Schuylkill County Obituaries for 05/17/18
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Jean M. (Kellerman) Klase, of Lavelle, PA passed away peacefully at the age of 96 on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at the Green Valley Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Pitman, PA who provided excellent and loving care. Jean was born on November 1, 1921 in Lavelle, PA the daughter of the late Elmer A. and Mamie A. (Hepler) Kellerman.
Jean was a lifelong resident of Lavelle, PA and she was of the Lutheran Faith. She graduated from Ashland High School. Jean was retired from Gitman's Shirt Factory, Ashland after 50 years of loyal service where she was an accomplished seamstress. She was known for being a loving mother, wife, sister, aunt and most of all as a friend who was always ready and eager to help anyone. Her baking skills were legendary. Her passion for fun was shopping sprees with friends and relatives.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 39 years, Warren H. Klase, in 1984. Also preceding her in death were 4 sisters and 2 brothers: Beatrice M. Ramer (Joseph); Robert Kellerman (Caroline); Grace M. Reiff (William); Charles L. "Chap" Kellerman (Carrie); Ann Hubler (Arthur); and her twin sister Jeanette E. Bolich; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Surviving are her son, Timothy W. Klase of Lavelle, PA; a niece, Bernice Eister, Lavelle, with whom she had a relationship like sisters; and numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be at the convenience of the family from the Kull-Heizenroth Funeral Home, Ashland. Interment in Citizens Cemetery, Lavelle, PA. Kull-Heizenroth Funeral Home, Inc, Ashland is in charge of arrangements. Charles Heizenroth III, Supervisor.
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Jason Albert Mucher, 88, of Hometown, Pennsylvania died on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Weatherly, PA.
He was the husband of Marian Elma (nee Zeisloft) Mucher to whom he was married 63 years. Born in Hazleton, PA, Jason was a son of the late John and Henrietta (nee McHose) Mucher. Prior to retiring, he worked for Air Products. Jason was a member of Bethany Evangelical Congregational Church, Tamaqua where had been a former sexton as well as being a former sexton for St. Matthew Evangelical Congregational Church, Emmaus. A very adept woodworker, he spent his retirement years turning woodworking into a hobby when he wasn't spending time at the Beacon Diner.
Jason is survived by his wife, Marian; daughters, Jerilyn Mucher of Coplay, PA and Jacqueline Kauffman and her husband Jeff of Roanoke, VA; son, John Mucher of Tamaqua; and grandchildren, Jessica Kauffman and Jeremy Kauffman of Roanoke. He was predeceased by his sister, Elaine Gibson.
Services will be held at 11 AM on Friday, May 18 at the Zizelmann-Gulla Funeral Home, 500 East Broad Street, Tamaqua with The Rev. Kevin Roberts officiating. Call 10-11 AM, Friday, at the funeral home. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials in his name may be made to Bethany Evangelical Congregational Church, 430 East Broad Street, Tamaqua, PA 18252.
Arrangements are being handled by the Zizelmann-Gulla Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc., Tamaqua.
Rudolph (Rudy) Fronczek, 62, of Morea, passed away Friday, May 4th, at his residence.
Rudolph was born in Morea, on May 2, 1956, a son of the late Anna (Acenzi) and Rudolph Fronczek.
Rudy graduated from Mahanoy Area High School.
He worked for the Mahanoy Township Water Authority.
Rudy's passion was being an avid motorcyclist.
He is survived by numerous cousins and also by his aunt Alice Moore, Mahanoy City.
A Religious Service will be held at 10 am at the Louis D. Truskowsky Funeral Home & Crematory Inc., Mahanoy City, PA, with Rev. Kevin P. Gallagher officiating.
Friends may call Saturday from 9am.
Interment will follow in St. Casimir Cemetery Mahanoy City, PA.
Louis D. Truskowsky Funeral Home & Crematory Inc. Mahanoy City is in charge of arrangements. Visit www.truskowskyfuneralhome.com to sign the guest book and send sympathy cards.
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Janet Edith Wetzel, 84, passed away May 16th, at Manor Care Health Services, Pottsville, after an extended battle with Alzheimers.
Born in Silverton, she was the daughter of the late Robert & Vera Houser Bainbridge.
She attended Pottsville schools and Trinity Lutheran Church, Pottsville.
Janet enjoyed ceramics and tending to her houseplants. She loved going on trips with her sister, Donna McShaw, and playing pinochle with her brother, Robert Bainbridge.
She was preceded in death by her late husband, Robert Wetzel, Sr., in 2006. Janet was the last of 13 children: sisters Bertha Aponick, Betty Davey, Thelma "Dinda" Dempsey, Diane "Chee Chee" Dennen, Mae Bainbridge, Karen Purcell, Donna McShaw, Joyce Peck, and infant sister, Barbara; brothers, Robert "Bobby", Richard "Lefty", John "Red", and William "Tutty" Bainbridge.
Janet is survived by two daughters: Deb Mattera (Joe), Auburn, and Kathy Wentzel, Schuylkill Haven, a son, Robert Wentzel, Jr., (Wanda), Pottsville, grandchildren: Joseph, Adam, Rebecca, Matthew, Eric, & Josh, and four great-grandchildren, nieces & nephews.
All services will be privately held at the family's convenience.
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Caroline V. Whalen , 72, of 208 Mt. Vernon St., Shenandoah, died Tuesday at Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest, Allentown.
Born in Frackville, February 7, 1946, She was a daughter of the late William C. and Elizabeth (Meck) Schaeffer Yasembousky
She was of the Protestant Faith.
She was preceded in death by a son Michael Whalen; 3 brothers Arthur Meck, William and DanielSchaeffer; 2 sisters Inez Smarowsky and Patricia Schaeffer.
Surviving are her 2 daughter Michelle Cook of Pittsburgh; Shannon Sterner of OR; 5 sons Edward Whalen of Shenandoah; son James Whalen of Shenandoah; son Robert Whalen of Shenandoah; Jeffrey Whalen of Shenandoah; Shawn Whalen of Frackville; a brother John Schaeffer of Pottsville; 3 sisters Elizabeth Russell of Lebanon; Hayley Moran of CO; Cheryl Shaeffer-Waite of TX; Nieces and Nephews
Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 AM Tuesday from Nice- Hart Funeral Home, Inc, 9 North Lehigh Avenue Frackville, PA 17931. The Rev. Mindy Heppe will be officiating. . Friends may call from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Tuesday at the funeral home.
Nice Hart Funeral Home Inc., Frackville, is in charge of arrangements.
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Chester J. Urban, 91, of Mount Joy, formerly of Alma, Georgia and originally from Minersville, died Tuesday at Juniper Village, Mount Joy.
Born in Minersville, he was the son of the late Wallace and Josephine Conshue Urban. He attended Branch Township schools before joining the Navy during World War Two, during which he earned the European African Middle East Campaign Medal and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. He later earned the Korean Service medal with 3 stars. He continued his Naval career in various locations, including the Naval Air Facility, Phoenix and Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland. His shipboard service included the USS Shenandoah and the USS Hector. He retired as a Master Chief Mess Specialist (Commissaryman) in 1977 after 33 years of active service.
He enjoyed stamp collecting and was a strong supporter of Orphans of the Pacific.
He was preceded by his wife, the former Isa Mae “Peggy” Bullard, after 60 years of marriage. He was also preceded by a brother, Wallace Urban, in 1989; a sister, Yvonne Nidock, in 2015; a brother-in-law, Oscar James Musser, in 2004.
He is survived by a sister, Josephine Musser, Elizabethtown; cousins; nephews and nieces, including his caregiver, Janet Wallace, Palmyra.
Committal services with military honors are tentatively scheduled for Friday, June 22 at 3:00 P.M. at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.
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Rudolph (Rudy) Fronczek, 62, of Morea, passed away Friday, May 4th, at his residence.
Rudolph was born in Morea, on May 2, 1956, a son of the late Anna (Acenzi) and Rudolph Fronczek.
Rudy graduated from Mahanoy Area High School.
He worked for the Mahanoy Township Water Authority.
Rudy's passion was being an avid motorcyclist.
He is survived by numerous cousins and also by his aunt Alice Moore, Mahanoy City.
A Religious Service will be held at 10 am at the Louis D. Truskowsky Funeral Home & Crematory Inc., Mahanoy City, PA, with Rev. Kevin P. Gallagher officiating.
Friends may call Saturday from 9am.
Interment will follow in St. Casimir Cemetery Mahanoy City, PA.
Louis D. Truskowsky Funeral Home & Crematory Inc. Mahanoy City is in charge of arrangements. Visit www.truskowskyfuneralhome.com to sign the guest book and send sympathy cards.
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Janet Edith Wetzel, 84, passed away May 16th, at Manor Care Health Services, Pottsville, after an extended battle with Alzheimers.
Born in Silverton, she was the daughter of the late Robert & Vera Houser Bainbridge.
She attended Pottsville schools and Trinity Lutheran Church, Pottsville.
Janet enjoyed ceramics and tending to her houseplants. She loved going on trips with her sister, Donna McShaw, and playing pinochle with her brother, Robert Bainbridge.
She was preceded in death by her late husband, Robert Wetzel, Sr., in 2006. Janet was the last of 13 children: sisters Bertha Aponick, Betty Davey, Thelma "Dinda" Dempsey, Diane "Chee Chee" Dennen, Mae Bainbridge, Karen Purcell, Donna McShaw, Joyce Peck, and infant sister, Barbara; brothers, Robert "Bobby", Richard "Lefty", John "Red", and William "Tutty" Bainbridge.
Janet is survived by two daughters: Deb Mattera (Joe), Auburn, and Kathy Wentzel, Schuylkill Haven, a son, Robert Wentzel, Jr., (Wanda), Pottsville, grandchildren: Joseph, Adam, Rebecca, Matthew, Eric, & Josh, and four great-grandchildren, nieces & nephews.
All services will be privately held at the family's convenience.
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Caroline V. Whalen , 72, of 208 Mt. Vernon St., Shenandoah, died Tuesday at Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest, Allentown.
Born in Frackville, February 7, 1946, She was a daughter of the late William C. and Elizabeth (Meck) Schaeffer Yasembousky
She was of the Protestant Faith.
She was preceded in death by a son Michael Whalen; 3 brothers Arthur Meck, William and DanielSchaeffer; 2 sisters Inez Smarowsky and Patricia Schaeffer.
Surviving are her 2 daughter Michelle Cook of Pittsburgh; Shannon Sterner of OR; 5 sons Edward Whalen of Shenandoah; son James Whalen of Shenandoah; son Robert Whalen of Shenandoah; Jeffrey Whalen of Shenandoah; Shawn Whalen of Frackville; a brother John Schaeffer of Pottsville; 3 sisters Elizabeth Russell of Lebanon; Hayley Moran of CO; Cheryl Shaeffer-Waite of TX; Nieces and Nephews
Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 AM Tuesday from Nice- Hart Funeral Home, Inc, 9 North Lehigh Avenue Frackville, PA 17931. The Rev. Mindy Heppe will be officiating. . Friends may call from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Tuesday at the funeral home.
Nice Hart Funeral Home Inc., Frackville, is in charge of arrangements.
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Chester J. Urban, 91, of Mount Joy, formerly of Alma, Georgia and originally from Minersville, died Tuesday at Juniper Village, Mount Joy.
Born in Minersville, he was the son of the late Wallace and Josephine Conshue Urban. He attended Branch Township schools before joining the Navy during World War Two, during which he earned the European African Middle East Campaign Medal and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. He later earned the Korean Service medal with 3 stars. He continued his Naval career in various locations, including the Naval Air Facility, Phoenix and Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland. His shipboard service included the USS Shenandoah and the USS Hector. He retired as a Master Chief Mess Specialist (Commissaryman) in 1977 after 33 years of active service.
He enjoyed stamp collecting and was a strong supporter of Orphans of the Pacific.
He was preceded by his wife, the former Isa Mae “Peggy” Bullard, after 60 years of marriage. He was also preceded by a brother, Wallace Urban, in 1989; a sister, Yvonne Nidock, in 2015; a brother-in-law, Oscar James Musser, in 2004.
He is survived by a sister, Josephine Musser, Elizabethtown; cousins; nephews and nieces, including his caregiver, Janet Wallace, Palmyra.
Committal services with military honors are tentatively scheduled for Friday, June 22 at 3:00 P.M. at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.
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Virginia B. (Guers) Najda, 76, of Shenandoah Heights, passed away peacefully on Tuesday evening at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, Allentown.
Born in Shenandoah, February 2, 1942, she was a daughter of the late Louis and Pauline (Huss) Guers.
Virginia was a 1959 graduate of the former J.W. Cooper High School, Shenandoah.
Prior to her retirement, she was employed in the housekeeping department for the Shenandoah Valley School District.
Virginia was a member of the former Annunciation BVM Church, Shenandoah. She was a kind and generous person to all and had a great sense of humor. She enjoyed cooking, baking, crocheting and reading, however, spending time and being with her family was of most importance to her.
Preceding her in death, in addition to her parents, were her husband, Joseph R. Najda Sr.; two brothers, Richard and Daniel Guers.
Surviving are her son, Joseph R. Najda Jr., Shenandoah Heights; two daughters, Patricia Banaszewski and her husband, Anthony, Kensington, Md., and Susan M. Najda and her husband, Mitch Berk, Washington, D.C.; two grandchildren, Lauren and Sarah Banaszewski, Kensington; three brothers, John Guers, Shenandoah Heights, Raymond Guers and his wife, Cathy, Shenandoah Heights, and Robert Guers and his wife, Pat, Shenandoah; a sister, Barbara Guers, Shenandoah; a sister-in-law, Susan Guers, Shenandoah Heights; nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday in Divine Mercy Church, 232 W. Cherry St., Shenandoah. Monsignor Ronald C. Bocian, pastor, will officiate. Interment will follow in Annunciation BVM Cemetery, Shenandoah Heights. A visitation will be held on Saturday from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. at Divine Mercy Church, Shenandoah.
Expressions of sympathy can be made to Hackerman-Patz House at Lehigh Valley Hospital, 1260 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., Allentown, PA 18103.
Walukiewicz-Oravitz Fell Funeral Home, 132 S. Jardin St., Shenandoah, is in charge of the arrangements.
Born in Shenandoah, February 2, 1942, she was a daughter of the late Louis and Pauline (Huss) Guers.
Virginia was a 1959 graduate of the former J.W. Cooper High School, Shenandoah.
Prior to her retirement, she was employed in the housekeeping department for the Shenandoah Valley School District.
Virginia was a member of the former Annunciation BVM Church, Shenandoah. She was a kind and generous person to all and had a great sense of humor. She enjoyed cooking, baking, crocheting and reading, however, spending time and being with her family was of most importance to her.
Preceding her in death, in addition to her parents, were her husband, Joseph R. Najda Sr.; two brothers, Richard and Daniel Guers.
Surviving are her son, Joseph R. Najda Jr., Shenandoah Heights; two daughters, Patricia Banaszewski and her husband, Anthony, Kensington, Md., and Susan M. Najda and her husband, Mitch Berk, Washington, D.C.; two grandchildren, Lauren and Sarah Banaszewski, Kensington; three brothers, John Guers, Shenandoah Heights, Raymond Guers and his wife, Cathy, Shenandoah Heights, and Robert Guers and his wife, Pat, Shenandoah; a sister, Barbara Guers, Shenandoah; a sister-in-law, Susan Guers, Shenandoah Heights; nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday in Divine Mercy Church, 232 W. Cherry St., Shenandoah. Monsignor Ronald C. Bocian, pastor, will officiate. Interment will follow in Annunciation BVM Cemetery, Shenandoah Heights. A visitation will be held on Saturday from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. at Divine Mercy Church, Shenandoah.
Expressions of sympathy can be made to Hackerman-Patz House at Lehigh Valley Hospital, 1260 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., Allentown, PA 18103.
Walukiewicz-Oravitz Fell Funeral Home, 132 S. Jardin St., Shenandoah, is in charge of the arrangements.
