Ronald B. Davis, 85, of West Grove, died Sunday, Dec. 28, at Twin Pines Health Care Center in Chatham. He was the husband of Dollie Bonsall Davis, with whom he shared 65 years of marriage.
Born in West Chester, he was the son of Cora Davis. Mr. Davis served our country during the Korean War in the Army.
He was a truck driver and worked for several local companies during his career including Mushroom Transportation in Kennett Square, Penn Supreme in Avondale and Longwood Manufacturing where he also worked as a fabricator. He also delivered flowers for Barbers Florist in Kennett for some time. Most important in his life was spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Survivors include in addition to his wife, one son, Kenneth J. Davis and his wife Claudia of Newark; one daughter, Cynthia Colvin and her husband Brian of Avondale; one brother James Winchester of Kennett Square; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by a son Lawrence; two brothers, Charles and Morrie and one sister Ann.
You are invited to visit with Ronald’s family and friends from 1-2 p.m. Monday, January 5, at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444-4116) 250 W State St. Kennett Square, PA 19348. A memorial service celebrating his life will follow at 2 p.m. Inurnment will be in Union Hill Cemetery Kennett Square. Contributions in his memory may be made to Alzheimer’s Association 399 Market St. Suite 102 Philadelphia, PA 19106. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.griecocares.com
(Lex Marshall submitted this letter because he and his wife, Ruth, have wonderful memories of a month they spent around the holidays with the Gantt family in Chadds Ford.)
Usually at this time of the year the major interest of Australians is the things they need to do around Christmas, the status of the Australian cricket team, the cost of fuel, and, to a much lesser extent, their opinion of their political leaders.
Today, none of that matters.
Almost the only thing that Australians are discussing today is the tragedy in Sydney. For any American who is unaware of what happened, here is a brief summary: A 50-year-old man who had come to Australia from Iran claiming to be a political refugee used a shotgun to take 17 people hostage in a Sydney coffee lounge on Dec. 15. Heavily armed police converged at the scene and experienced negotiators attempted to resolve the situation.
During the day and evening a number of the hostages escaped when the gunman was distracted. When police heard gunshots, they stormed the lounge, where they found the gunman dead, as well as two of the hostages.
Investigators learned the gunman was a self-proclaimed Islamic cleric known to police. What all Australians want to know is why this man was in a position to commit this horrible crime. At the time of the incident, he was on bail. He had been charged with being an accessory to the murder of his wife and was also charged with around 40 different sexual violence matters. Previously he had been convicted of sending hate mail to the families of Australian soldiers who had been killed in Afghanistan.
Since then, Australians have not only paid tribute to the slain hostages, but they have also voiced defiance: You cannot and will not beat us with any act of violence.
One example of this attitude is contained in an email that has circulated widely:
I just caught a train home through the central Sydney line. The mood was very different to my usual Monday afternoon trip home. Less people were looking down at their phones. As you walked past complete strangers they gave you a little nod and a smile. As I got off at central station I saw two grown men in suits run into each other, they obviously knew one and other. They gave each other a manly hug and asked “how ya goin?”… they both responded with “Yeah… shit day but good, I’m going good mate.”
I realised on my trip home that terrorism WILL NEVER work in Australia. We are not scared. We are not terrorised. We are gravely concerned about our brothers and sisters in that coffee shop. But you will not win. You will never be able to tear apart this nation.
Why? Because we have a weapon stronger than yours. Stronger than your religious beliefs, stronger than your hatred, stronger than your pathetic fear mongering, stronger than your misguided violence, stronger than you. We are Australians and we have a secret weapon you will never have or understand…mateship. We are a nation of mates who will never be broken by the actions of a cowardly few.
What I realised on the way home was; that in your attempt to scare our nation you have galvanised our mateship. You failed. Amen.
No doubt most Australians will soon begin to think about the holidays, cricket, the cost of fuel, and even their opinions of their political leaders. But we will not forget the two dead heroes of this tragic siege, and we will be pressing the need for much more stringent assessments when persons charged with serious offences are seeking bail.
A table at the Avondale barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police became a gift-wrapping station last week.
This year Santa received an assist from elves dressed in blue uniforms rather than the traditional green attire – a story that surfaced by happenstance.
On Christmas Eve, three cartons full of wrapped gifts destined for three children in need left the Avondale barracks, the work of more than two dozen troopers concerned about a 6-year-old crime victim.
After troopers wrapped the gifts, they were sorted into three cartons and tucked under the table that had doubled as a gift-wrapping station.
Police issued no press release, and the effort would have likely remained under the radar if a reporter hadn’t inquired about another matter, eliciting a passing reference to it. When questioned, Trooper Samantha L. Minnucci, the barrack’s community services officer, explained the origin of the outreach.
Like many area law-enforcement personnel, troopers at the Avondale barracks have had trouble letting go of images generated by the Nov. 4 death of Scotty McMillan, a red-headed 3-year-old who lived in West Caln Township, Minnucci said. Prosecutors said the boy was tortured and beaten in the trailer he shared with his mother, Jillian Tait; her boyfriend, Gary Lee Fellenbaum; Fellenbaum’s estranged wife, Amber Fellenbaum; and Scotty’s 6-year-old brother.
Tait and Gary Fellenbaum are facing the death penalty for their alleged brutality. Amber Fellenbaum faces felony charges for allegedly failing to prevent or report the abuse, which authorities say occurred over several days.
Minnucci said at the beginning of December, she had a conversation with Tammy Ortega, who works with the Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County, Inc., and also happens to be the mother of a state trooper. Minnucci said Ortega – echoing the sentiments of many at the barracks – wondered aloud whether the barracks could make sure the surviving 6-year-old had presents to unwrap on Christmas Day.
“I thought it was a great idea,” Minnucci said, adding that her supervisor agreed. She said she was told: “Make it happen.”
Minnucci said she sent out an email, and her colleagues quickly dug into their wallets, contributing from $20 to $100 each. While attempting to schedule a delivery date for the gifts, Minnucci said she learned that two other children unrelated to the McMillan case were in need, and so they were added to the gift list.
By the time Minnucci and Ortega arrived at the Walmart in Kennett Square last week, they had collected $600, and Walmart added a $100 gift card to the cause. Minnucci said in addition to toys and books, she and Ortega purchased clothing and other essentials. “We got a little bit of everything,” she said, citing a range from novelty toothbrushes to toy trucks to pajamas.
Minnucci said a handful of troopers assisted with getting the bounty ready for delivery. In addition to being wrapped, some of the gifts were stuffed into stockings embroidered with PSP (Pennsylvania State Police).
Although MInnucci had hoped troopers could deliver the gifts personally, that option was not possible for confidentiality reasons since the children are in the custody of child protective services. Instead, a caseworker picked up three large cartons on Christmas Eve and applauded the effort, Minnucci said.
Minnucci said the police don’t know how the gifts were received, but don’t necessarily need that information. “We care about the community we serve,” she said. “We just wanted to make sure Christmas was a little brighter for these children.”
The Pennsylvania State Police have announced that their 2014/2015 New Year’s holiday enforcement period will run from Wednesday, Dec. 31 through Friday, Jan. 2. During this time, additional efforts will be made to ensure motorist safety, with special attention being directed towards aggressive drivers.
During the 2013/2014 New Year’s holiday weekend, troopers in Troop K investigated 44 crashes that resulted in eight injuries and no fatalities. Of those crashes, one was alcohol related.
Troopers in Troop K issued 453 citations, with 142 of that total being for speeding and 33 for seatbelt or child seat violations. 13 motorists were arrested for DUI.
During this past Christmas holiday weekend — which ran from Wednesday, Dec. 24 through Sunday, Dec. 28 —troopers in Troop K investigated 94 crashes that resulted in 16 injuries and no fatalities. Of those crashes, four were alcohol related.
Troopers in Troop K also issued 479 citations, with 62 of that total being for speeding, and 21 motorists were arrested for DUI.
Statewide, troopers investigated a total of 728 crashes that resulted in 224 injuries and eight deaths. All eight individuals who died were not wearing seat belts. Ninety-eight of the crashes were alcohol-related and involved two fatalities.
