Dianne Spirk.
His funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, January 15 th, at 10 A.M. at Our Lady of Fatima Church, on South Avenue, in Secane. His visitation will be on Monday, January 14 th, from 6 P.M. to 8 P.M. at the Griffith Funeral Chapel, 520 Chester Pike in Norwood and on Tuesday after 9 A.M. at the church. His burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon.
Contributions: In lieu of flowers, contributions made in Tony’s memory to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, for “Operation Smile”, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101 (www.operationsmile.org) would be appreciated.
Margaret Clifton Shute
Margaret Clifton Shute, 99, a resident of Granite Farms Estates in Media and former resident of Swarthmore (1949-1989) passed away on January 8, 2013 at Crozer Chester Medical Center.
Margaret was born in 1913 at Methodist Episcopal Hospital, NY, NY. She was the daughter of Capt. Alfred Lee Clifton and Gladys Burgess Clifton. She was married in 1940 to the late Capt. Corben Clark Shute, USN, highly decorated veteran of WWII.
Mrs. Shute was a world traveler visiting 38 different countries during her lifetime. She was an active supporter and former Treasurer, Secretary, Chairman of volunteer services/blood programs and President of the Swarthmore branch of American Red Cross. She was also a member of Providence Garden Club from 1964 - 2008. In 1962 she was invited to Hoboken, Belgium to christen the launching of a large oil tanker, Atlantic Competitor, for Atlantic Refining Company.
After the death of her husband in 1988, Margaret moved to Granite Farms Estates. She served as President of Granite Farms Estates Residents Association from 1995 - 1997. At Granite Farms Estates she made many dear friends, played bridge and hosted many parties and celebrations. She will be remembered as “The Hostess with the Mostest”, and for her wonderful flair for humor and a talent for leadership.
Margaret Shute is survived by her sons, David Clark Shute (wife Beth) and Edward Lee Shute (wife Susan), her Three Grandchildren and Four Great-Grandchildren by whom she is lovingly known as Mumsey.
Mrs. Shute was a long standing member of Swarthmore Presbyterian Church where in a private service she will be interred in the Memorial Garden next to her beloved husband, Corben.
A memorial service to celebrate the wondrous life of Margaret Shute will be held at Granite Farms Estates, 1343 West Baltimore Pike, Media, Pa. 19063 on February 15, 2013 at 11 A.M.
Memorial contributions may be made to Southeastern Chapter of American Red Cross at 215-299-4000 or redcross.org/pa/Philadelphia OR to Wounded Warriors Project at 877-958-2233 or support.woundedwarriosproject.org.
Eleanor M. Goodwin
Eleanor M. Goodwin, 93, a longtime resident of Glenolden, died on January 7, 2013 at the Conner-Williams Nursing Home in Ridley Park.
Born in Chester, she was a graduate of Ridley Township High School and worked in the Accounting Department at Westinghouse for 27 years before retiring in 1981.
She was the wife of the late William L. Goodwin, and was predeceased by her daughter, Judith Ann Spriggle, and her niece, M. Joan Hurst.
She is survived by her sons, William J. Goodwin of Albuquerque, NM and John Thomas (Sandy) Goodwin of Lewes, DE.
Her funeral service and burial were held privately.
Contributions: In lieu of flowers, contributions made in Eleanor’s memory to Elwyn, 111 Elwyn Road, Elwyn, Pa. 19063 would be appreciated.
Edward A. McCullough
Edward A. McCullough, age 51, a resident of Aldan, Pa.., died suddenly on December 31, 2012. He was born on October 29, 1961 in Philadelphia, Pa. to Edward and Patricia McCullough.
Ed grew up in Delaware County. He graduated from Collingdale High School in Collingdale, Pa. in 1980. That same year, Ed enlisted in the Army. He served overseas in Korea and Germany. After his tour of duty he safely returned home and lived in Delaware County.
Ed worked hard for most of his life focusing mainly in plumbing and heating services.
Ed enjoyed astrology, sports, cars, learning about anything, Penn State football, and he was a true Philadelphia sports fan.
Ed was preceded in death by his father, Edward Sr., and his brother Mark. Ed is survived by his mother Patricia, wife Mary, brother Bill, sister-in-law Kathleen, nephews Sean and Bryan, nieces Kristi and Dana, and great-nephew Tyler.
His Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, January 5th, at 11 A.M. at the Griffith Funeral Chapel, 520 Chester Pike, in Norwood, Pa. Visitation will be from 10 A.M. to 11 A.M. Saturday at the funeral home. His burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the American Heart Association (www.heart.org) P.O. Box 163549, Columbus, OH 43216-3549
The family would like to thank the Griffith Funeral Chapel for all their help and support.
