Edna Farmer Hunley, 85, of Kennett Square, died Saturday June 21, at Twin Pines Heath Care Center in Chatham.
Born in Max Meadows, Va., she was a daughter of the late William B. and the late Rosalie (Humphrey) Farmer.
Edna worked for many years at the Old Hewlett Packard Company. In her later years she owned her own Ceramics business “Pud’s Ceramics” both here and in Virginia.
She enjoyed arts and crafts and singing country, gospel, patriotic and Elvis songs. She was also an accomplished seamstress and loved ballroom dancing at the Adult Day Care of Chester County.
Survivors include one daughter, Rita C. Houck (LeRoy III) and one son, Elmer Roy Hunley of Kennett Square; four grandchildren, Heather Pannell, Heidi Houck, Frank Hunley III and Denise Gressner; seven great grandchildren, Nicholas (Nicole), Vincent, Gabriel, Joshua, Abigail, Jade Lynn, and Audrey; one great great grandson (to be), Royan and a sister-in-law, Edna Sherrill Farmer of West Grove.
In addition to her ex-husband Frank Jennings Hunley, she was predeceased by a son Frank Hunley Jr. and nine siblings, Pauline, Woodrow, Imogene, Ruth, Bernard, Lillian, Lloyd, Dorothy, and Horace.
The family wishes to publically thank Twin Pines Health Care, Heartland Hospice, Pocopson Home and the Adult Day Care of Chester County for their care and concern for Edna over the past several years.
You are invited to visit with Edna’s family from 10-11 a.m., Saturday June 28, at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444-4116) 250 W. State St. Kennett Square, PA 19348. A memorial service celebrating her life will follow. Interment will be in Union Hill Cemetery. In memory of Edna, the family requests that you visit an elderly family member or friend at local care facilities. To view Edna’s online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.griecocares.com
Alfred “Al” P. Santucci, 83, of Landenberg, died Sunday, June 22, at his residence, surrounded by his loving family at his bedside. Al lived his entire life in the Kennett Square area, graduating from Kennett High School in 1950. Shortly after graduation he served his country proudly in the US Army, 101st Airborne Division, during the Korean War. Upon his return to civilian life, Al started a TV repair business out of his home, The business grew into the Al’s TV and Sales & Service shop in Hockessin and he retired in 1985.
In his retirement, Al enjoyed league bowling, winning trophies and patches for high scores and playing pool and bocce with family and friends. Al enjoyed decorating his house for holidays to the pleasure of many and meticulously caring for his lawn as well as sharing his garden with everyone. But most of all, Al found joy in being surrounded by his family.
Al was a proud member of the American Legion and VFW and considered it a privilege to serve as an honor guard at the services of his fellow veterans. For those who have known and loved him, even those who only knew him briefly, he was appreciated for his kindness, his sense of humor, his warmth and his infectious smile and laugh.
He was a dedicated husband, a doting father, and a loyal friend. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Evelyn Wilson Santucci; son Lawrence Santucci (Cheryl) of Florida, daughter Debra Santucci Parker (David) of Pennsylvania; grandson, Danny Santucci (Amanda) of Tennessee, granddaughters Amy Parker and Hillari Parker of Pennsylvania; granddaughter Laurie Harris (Eric) of Florida; five great grandchildren; brother Vincent Santucci of West Grove and many nieces and nephews.
His viewing will be from 10 a.m. to noon, Thursday, June 26, at the Christian Life Center, 125 Saginaw Road, Lincoln University, PA 19352, with services immediately following. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Christian Life Center, 125 Saginaw Road, Lincoln University, PA 19352
Conservative Republican state Rep. Stephen Barrar is now on board with people using marijuana for medical conditions if prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner.
The representative for Pennsylvania’s 160th Legislative District still opposes recreational use of the plant, but now says permitting the medical use is the right thing to do.
“I finally educated myself,” Barrar said in a telephone interview.
Barrar, who has been opposed to marijuana use for years, said he began to change his mind this spring when he met with a group of parents whose children were suffering from debilitating and life-threatening problems that pharmaceuticals weren’t helping.
“I guess I didn’t take enough interest in it at first,” he said. “I didn’t think it was a viable solution as part of our healthcare and medical needs.”
He cited the mother of one child with epilepsy who told him using marijuana reduced the number of her child’s seizures from 300 per month down to 12 per month.
“In talking to the parents and listening to their stories of the suffering and how the use of medical marijuana has changed their treatment options and has improved their chronic illnesses made me take a second look at it,” he said. “How can you say no to a parent whose child is suffering?”
Part of his change of mind, though, involves his own family history. Barrar had a brother who died of AIDS in the 1980s. He said the only legal treatment at the time was radiation and that his family considered buying the drug AZT on the black market. That was the only place it could be found at the time.
“Here we are now. It’s the same situation with medical marijuana. People shouldn’t have to break the law to treat their children if they think that’s what’s best for them,” he said. “I can’t think of anything worse than a mother watching her child suffer when there’s something that would greatly reduce that suffering. We have to give them that opportunity.”
As a Republican, Barrar said he’s always believed that a parent should be able to treat their children in a way they think best, but outlawing medical marijuana was an obstacle.
“We’ve learned a lot about marijuana over the last 20 to 30 years. I’m a child of the ‘60s and ‘70s. My idea of marijuana was a bunch of hippies sitting around getting high on joints. We’ve learned a lot about the human body since then. Now I think it does have a place in our medical treatment system,” he said.
There is one bill in the state Senate that would allow doctors to prescribe marijuana. Democrat Daylin Leach of Montgomery County and Republican Mike Folmer of Lebanon County filed the bipartisan SB 1182 in January and Gov. Tom Corbett has said he could support the limited use of medical marijuana in some cases.
Barrar said he cosponsored a House bill along with fellow Republican state Rep. Jim Cox, but that hasn’t yet been officially introduced.
The nine-term representative faces a Democratic Party challenger in this year’s election — Whitney Hoffman — and there are some new municipalities in the district. But Barrar said his new stance is not based on anything political.
“I just took the time to educate myself,” he said.
Hoffman’s opinion is basically the same as Barrar’s, that marijuana does have legitimate medical value, but that more studies and science are needed to determine whether or not there are medical uses beyond what marijuana is generally used for. She also opposes recreational use.
“If it’s under control and it’s tightly regulated, then I’m comfortable with it. I think there’s still a lot of science to be done. This is an area where we need to move cautiously, but it’s helping a lot of people,” she said.
More than 20 states have already legalized marijuana for medical use, two — Colorado and Washington State —have legalized it for recreational use. Medical marijuana became legal in California in the 1990s.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
For diners checking out the new Not Your Average Joe’s restaurant in Glen Eagle Square, space and taste were key and ample.
Not Your Average Joe’s is now open in the space formerly occupied by Outback Steakhouse. The official opening was June 23, but there was a benefit for the West Chester Food Bank on June 20 and 21. That benefit generated $10,000 for the group.
NYA Joe’s owner Steve Silverstein, left, and Chadds Ford Township Supervisors’ Chairman Keith Klaver, cut the ribbon to officially open the restaurant.
The fundamental thought behind the restaurant is to serve food that’s “good enough to get dressed up for, but we hope you don’t get dressed up…Be casual…Enjoy yourselves.”
Diners were impressed with the sense of space that resulted from raising the ceiling, installing roughly 180 degrees worth of windows and having an open kitchen, something owner Steve Silverstein called “proscenium,” a theatrical term referring to the part of a stage that’s in front of the curtain.
Silverstein said the open kitchen is “part of the show. We want people to see what’s going on.”
Diners like the idea.
“I’m glad I came,” said Margaret Faia, of Chadds Ford Township. “I’m glad to see something in the area that has adult fare, kid fare and family food.”
Margaret Faia had mustard crusted chicken while her husband, Sal Faia, had the Tuscan chicken sandwich that he described as “great.”
A high ceiling adds to the sense of space in the restaurant.
He also liked the atmosphere.
“I think it’s really warm. It’s friendly and inviting,” Sal Faia said.
Margaret also liked the open kitchen.
“I like to see what’s gong on. It adds to the atmosphere of the whole dining experience,” she said.
In addition to the atmosphere and food, she also enjoyed a blackberry lemonade with muddled basil.
“I feel like I’m in my backyard. It feels like summer,” she said while sipping her second.
The sense of space was also important for her. There are 10 children in the Faia home and mom and dad like to go out as a family. Margaret said she feels there’s space enough — and a menu diverse enough — for her clan.
Comments from others were pretty much along the same lines.
Marianne and Mark Yuill, from Concord Township, said the food and service were both great.
Mark Yuill had the meatloaf, but it’s not a common recipe.
“It’s a special meatloaf. It’s not just meatloaf. It’s meatloaf with cheese inside, smothered with mashed potatoes and onions. It’s superb,” he said.
Marianne Yuill also liked the space.
“It’s light and open,” she said.
Bob and Maureen Stadnicki, of Thornbury Delaware County, were also pleased with the food and the space.
“I really like it,” said Bob Stadnicki. “It’s much better than the way Outback had it. It’s more wide open. I like the way they set it up. It’s not just a table with four chairs all over.”
Maureen said the large number of glass windows helps the sense of space and she was also pleased with the high ceiling with acoustic material. People can have a conversation, she said.
The bar.
Bob had steak frites, while Maureen chose Thai Asian salad. Both were good, they said, and they do intend to return.
Not Your Average Joe’s has restaurants from New England to the Washington, D.C. area and Virginia. The Glen Eagle location is the first in Pennsylvania but another is planned for Suburban Square in Ardmore later this year. Vice President and Executive Chef Jeff Tenner, said the idea is to serve the suburban markets around large cities.
He describes the restaurant as “casual, creative cuisine with approachable bold flavors and riffs on classics.”
One of those “riffs” was the meatloaf.
“It seems approachable and recognizable, but we make them little mini. We fill them with fresh mozzarella cheese and we top them with crispy onion strings. So, it’s like a little riff on a traditional item,” Tenner said.
The food ranges from the traditional to more ambitious items, he added. One of those more ambitious items is a saffron cod in a corn lobster broth.
“We love serving food that our owner Steve [Silverstein] says is ‘good enough to get dressed up for, but we hope you don’t get dressed up.’ We want you to be casual. We want you to enjoy yourselves.”
As for the owner, Silverstein said he had heard from advisors that the Chadds Ford area would be a good market. During the six months of renovating the location and meeting people, he became more enthusiastic.
Commenting on the sense of space, he said the Glen eagle location is not the prototype, but thinks it should be.
“Our prototype is a rectangle. When I first walked into this space I wondered what we were going to do with it, how we could work with it. I now think this is what our prototype should look like.”
(Top photo: The open kitchen is part of the show, according to the owner.)
Owner Steve Silverstein, left, with Chef Eric, says the Chadds Ford restaurant should be the prototype for all his NYA Joe’s restaurants.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
While the Barns-Brinton House was officially put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, it took another 43 years before there was a plaque to that effect.
Nadia barakat and Kendal Reynolds of the Chadds Ford Historical Society unveil the plaque denoting the Barns-Brinton House being on the national Register of Historic Places.
That plaque was officially unveiled during a brief ceremony at a June 21 colonial fair at the property. State Sen. Dominic Pileggi and state Rep. Stephen Barrar were on hand for the festivities. Barrar presented members of the society with a flag that had flown over the state capital building and a citation in honor of the house and the society’s efforts to maintain the historic site.
The house was built in 1714 along “Ye Olde Road to Nottingham” — now Route 1 — the main road between Philadelphia and Baltimore when the Americas were British colonies. It was a home, a tavern and an inn.
According to architect John Milner — who specializes in historic preservation — it was a place where people got their news.
“Think of the conversations that they had there,” he said.
He said it was remarkable to him that the house survived along Route 1. But it is a historically significant property. Most of the brickwork is original and the architecture itself is significant.
State Rep. Stephen Barrar presents a flag and citation to Nadia Barakat and Kendal Reynolds of the Chadds Ford Historical Society. State Se. Dominic Pileggi looks on.
The house was standing during the 1777 Battle of Brandywine and artist Barclay Rubincam painted “Hessians Marching Past the Barns-Brinton House At the Battle of Brandywine” to depict that significance.
Pileggi commented on the importance of preserving history and Barrar said the only way the house was preserved was through the efforts of volunteers.
The citation he presented recognized those volunteer efforts of CFHS members.
“The Barns-Brinton House should be held in high regard,” he said.
Former Historical Society board member and Chadds Ford Township resident Kathy Wandersee also spoke. She said it was the volunteers who raised the money to buy and restore the property.
State Rep. Stephen Barrar samples some of Lisë Taylor’s beehive oven-baked bread.
“There were a lot of programs here, even a Super Bowl party,” she said.
In addition to the formal program, there was food, drink and entertainment. Wally’s Dog House, The Meat House and Victory Brewing Co. were on hand as were colonial dancers and Lisë Taylor with samples of the bread she bakes in the beehive oven at the John Chads’ House, another of the properties owned and maintained by the Chadds Ford Historical Society.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
• WIP Sports Talk Radio hosts Rob Ellis, left, and Anthony Gargano, right, take calls during a remote broadcast at the new Primo Hoagies in the Crossroads Shopping Center in Concord Township. (See photo.) The shop opened on June 9.
• Museum Explorer Mornings at the Brandywine River Museum of Art begin Thursday, July 3 and run through July 31. Youngsters age 3-10 may participate in one or all five sessions. Each program will include a thematic, interactive guided tour followed by a creative art project. Two sessions will be held each day. Session A is at 10 a.m., Session B at 11 a.m. Explorer mornings are free with regular museum admission. To register, contact the education office at 610.388.8382 or education@brandywine.org.
• Green Meadows Florist is hosting its first Yard Sale Market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 28. This will be a recurring event helping to stimulate support for local shops and artists featuring art, antiques, flowers, gifts and handmade goods.
• Rob Evans, AKA The Donut Man, is coming to Brandywine Summit Camp Meeting on July 5, for a free evening concert. Since 1997, Evans has been entertaining kids with silly songs, stories and his puppet sidekick Duncan through his daily national TV show broadcast on The ETWN channel. It’s a great opportunity for kids to meet him in person and experience his program live. The program starts at 7 p.m. in the tabernacle. For kids who come early there will be a bounce house, face painting and other activities. Brandywine Summit Camp Meeting is a historic non-denominational camp meeting and national historic district located at 119 Beaver Valley Rd in Chadds Ford. The free summer Saturday concerts are family friendly and are open to the general public. For a complete schedule of summer events and directions visit www.bscmai.org.
• LifeTrax LLC, a life-coaching company, is offering two free group life-coaching meetings in Concord Township. The meetings will take place on July 7 and 14, at Valley Point Church, 209 Bethel Road, from 7-8 p.m. To register for this event, please visit www.LifeTraxCoaching.com. Participants are encouraged to attend both meetings, as the content will be different each time. If you have ever wondered if life coaching would work for you, or if you are the type of person who loves positive, motivational talks, with a focus on taking actions that will improve your life and help you achieve your goals, you should plan to attend.
• The Kennett Area Senior Center sponsors a presentation on hydration on Friday, July 11 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Please join Carol Sweeney as she discusses which are the best beverages to drink, what are the signs of dehydration vs. over-hydration, and what you should know about caffeine, alcohol, and tap vs. bottled water.
• The Boards of Directors of the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley and the YMCA of the Upper Main Line announced that they have voted to unite and form a new, regional Y association. The new association will be named the YMCA of Greater Brandywine. The effective date of the merger will be January 1, 2015. As of September 1, 2014, YMCA of the Brandywine Valley members will have full, unlimited access to YMCA of the Upper Main Line facilities. The YMCA of Greater Brandywine will serve more than 80,000 members at nine locations. Branches involved in the merger are: Brandywine Y, Coatesville; Jennersville Y, West Grove; Kennett Area Y, Kennett Square; Lionville Community Y, Exton; Octorara Program Center, Atglen; Oscar Lasko Youth Program Center, West Chester; Upper Main Line Y, Berwyn; West Chester Area Y, West Chester and the Y at Great Valley, Malvern.
Once you have decided that getting organized is in order, sorting through your belongings will be a key part of the process. Sometimes we can look at the same items over and over and not really know how to make a decision about what to do with them. This list of thirty-seven questions should help you in that decision-making process. Check down the list when you are stumped with an object and see what questions help move you forward.
Basics
Does it belong to someone else?
Is it too worn/broken/unidentifiable to use?
Legal
Are you legally required to keep it?
Is there a tax reason to keep it?
Would you need this check / document in a legal dispute?
Use it
After
Will you actually use it/refer to it? (Have you in the past?)
Will you really read it? When?
Is the information still current? (or can newer information be found online?)
Have you used it in the last year?
Do you think you will use it again (or for the first time) and what circumstances will have to be in place in order for you to use it?
Are you really going to finish this project? When?
Need it
Can it easily be duplicated or created if needed again?
Is it a duplicate? Do you need more than one (or ten!) of this?
Can you borrow or purchase another one if needed?
Would you buy it again?
Do you need it?
Do you have room for it?
Does it take more time and effort to manage than it is worth?
Emotional
Do you love it?
Does it lift your spirits to look at it?
Does it lift your spirits to look at it?
Does it make you happy to see it?
Are you honoring and enjoying it?
Does it make others happy to see it?
Does it make you mad, sad or feel bad to see it?
Are you putting things before people and relationships?
Value keeping
Is this of high value or importance?
Will this help you make money?
Will this save you money?
Is this adding value to your life (or home or business) right now?
Value of not keeping
If you donate it, can you get a deduction?
If you sell it, could you benefit from the money?
If you were moving, would you want to pay to have it packed/moved?
Give to someone else
Are you keeping it because someone gave it to you and you will feel guilty if you get rid of it?
If you knew that someone else would really benefit from having this (a great place to donate it?), would that make it easier for you to let it go?
Sentimental
Do you have anything else that reminds you of this (event, person)?
If we took a picture of it, would that make it easier for you to let it go?
Other places
Is this the best place for it? (you may want or need to keep it but may make better use of it somewhere else – it’s ok to change things up!)
Get organized so that, whatever it is that you have, you can let it go or use it well.
Say hello to sweet girl Macha. Macha is a spayed female American Staffordshire terrier mix. This girl arrived to the Chester County SPCA as a stray in very bad shape. She was found on the road after being hit by a car. The medical team did all they could to help save her leg but unfortunately the tough decision was made to amputate Macha’s left rear leg. Although she is now a three-legged dog, Macha still has an optimistic outlook on life. She’s a very affectionate girl with a gentle soul. She enjoys receiving belly rubs from people and she always has a big smile to offer to anyone who wants to walk over to say hello. Even with just three legs, Macha is quite the athlete. She will love to engage in a game of fetch and nothing stops this lady from running around in the yard. If you are interested in Macha, please stop by the Chester County SPCA at 1212 Phoenixville Pike in West Goshen or call at 610-692-6113 for more information. The web site is www.ccspca.org.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
Controversy and upset surrounding the proposed development of Woodlawn Trustees’ property in Concord Township continued last week when the Delaware County Planning Department agreed the current plan could go forward through the township approval process.
That recommendation comes with 11 pages of comments from the department, said the planners’ Vice Chairman Thomas Judge.
Members of the audience — residents and nonresidents of Concord Township — expressed outrage that the department members would agree to the plan as quickly as it did and in a rubber stamp fashion. They also challenged the trustworthiness of Woodlawn and said it only conserves property until they need to sell it.
One unidentified resident said the board should take its time because there are “moral and ethical issues” along with legal liabilities involved with the proposal.
“This has a big impact on the whole community,” she said.
However, Judge said state law requires planners to act within a specific timeline and that since it was a by right plan — meaning it requires no extraordinary approvals such as zoning changes — the recommendation to move forward could not be denied.
At issue are 320 acres of land from the Delaware State line north to Smithbridge Road and from Route 202 west to the border with Chadds Ford Township.
The bulk of the concerns deal with increased population and traffic, higher school taxes and the overall environmental impact for wildlife and recreation.
A previous development plan that would have required rezoning of the area was withdrawn last year because, according to the CEO of Woodlawn Trustees, there was too much misinformation about the plan.
The new plan calls for the development of 230 acres for 171 homes, but that 117 acres would be left as open space. That open space acreage would be 93 acres after mandatory net-outs for rights of way.
Resident Chris Donnelly said 171 homes would add to the already “horrendous” traffic situation, and Chris Jarret of Bethel Township said the number of new students would cause a dramatic increase in Garnet Valley School District property taxes.
Another resident said Woodlawn only preserves property until it needs money and another said there’s no need for another housing development in the area, that there are other places to build.
Still another resident said Delaware County should spend the money to preserve the land and another said there are endangered species — such as bog turtles — in the area.
Rob Gurnee, of Chadds Ford Township, asked, “Can’t we have some initiative to save this gem?”
Another said there’s no one to advocate for the residents.
However, Concord resident Ken Hemphill said there is another solution, that of Woodlawn selling the property to a group that would conserve it.
Hemphill said there’s a group willing to buy the property. In a follow-up interview, he identified that group only as “a well known conservancy group that has assured us that they can put up substantial money and we would have a smaller burden to fulfill at that point.”
The group has made no overture to Woodlawn, he said, because it’s not an advocacy organization. “They don’t get involved in land fights. They protect land where the owners want to conserve it.”
However, he added that Beaver Valley Conservancy, a group formed when the first development plans for the property were made public, does plan to approach Woodlawn Trustees.
“We’re hoping to send a letter to Woodlawn saying that this organization wants to conserve this land and they’re willing to spend substantial money, along with other parties to save this land.”
That letter could be going out this last week of June.
In a subsequent e-mail, Hemphill said “It remains the opinion of Save the Valley, [another group looking to prevent the development] that Woodlawn would fulfill all three of its stated goals by pursuing the preservation option for the Beaver Valley wildlife refuge. Of course, acquiring funds for its protection would be a lot easier if Woodlawn and the developers announced their intention to pursue this course of action.”
According to Hemphill, the original sale of the land from Merlin Brubaker to Woodlawn Trustees was based on an understanding that Woodlawn would preserve the land, not develop it.
“There is substantial evidence that Dr. Brubaker wanted this land conserved…and Woodlawn promised him they would protect his land. There’s more than enough evidence to indicate that.”
However, there’s no legal document attesting to that effect.
“That’s because [Brubaker] trusted them,” Hemphill said.
John Jaros, the attorney representing the developers, said the amount of open space preserved under the proposal is more than what the township requires and that no hiking trails would be affected.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
