April 2019 • Upper Bucks Free Press • Mark was also a member of St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church, Sellersville. In addition to his wife, he is survived by sons John of Sellersville & Mark of Quakertown; daughters Diane wife of Bill Rapp of Perkasie & Joan Lippincott also of Perkasie; sisters Rosemary wife of James Coughlin of Bethlehem & Kathleen Morgan of Hudson, FL; grandchildren: Carla Rapp-Seward, Benjamin Weber-Lippincott, and Gabrielle Pearl Lippincott. He was predeceased by brothers Vincent & Joseph and sisters Barbara Wieller & Helen Louise Flynn. Naugle Funeral & Cremation Service, Ltd., Quakertown was in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Office of Institutional Advancement, 333 Cottman Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19111. www.nauglefcs.com
Lance D. Hockman, 76, of Quakertown died on Monday, March, 11 at his home. He was the loving husband of the late Joyce Rita (Oxenford) Hockman for 48 years. Born in Bedminster, he was the son of the late Ralph & Kathryn (Strawn) Hockman. Lance worked as a spray painter for most of his life. After retiring from Schlosser Steel Inc., in Souderton, he became a baker for some local Quakertown restaurants. Surviving are his children: Angela Curley, companion Jeff Moran of Quakertown, and Troy, wife Cherry of Quakertown, grandchildren: Brandi, Courtney, Jacob, Nicholas and Colton and siblings: Gloria Schaffer of Allentown, Shirley Ernst of Bedminster, Bruce and Wade Hockman both from Tennessee. He was predeceased by siblings: Larry, Donald and Doug. Services will be held private by request of the family. www.nauglefcs.com Ronald J. “Ron” Smolenski, Sr., 69, of Harleysville, died on Wednesday, March 13, following an extended illness. He was the loving husband of Mary Lou (Dunar) Smolenski for 44 years. Born in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, Ron was the son of the late Leo J. & Frances A. (Keller) Smolenski. Ron graduated from La Salle University, then College, in 1972, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a Marketing concentration. A loyal employee, Ron worked at Beckman Instruments/Beckman Coulter for over 30 years, ending with his retirement in 2012. Ron was an extremely generous man, especially with his time. He enjoyed spending time with his wife, his two sons and later in life, his daughters-in-law and two grandsons. An involved father, Ron was active in youth baseball, basketball and soccer in the Harleysville and Souderton area. He especially loved a sunny day, working on his lawn and in his garden. Ron also enjoyed wearing his trademark khaki shorts, even when the weather called for other attire. Spending time at his vacation home in Myrtle Beach with his wife gave him great pleasure. He was a man known to cook his family’s dinner and on a special occasion, top off with one of his signature apple pies. Ron enjoyed watching television, especially the History and Fox Business Channels. For many years Ron would retire to bed for the day with one of his beloved National Geographic magazines. Surviving with his wife are children: R.J., wife Jennifer of Phoenixville and Jon, wife Christine of Malvern, grandsons: Cooper and Charlie, and brother Leon, wife Judy of Perkasie.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Harleysville Baseball, Post Office Box 246, Harleysville, PA 19438, in Ron’s loving memory. www.nauglefcs.com
Melodie L. Mease, 68, of Palm, passed away with her family at her side Thursday, March 14, 2019 at Grand View Hospital, Sellersville. She was the loving widow of Ernest C. Mease, Jr. Born in Allentown on Sept. 15, 1950, she was a daughter of the late Warren and Lorraine (Nagle) Cutting. Melodie was a 1969 graduate of Quakertown High School For over ten years each, she held various work positions at K-Mart, Macy’s and Walmart. Melodie was both a survivor and big supporter of breast cancer awareness, and she had a special love for her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and pet cats. In her spare time she enjoyed crocheting, needle stitch, and finding and painting rocks. She was also a die hard Philadelphia Eagles Fan. In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by a grandson, Matthew. Surviving are her children: Jerry M. Mease of Hellertown; Tammy L. Brazuk of Pennsburg and Julie M. Strunk, husband James of Barto; grandchildren: Chucky, Cassie, Haley, Hannah, Justin, Vicky, Adria and Roger; great-grandchildren: Derek, Dylan, Colton, Chase, Teegen, Ellie, Brynn and Brielle; and sister, Merrie Luther, husband Steve of Center Valley. Funeral services were held at 6:00 PM Fri., March 22 in Naugle Funeral & Cremation Service, 135 W. Pumping Station Rd., Quakertown, with a calling time from 4:00 – 6:00 PM. Memorials in Melodie’s name may be sent towards cancer research or to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, https://www.lls.org. Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.nauglefcs.com John Ambolino, age 77, died Saturday, March 16, 2019, at LifeQuest Nursing Center in Quakertown. Born June 27, 1941, in Philadelphia, PA, he was the son of the late Orazio and Marietta (Manupelli) Ambolino, and the beloved husband of Gloria J. (Obst) Ambolino, to whom he was married 56 years. John was a hard-working family man, who learned the trade of shoe repair in his youth, working over 10 years for the venerable Daniel’s Shoe Repair in Philadelphia. He took his skills and opened his own shop, The Towne Cobbler, serving the Bucks-Montgomery county region for almost half a century. The business continues on in his legacy. In his free time, he enjoyed watching and playing sports, and the company of his wife and family. In addition to his wife, John is survived by: son John A. Ambolino (wife Danielle); daughters Linda Dickey (husband Patrick) and Diana Rex (husband Dan); grandchildren Ryan, Geoffrey, Stephanie, Danielle, and Cassidy; great-grandchild Rylee; brothers Arthur and Thomas Ambolino; as well as many nieces and nephews. Interment will be private and at the discretion of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in John’s honor to the Special Olympics, at www.specialolympics.org/ get-involved/donate. To sign the online guestbook, please visit www.NaugleFCS.com.
Shape the Moment: THON 2019 BY JOHN WALDENBERGER In last month’s issue, this story was inadvertently cut short. Here is the missing ending from that article, found on page 9 in the March edition. Thank you to the many people who make THON and the Four Diamonds fund operate year in and year out. Thank you to all the thousands of Penn State Students for their fundraising efforts year after year. Thank you to the staff, nurses and doctors, and especially the social workers at Hershey Medical Center who helped guide many families on this journey. We are happy to announce that as of April 2019, our son will be "officially" cancer free, with 5 years off treatment! We also want to specially acknowledge our sponsor organization, THE BEE HOUSE.
Thank you for all your amazing efforts and support to us and our newest addition to the Bee House Family, the Sweger’s. Thank you for always being t’here for all of us since the beginning! Thank you for being there, most especially for the Sweger’s, when their son William passed, not long after joining our extended family in July 2017. You are an amazing group of people who we love and cherish dearly! For more information on the Four Diamonds Fund, please visit: www.fourdiamonds.org For more information on THON, please visit www.thon.org You can donate online to either website directly or drop off donations to a special collection receptacle at Waldens Music and Gifts, located at 134 E Broad St in Quakertown, during normal business hours.
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Andris Bors, 75, of Doylestown died March 18, 2019 in his home. Born in Latvia he was the son of the late Arvids & Anna (Lusis) Bors. He is survived by a sister Kristine Kelly of Quakertown. Memorial Services will be announced at a later date. Arrangements are in the care of the C. R. Strunk Funeral Home, Inc. (www.crstrunk.com) Quakertown, PA 18951. Richard A. “Ozzie” Osmun, 90, of Quakertown, passed away Tuesday, March 19, at St. Luke’s Hospital – Quakertown Campus surrounded by his loving family. Born in Milford, NJ, he was the son of the late Markey & Mary (Burkett) Osmun. He worked as a custodian for the State of New Jersey for many years before retiring. Surviving are a daughter, Peggy Housenick of Quakertown; a son, James Osmun & wife Jeanne of Milford, NJ; grandchildren Alexy & Brian; and great-granddaughters Savannah & Rileigh. Services are private, at the convenience of the family. Naugle Funeral & Cremation Service, Ltd., 135 W. Pumping Station Rd., Quakertown, PA 18951 is in charge of arrangements. www.nauglefcs.com Dorothy Veronica (Cegielski) Schmidt, 92, formerly a long time resident of Ferndale, PA passed away on March 22, 2019 at Sacred Heart Senior Living, Center Valley. Dorothy was born October 29, 1926 in Bedminster. She was the daughter of the late Egie and Helen Cegielski. Dorothy was a Bookkeeper for Palisades School District before her retirement. She was also an auditor for Nockamixon Township and a Notary Public. Dorothy was a member of St. John the Baptist Church, Ottsville. She was a volunteer for St. John’s Pantry and Doylestown Hospital. She is survived by three children: Kathleen, wife of Dana Little of Boyertown; Joseph and his wife Joanne of Harvard, MA; and Shirley, wife of Bill Yelland of Coopersburg; sister Geraldine Zyck; brothers, Joseph Cegielski, Thomas Cegielski, and Edward Cegielski. Dorothy has 4 grandchildren: Jennifer Danczyk, Dr Alina Schmidt, William Yelland V, and Ashley Randazzo. She is also survived by 6 great-grandchildren. Dorothy, is predeceased by a granddaughter, Stephanie Little, a sister Helen Kovacs, and a brother Lawrence Cegielski. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Penn State THON at 227D HUB, University Park PA 16802 Attn: Finance Director or online at https://thon.donordrive.com to fight childhood cancer. Arrangements are in the care of the C. R. Strunk Funeral Home, Inc. (www.crstrunk.com), Quakertown.
Patti Neubert, 56 of Quakertown died Friday March 22, 2019 in LifeQuest Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. Born in Quakertown she was the daughter of Lois (Bleam) Neubert and the late Charles “Reds” Neubert. Patti enjoyed gardening, thrift shopping and going to church dinners with friends. In addition to her mother she is survived by her children Robert, Lance, Lauren, Ashley, Chad and Cole. Two sisters Penny and Amy and a brother Guy. Three grandchildren Joshua, Kaydence and Avery. She was predeceased by a son Jeremiah. Services will be held at the convenience of the family. Arrangements in the care of the C. R. Strunk Funeral Home, Inc. (www.crstrunk.com) Quakertown. Virginia “Ginny” (Smith) Naticzak, age 78, died on Sunday, March 24, 2019 at Phoebe Richland Health Care Center, in Richlandtown.
Born September 13, 1940, in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, she was the daughter of the late Edward and Beatrice May (Hovencamp) Smith, and the widow of the late Matthew J. Naticzak, to whom she was married for over 30 years at the time of his passing. Virginia was an avid shopper and traveler. She was known by her family as being “always on the go.” Virginia is survived by: daughter Kimberly A. Cox (husband Robert); granddaughter Devin Cox (fiancé Dan Waisempacher); grandson Cory Cox; and sister Dolores Schuller. In addition to her husband and parents, she is preceded in death by her sister Francis Hardin. Services and interment will be at a later date, yet to be determined, and at the discretion of the family. To sign the online guestbook, please visit www.NaugleFCS.com.
Jane S. Grace, 90, of Doylestown, previously of Dublin, died Mon. March 25 in Wesley Enhanced Living. She was the wife of the late Edward Grace. Born in Doylestown, she was a daughter of the late Howard and Aquilla (Shelly) Bryan. She was a factory worker in various Upper Bucks manufacturing facilities. Surviving are her children Ronald, wife Cynthia (Ritter) Grace of Perkasie, Dennis, late wife Leanne (Cole) Grace of Shickshinny, and Doreen (Grace) Moyer of Delray Beach, FL; grandchildren Jared, Jenna, Amanda, Jamie, Aaron, & Ashley; and great grandchildren Eilir, Cole, Milo, Nora, Heidi, Bella, Lochlan, Kaylee; siblings Howard S Bryan & Elmer S. Bryan both of Sellersville and Ruth S. Bryan of Doylestown. Interment in Whitemarsh Memorial Park, Prospectville will be private at the convenience of the family. www.nauglefcs.com
Compassionate Friends to Hold Memorial Walk The Compassionate Friends, Quakertown Chapter will be holding a Memorial Walk and Butterfly Release on June 8th. The Butterfly Release is an annual event held in James Memorial Park, Ridge Road, Sellersville across from the West Rockhill Township Building. TCF is a non-profit organization that supports those families who have lost a child, grandchild or sibling. All proceeds go toward the assistance of those grieving a child or sibling that they may not have to walk alone. This event is open to the public. There is a ¼ mile walk on a paved path led by music from a bagpiper. After which, there are
refreshments to purchase as well as shirts, garden flags, mugs, 50/50 tickets, face painting, silent auction items and of course butterflies. The event culminates with the reading of the names of loved ones gone too soon and families releasing their butterflies. At the end there is a mass release of monarch butterflies. It is truly a heartwarming sight to witness. Please join us Saturday, June 8th. Walk registration begins at 1:00. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. For more information and to pre-order shirts and butterflies to insure availability, go to the website: www.tcfquakertownpa.org or email contact@TCFQuakertownpa.org
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