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March 17, 2026

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January 8, 2014

Nancy Lou Sheppard Griffith of West Grove

Obituaries

Nancy Lou Sheppard Griffith, 83, of West Grove, formerly of Kennett Square, died Tuesday, Jan. 7, at Seasons Hospice at Christiana Hospital in Newark. She was the wife of the late Charles G. Griffith Jr. who died in 1986 and with whom she shared 34 years of marriage.

Born in Wilmington, she was a daughter of the late Raymond and the late Mary (Richardson) Sheppard.

Nancy Lou was a longtime member of Kennett Square Presbyterian Church where she assisted as a deacon. She volunteered for many years at the Encore resale shop in Kennett. Most important in her life was her family and friends. She loved vacations to Stone Harbor and family camping trips to points near and far. In her later years, she lived at Ware Presbyterian and then Jenners Pond.

Survivors include two sons, Steven Griffith and Rob Griffith (Michelle) both of West Grove; one daughter, Linda S. Tucker (Johnny) of New London; nine grandchildren, Andrew, Amanda, Angela, Robbie and Brittney Griffith and Leslianne, Elizabeth, Daniel and Kristen Tucker and two great grandchildren, John Patrick and Grace. She was predeceased by a sister Jeanne Caruthers.

You are invited to visit with Nancy Lou’s family from 10 -11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, at Kennett Square Presbyterian Church 211 S. Broad St. Kennett Square, PA 19348.  Her funeral service will follow. Interment will be in Union Hill Cemetery, Kennett Square. Contributions in her memory may be made to the church at the aforementioned address. Arrangements are being handled by the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444-4116) of Kennett Square.  To share a memory with her family, please visit www.griecocares.com

 

Nancy Lou Sheppard Griffith of West Grove Read More »

New supervisor floats controversial proposals

Local News
New supervisor floats controversial proposals

Chadds Ford Township’s brand new Supervisor Frank Murphy wound up advocating a plan objected to by a longstanding supervisor. And he has another proposal in the wings.

Judge Linda Cartisano conducted the swearing in ceremony during the Jan. 6 organization meeting. Murphy’s wife, Anna Marie, held the bible and his daughters were in the audience as Murphy swore to uphold and protect the US and state constitutions.( See photo.)  Also sworn in was Valerie Hoxter as township tax collector.

During the hour-long organizational session — mandated by state law — supervisors made appointments to various committees and passed several resolutions so the board can conduct township business during 2014.

But the board also passed a motion to have supervisors’ meetings recorded. The vote was 2-1 in favor with Supervisor George Thorpe casting the no vote.

Thorpe said recording the sessions costs money and creates more work for township secretary Matt DiFillipo. People who want to listen to the recordings must file a Right to Know request, Thorpe said, adding that the recordings make no sense since they are not official. Only the minutes taken by the secretary are official.

Supervisor Keith Klaver, elected as chairman for this year, agreed that the recordings would not be official, but they would “facilitate matters.”

Murphy said the audio recordings would not be a burden, that they would actually protect the township and that the hardware is inexpensive.

After the motion passed, Murphy said he would propose — during a future meeting — to video the meetings and podcast them. Video recordings and podcasts were part of Murphy’s campaign for supervisor last year.

Among other organizational matters, the board voted on a meeting schedule for this year. That schedule will be posted on the township Web site. Supervisors also agreed to seek $10,000 in county aid for the road program and to pay more than $40,000 for the contract with Concordville Fire Co.

The board agreed to form a new Strategic Planning Committee and to reinstate a Financial Advisory Board. Members will be appointed at a later date.

Unlike previous years, the board did not conduct routine business during the first meeting of the year. Instead, the board will hold another meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m.

The board did hold a brief workshop during which it agreed on agenda items for that Jan. 14 meeting. The agenda is to include consideration for the Brandywine Mills project — known as the Wegman’s development — and to establish a date for public input on the possibility of a gun range on Smithbridge Road.

New supervisor floats controversial proposals Read More »

Boards and councils reorganize for 2014

Along the Ford

• John Conklin and Bill Kirkpatrick were again elected as chairman and vice chairman of the Birmingham Township Board of Supervisors.

• In Pennsbury Township, Charles “Scotty” Scottoline and Wendell Fenton were also renamed as chair and vice chair.

• Concord Township supervisors Dominic Pileggi and John Gillespie were also re-appointed chairman and vice chairman.

• Chester County Commissioner Ryan Costello was re-appointed to serve as chairman of the Chester County Board of Commissioners, while Commissioner Kathi Cozzone is, again, vice chair.

 

Boards and councils reorganize for 2014 Read More »

Police Log Jan. 9: Missing boy found; truck stolen

Police

PSP Logo• Pennsylvania State Police from Troop K, Media barracks, found a missing 15-year-old boy on the ground at Concord Country Club. The youth was suffering from hypothermia and early stages of frostbite to his feet. According to a report, the youth was intoxicated when he walked out of a movie at the AMC Theater in Painters Crossing at 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 3. The temperature was 6 degrees and the boy was intoxicated. Shortly after he was seen walking along Route 202, police received a call that a suspicious man was in the area of Chick-fil-A. Multiple police units were dispatched. The boy’s mother also called in to report him missing. Police found the boy on the golf course at 2:15 a.m. and took him to Riddle Hospital for treatment where he was met by family members.

• Police are investigating the theft of a vehicle in Chadds Ford Township sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 6:50 p.m. on Jan. 4. A white 2003 Ford F250 with Pennsylvania plate number YYH9780 was stolen from Painters Crossing. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 484-840-1000.

• Taylor Clestina Seniow, 18, reportedly from Chadds Ford, was arrested for drug possession after a traffic stop on Fawn Lane in Concord Township. Police said she was found with marijuana and drug paraphernalia shortly after 1 a.m. on Dec. 31.

• Someone smashed the windows of three vehicles and stole various items on Dec. 30. The specific address was not released, but it happened on Route 202 in Chadds Ford Township. The three vehicles belonged to three different owners.

• Police made a DUI arrest on Route 322 at Evergreen Drive shortly before 2 a.m. on Dec. 31. A report said Thomas London, 23, of Wilmington was arrested after being stopped for traffic violations.

Police Log Jan. 9: Missing boy found; truck stolen Read More »

Around Town Jan. 9

Along the Ford

• Punk’d Pineapple, a soft serve ice cream shop is holding a grand opening in the Market at Liberty Place in Kennett Square on Friday, Jan. 10. From noon to 9 p.m. On Saturday, Jan. 11, the Juggling Hoffmans will perform at 12:30 p.m. Themed toppings are being offered. “Ode to the Pineapple” with macadamia nuts, toasted coconut, chocolate sauce, vanilla cashews are available.

• Registration is currently underway for the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley winter sports leagues and will continue through Jan. 19. A variety of sports leagues such as basketball, indoor soccer, floor hockey, flag football and volleyball are available at different branches and open to kids ages 3 to 14. The leagues run from Feb. 8 to March 29. Membership is not required to join the leagues. Register online at www.ymcabwv.org or contact your local branch for more information.

SSQ
Serafin String Quartet

• Kennett Flash presents Serafin String Quartet on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. The group will be performing collage concert “Musical Passport to Many Lands.” The themed concert features an around the world “musical tour” with stops in France, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Russia, China and the U.S., including selections by Mozart, Shostakovich, Dvorak, and Higdon. Tickets are $15 in advance — available online at http://www.kennettflash.org — $18 at door. Doors open at 1 p.m. for lunch. Kennett Flash is BYOB.

 

Around Town Jan. 9 Read More »

Troop 93’s John Stookey honored as Eagle Scout

School & Education
John Stookey
John Stookey

John Stookey of Chadds Ford was awarded Scouting’s highest rank, the Eagle Scout award, at the Troop 93 Court of Honor held at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Jan. 4.  Scoutmaster Tim Jaques made the award.

Achieving the Eagle rank caps Stookey’s scouting career, which he began as a Tiger Cub in Chadds Ford Pack 31 in 2004. In 2009, he was awarded the Arrow of Light, the highest award in Cub Scouting, and joined Troop 93.

As a member of the troop, Stookey has served in numerous leadership positions, including patrol leader, chaplain’s aide, scribe, instructor, and den chief, and has attended National Youth Leadership Training.  In 2012, Stookey participated in the troop’s 85-mile trek at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.  He also attended the 100th anniversary National Scout Jamboree in Virginia in 2010 as well as the 2013 National Scout Jamboree, which inaugurated the Scouts’ new Bechtel Summit Reserve in West Virginia.

Stookey’s Eagle Scout project was to collect age-appropriate used DVDs, videogames, CDs, and VHS tapes to entertain children when in the hospital.  He led the collection of more than 4,000 individual items through troop, neighborhood, and school collections and participation in the annual Chadds Ford Recycle Day. These items were donated to Vinny’s Kids, a Harrisburg charity founded by Vinny Cherry, now a college student, who endured hospital stays as a child. Vinny’s Kids donated the used media to hospitals and camps serving medically compromised children from throughout Pennsylvania.  Cherry attended the Court of Honor with his mother, Camille, and stated that John’s project resulted in the largest single item donation in the 12-year history of the charity.  Cherry called the project “an exceptional role model for others and an inspiration to volunteers young and old.”

Stookey, 15, is a sophomore at Unionville High School, where he is captain of the junior varsity Academic Team, a member of the Student Council, and active in the Gay-Straight Alliance.

Troop 93’s John Stookey honored as Eagle Scout Read More »

Dean’s List students

School & Education

• Brenda Biesenthal and Peter Brookes, of Chadds Ford, were named to the fall semester 2013 at Widener University in Chester.  Biesenthal is a senior with a political science major and Brookes is a sophomore biology major.

• Alex Schwendeman, of Chadds Ford, has been named to Millersville University of Pennsylvania’s Dean’s List for the fall 2013 semester.

• Alicia Adams and Kelsey Bernstein, of Chadds Ford, were named to the Fall 2013 Dean’s List at York College of Pennsylvania. Adams is a freshman a freshman in business administration. Bernstein is a senior studying graphic design.

Dean’s List students earned a semester grade-point-average of 3.50 or higher and attempted at least 12 credits of course work.

Dean’s List students Read More »

Blogging Along the Brandywine: The inside story

Along the Ford

According to American Medical Association statistics, 50 percent of adults have not had a procedure that takes 15 minutes, is 100 percent painless and can save you from the second leading cancer killer in the world.

I had it at the Fern Hill Medical Campus in West Chester on Monday, Jan. 6, and it was a breeze.

It’s a five-syllable word with the accent on the third. Let’s say it together boys and girls. co-lon-OS-co-py.

I see you cringing. And don’t you dare click that escape key, I want to change your minds.

When I was admitted to the Chester County Hospital in September for routine surgery, every nurse asked for my medical history. Don’t they have some kind of central database?

So of course when I mentioned my grandmother having had several inches of colon removed in the mid 1960s. The next question was: “Have you had your screening colonoscopy?”

Uhhhh…They might as well have asked if I wanted to have a screening root canal.

Some weeks later with prescription in hand, I made the dreaded appointment.

So here’s the inside story.

Saturday: No whole grains, nuts, corn or seeds. Darn, no more raiding the back yard birdfeeder.

Sunday: Only clear liquids. (Except red and purple — no offense guys). I could drink my favorite Constant Comment Tea, Welches White Grape Juice, ginger ale (fills you up with carbonation), clear broth (great for dinner) and orange popsicles.

But now the fun really starts.

At 4 p.m. I open the prescription envelope of prep powder — they even throw in a little plastic 8 ounce measuring cup.

Then you drink this trendy cocktail. Kind of taste likes old 7-Up or Sprite. Blecch!

Then you wait about 20 minutes.

Ever had a bad intestinal virus? Yeah – that’s what happens next.

Then at 10 p.m. you get to drink the warm 7-Up again with the same outcome.

Of course all evening you get to drink copious amounts of more clear fluids to make the effects of the “7-Up-tini” even more entertaining.

Monday: My husband took me to the Fern Hill Medical Campus for my 7 a.m. arrival. Most of the time was taken up trying to change my name from Denk to Hoey in their records. They gave me an ID bracelet and took me to my hospital bed where I changed into one of those sweet little gowns that open in the back (definitely not Gucci).

Then a ride into the procedure room. The oxygen feed was clipped in my nose and the nurse said they were going to start the anesthesia IV.

Then she said something very strange….”You’re in the recovery room”. It was 8:12 a.m.

The anesthesia wore off as quickly as it had taken effect.

And next, party favors!

Eight color digital photos from the “inside story.” Awesome!  (And, no I didn’t attach them to the story, you silly people.)

I got dressed, walked out to the reception area and met my husband who was my designated driver. Yes, you’re considered legally intoxicated after anesthesia.

In the waiting room a poster read: “Colon Cancer remains the second leading cancer killer in the United States, despite publicity, because less than 50 percent of eligible adults have been screened.”

So just do it.  A 15-minute nap today can prevent a devastating diagnosis five years from now.

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