Region
A-4 — Sunday, February 1, 2015
OBITUARIES
The Indiana Gazette
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Charles D. Crossland Sr. Charles Delmar Crossland Sr., 92, of Indiana, died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015, at Beacon Ridge Nursing Home, White Township. The son of Clark and Sarah Ann (Lint) Crossland, he was born June 6, 1922, in Dawson, Fayette County. Charles served as a corporal in the U.S. Marines during World War II. Prior to his retirement, he worked as a truck driver for Allied Van Lines. Charles was a member of the Glen Campbell American Legion Post #435. One of his favorite hobbies was hunting. He married his wife, Mary Ileen (Crichton) Crossland, on April 6, 1945, and they shared more than 46 years of marriage together until her death Oct. 7, 1991. Surviving are his six children: Patricia I. Stillwagon, of Indiana; Sarah M. Patterson, of Indiana; Charles D. “Buck” Crossland Jr. and wife, Joyce, of Indiana; Clark J. Crossland and wife, Barbara, of Dixonville; Timothy A. Crossland and wife, Cindy, of Commodore; and Ronald A. Crossland, of Indiana; a
number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; and his sister, Mary Elizabeth Lima and husband, Donald, of Vanderbilt. Charles was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; two daughters, Florence May Crossland and Charlene Soltis; a son-in-law, Arthur Patterson; three grandchildren: Lori Blatt, Cheryl “Sherry” Blatt and Daniel Stillwagon; a great-grandson, Steven Blatt; and a brother, Amzi Crossland. Family and friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Rairigh Funeral Home Ltd. in Hillsdale, where a funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday with Pastor Robert White officiating. Military Honors will be observed by the Glen Campbell American Legion Post #435 at the funeral home following the committal service. Interment will be at the Burnside Cemetery, Burnside. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the USO, Department WS, P.O. Box 96860; Washington, DC 20090-6860.
Joanne Kurnocik Joanne J. Kurnocik, 83, of Blairsville, died Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, at Indiana Regional Medical Center. Friends will be received from 2 to 6 p.m. today at the James F. Ferguson Funeral Home Inc., Blairsville, where a wake service will be held at 5:30 p.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday at SS. Simon & Jude Church,
Blairsville, with the Rev. Stephen R. Bugay officiating. Interment will be in SS. Simon & Jude Cemetery, Blairsville. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Jessica L. Kurnocik Charitable Foundation, P.O. Box 6, Blairsville, PA 15717. www.jamesfergusonfuneral home.com
Elaine Mears Elaine Mears, 87, of Marion Center, passed away Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, at Indiana Regional Medical Center. She was born in 1927 to Theodore and Anita (Landi) Foresi in Pine Township. Elaine was a member of First United Methodist Church of Marion Center, where she was active in the United Methodist Women. She enjoyed her flower gardens and most of all spending time with her children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. She is survived by one son and three daughters: Kerry Mears and wife Carol, Clymer; Bonnie Neese and husband Robert, Marion Center; Diane Ruffner and husband Clair “Tip,” Marion Center; and Karen Short and husband Brian, Marion Center; 10 grandchildren: Rob Mears and wife Natalie; Curtis Mears and wife Megan; Bobby Neese; Michael Neese and wife Jessica; Matthew Neese and wife Melissa; Nicholas Ruffner and wife Zoleanne; Kellie Santini and husband Joe; and Logan, Zachary and Olivia Short; and eight great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Edward Lee Mears, on Dec. 14, 2013; an infant son, Roger Wayne Mears; a sister, Gloria Davis; and a brother, Henry Foresi. Visitation will be on Monday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at Bowser-Minich Funeral Home, Indiana, where a funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Carl White officiating. Burial will be in Oakland Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Marion Center, 110 Main Street, Marion Center, PA 15759.
Submitted photo
JACKSONVILLE, along Route 286 in Blacklick Township, was laid out in 1830 by William and Joseph McFarland and named for President Andrew Jackson. Its post office, named Kent, opened on July 30, 1832. It became a borough on Sept. 28, 1852. The Jefferson & Clearfield Coal & Iron Co. had five mines at Jacksonville, employing 689 people in 1914. Indiana County historian John Busovicki, of Clymer, submitted this photo.
Man accused of plotting escape
WEEKLY DIGEST
Here is a look at the top stories of local interest published in The Indiana Gazette during the week of Jan. 25-31:
SUNDAY, JAN. 25 A Saltsburg man awaiting trial in the slaying of a Tunnelton gun shop owner more than a year ago has been accused of plotting a breakout at the Indiana County Jail. Jack Edmundson Jr., 44, planned for more than seven months to escape from the county jail along Hood School Road in White Township, and was foiled on Jan. 8, the date that he had arranged through another inmate to have someone waiting for him with a ride near the lockup, according to documents filed Friday in Clymer District Court. He is scheduled for trial March 23 on first-degree murder and four related charges for the Dec. 31, 2013, shooting of Frank Petro, in Petro’s gun shop in Conemaugh Township. District Attorney Patrick Dougherty has filed notice that he’ll seek the death penalty in the case. Edmundson’s attorneys, meanwhile, notified the court that Edmundson will claim mental infirmity as his defense. Indiana County Judge William Martin has scheduled a hearing for Feb. 18 on the claim.
MONDAY, JAN. 26 The reassessment of Indiana County’s 48,000 parcels of real estate that began in the summer of 2013 is on schedule to be completed by fall. Data collectors working for Evaluator Services and Technology, the Greens-
burg-based company performing the reassessment, have completed their “initial sweep” of visits to properties across most of the county to take measurements and photographs and gather basic information. That work remains to be done in Indiana Borough and White Township. According to county commission Chairman Rodney Ruddock and county chief assessor Frank Sisko, the reassessment process has entered an important phase for owners of agriculture and forest land in the county. Applications are now being accepted to enroll eligible parcels in the Clean and Green program. However, since Clean and Green is relatively new to many landowners in Indiana County, it’s anticipated many of them may hold off on the application process until they learn more about what the program can do for them.
TUESDAY, JAN. 27 Friends and family pieced together the life of Elizabeth Kealey with stories of her achievements and plans and dreams, while still trying to come to grips with the word of her sudden death over the weekend. Kealey, 32, a Marine Corps captain, died with a fellow officer Friday in the crash of a UH-1Y Huey helicopter during a training exercise in the Southern California desert. Kealey and 1st Lt. Adam Satterfield, of Oldham, Ky., were the only Marines aboard the helicopter. They were flying at the Twentynine Palms Marine base, and were based at Camp Pendleton. The military said the cause of the crash is under investigation. The Indiana Area High School graduate is survived by her mother, Chris Kealey Thompson; a brother, Wal-
ter G. Kealey III; a sister, Laura Kealey; her stepfather, Charles Thompson; a stepbrother, Gregg Thompson, and family; a stepsister, Janine Seppi, and family; as well as numerous relatives and friends who loved her like family. She was preceded in death by her father, Col. Walter G. Kealey Jr.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 28 State police in Indiana said they are searching for a Greensburg-area man after they say he brandished a knife and threatened employees at Walmart in Burrell Township on Tuesday. Police said Paul R. Good IV, 33, attempted to steal 28 DVDs valued at $685 around 3:30 p.m. when he was spotted by employees. Police said he then dropped the DVDs and ran outside and, when he was caught, pulled a knife on Walmart employees and threatened to stab and bite them if they didn’t release him. Good then headed to the rear of the store, police said, where he was picked up by another male and female in a late-model white Ford F150 extended cab work truck with a full-length black ladder rack and a silver toolbox.
THURSDAY, JAN. 29 Indiana-based clinical research company Antria Inc. has been given the green light by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the next step in medical research to help patients look younger through cosmetic surgery that uses their own stem cells. Products and procedures being developed by Antria may also eventually relieve joint pain for arthritis sufferers and offer women an alternative for breast augmentation and reconstruction. Indiana urologist Dr. Leonard Maliver, one of the company’s founders and its
CEO, said Antria is the first company to gain FDA approval to begin Phase II clinical trials with autologous adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC) — stem cells taken from the same patient’s fat stores — for plastic surgery.
FRIDAY, JAN. 30 A man who admitted that he shot and killed his friend in an argument over a plate of food has been sentenced to 4½ to 10 years in prison. James Buterbaugh, 59, of Hartman Road, Marion Center, was sentenced this morning by Indiana County President Judge William Martin for his guilty plea to a single count of voluntary manslaughter for the death of David Ackerson, 51, on May 25. The count is a first-degree felony, and the charge stipulates that the shooting was the result of provocation by the victim. In a plea bargain approved by Martin on Nov. 17, county prosecutors set aside charges of homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person — all with the blessing of the victim’s family.
SATURDAY, JAN. 31 A local traffic official says being aware of surroundings is crucial to the safety of pedestrians while crossing the street. Two vehicle-pedestrain accidents in Indiana this week have highlighted the issue. The rules for pedestrians are laid out in the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code, but the way they function requires some give-and-take from both walkers and drivers, according to Sgt. Frank Kovalcik, traffic and parking supervisor for Indiana Borough Police Department. Both should be responsible and free from distractions, such as the use of cellphones and headphones.
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Michael Norris Michael Lee “Chuck” Norris, 15, of Robinson, went to be with the Lord on Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, at home surrounded by his loving family. He was born March 1, 1999, in Johnstown. He is survived by mother April Norris-Regan and stepfather Josh Regan, of Robinson; father Josh Goodlin, of New Florence; proud sister Mackenzie Regan, of Robinson; maternal grandmother Patricia Slawson, of Robinson; maternal stepgrandparents Mike and Bernie Regan, of Seward; paternal grandparents Keith and Brenda Goodlin, of New Florence; several great-grandparents; aunts and uncles: Maggie Slawson, Lizzy Slawson, Sharon and Cliff Reed, Bryan and Lorea Goodlin, M.J. and Valerie Regan, Kristalee and Michael Tomalson; cousins: Aidan, Ashton and Katieri Goodlin; Brennan Kastle; Braden, Regan, Traystin and Keydun Tomalson; Felicity, Kallista and Liberty Regan; and Brady and Brody Reed; soulmate Leah Henderson, who was always there for him though everything; and numerous extended family and friends. Michael was an avid hunter and member of Squirrel Hill Hunting Club, enjoyed fishing, playing baseball and football with his friends at United, riding four wheelers, and had a love for music. He
Open house scheduled Man considered father of birth control pill dies
loved hanging out with all his friends including his best friend Travis and most of all hanging out with his girlfriend. Family and friends are invited to the Richard C. Stuart Funeral Home, 392 E. Philadelphia St., Armagh, where his life will be celebrated from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, with Pastor Farrel Abraham officiating. Everyone is encouraged to wear camo and bring helium balloons for a balloon launch at the conclusion of the celebration. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Make a Wish Foundation, 707 Grant St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or Children’s Hospital, 4401 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15224. Online condolences may be left at www.thestuart funeralhomes.com.
BURRELL TOWNSHIP — A public open house meeting is scheduled Monday at Chestnut Ridge Resort by Sunoco Logistics, the company that plans to construct a cross-state gas transmission pipeline that will run through Burrell, West Wheatfield and East Wheatfield townships in Indiana County. Sunoco officials will display a tentative map of the project area and answer questions about the design, construction and operation of the pipe system. The project is estimated to cost more than $2.5 billion. Owners of properties
along the path of the pipeline will be given priority to meet with company representatives, and will have opportunities to privately negotiate for the use of their land. In an open-house arrangement, visitors may come at their convenience between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m., to talk with Sunoco representatives in the Crystal Terrace Room at the Chestnut Ridge Conference Center. The meeting is one of several planned across the state, and is the only one scheduled for Indiana County.
TOMORROW’S FUNERALS BOWERS, Joyce, 11 a.m., James F. Ferguson Funeral Home, Blairsville JULIETTE, Joseph, 11 a.m., SS. Cosmas & Damian Roman Catholic Church, Punxsutawney (McCabe Funeral Home, Punxsutawney) KURNOCIK, Joanne, 10 a.m., SS. Simon & Jude Church, Blairsville (James F. Ferguson Funeral Home, Blairsville)
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Carl Djerassi, the chemist widely considered the father of the birth control pill, has died. Djerrasi died of complications of cancer Friday in his San Francisco home, Stanford University spokesman Dan Stober said. He was 91. Djerassi, a professor emeritus of chemistry at Stanford, was most famous for leading a research team in Mexico City that in 1951 developed norethindrone, a synthetic molecule that became a key component of the first birth control pill. “The pill” as it came to be known radically transformed sexual practices and women’s lives. The pill gave women more control over their fertility than they had ever had before and permanently put doctors — who previously didn’t see contraceptives as part of their job — in the birth control picture. In his book, “This Man’s Pill,” Djerassi said the invention also changed his life, making him more interested in how science affects society. In 1969, he submitted a
public policy article about the global implications of U.S. contraceptive research, according to the Stanford News Service. In 1970, he published another article about the feasibility of a birth control pill for men. “The thoughts behind these two public policy articles had convinced me that politics, rather than science, would play the dominant role in shaping the future of human birth control,” he wrote. Later in life, Djerassi, a native of Austria who came to the U.S. in 1939 with his mother, wrote poems, short stories and plays. He used stock earnings from the company that made the pill to help collect Paul Klee art work, which he donated to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. “Carl Djerassi is probably the greatest chemist our department ever had,” Richard N. Zare, the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science at Stanford, said in an obituary released by the university.