Lee Hughes, 84, of West Grove, died Tuesday, Sept. 22, at his home in West Grove. He was the husband of Mary Badger Hughes, with whom he shared 61 years of marriage.
Born in Mitchell, N.C., he was a son of the late Garfa and the late Sena Barnett Hughes.
Lee was a retired machine operator for NVF Company in Yorklyn.
He enjoyed gardening, hunting, fishing and watching smack down wrestling and Nascar.
Survivors include in addition to his wife, two daughters, Sandra Lee Hughes and Pamela Diane Bell (Andy); a sister, Olene Hutchings (Everett); one granddaughter, Crystal Roark; one grandson, Andrew Bell III and a great-grandson Connor Domurad. He was predeceased by a brother, L.C., in 2010.
You are invited to visit with Lee’s family and friends from 10-11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444-4116) 250 W. State St. Kennett Square, PA 19348. A funeral celebrating his life will follow at 11. Interment will be in New London Presbyterian Cemetery. To view his obituary online, please visit www.griecocares.com.
A middle-school parent deeply regrets inadvertently leaving his loaded handgun in a running, unlocked car outside Charles F. Patton Middle School on Sept. 3 and will not be charged with a crime, said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.
In a press release, Hogan said the parent has agreed to surrender his permit to carry as well as destroy the weapon. The District Attorney’s office, which began investigating the incident on Sept. 8, said county detectives worked with the East Marlborough Township Police Department and the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District to determine what happened.
“Firearms and schools do not mix, particularly in today’s environment. Responsible firearm owners know that they need to keep their weapons secured at all times,” said Hogan in a press release. “However, the District Attorney’s Office is not inclined to turn an otherwise law-abiding citizen into a criminal under these unique circumstances.”
Hogan said the parent would not be identified because he was not charged with a crime. Hogan provided the following synopsis of the events that occurred on Sept. 3:
The parent’s wife was scheduled to pick up their child at Patton Middle School for a dentist appointment. However, the wife ended up at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for a medical issue with another one of their children. She called her husband at work and asked him to take their child to the dentist.
The father, who left work at approximately 1:00 p.m., arrived at the middle school, and because the day was extremely hot, he left the vehicle running to continue the air conditioning. He then went inside the school to pick up his child, believing that he had locked the vehicle. The parent stated that he did not remember that he had the firearm in the vehicle.
A school security officer noticed the running and unoccupied car, and opened the door to check on the circumstances. After seeing the firearm in the door panel, he called East Marlborough Police Department, which secured the firearm. The firearm, which was not visible until the door was opened, had a loaded magazine, but no round in the firing chamber.
Hogan said the father has no prior criminal history and owns businesses that sometimes require him to transport valuables. For self-protection, he obtained a compact Taurus 9mm firearm and was granted a concealed carry permit by the Chester County Sheriff’s Office. He has never fired the weapon, Hogan said.
The parent and his family fully cooperated with law enforcement and the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District throughout the investigation, Hogan said. Under Section 912 of the Pennsylvania Crimes Code, possession of a firearm in or on school property is a misdemeanor offense. Hogan said he exercised “prosecutorial discretion” in not filing charges, the release said.
The law excludes someone who possesses the weapon for a “lawful purpose,” and multiple area lawyers said the issuance of a permit could qualify as a lawful purpose.
Hogan said the father has expressed remorse and agreed to surrender his carry permit, complete a basic firearms safety course, which includes a review of the relevant laws on where firearms can be carried, and complete other basic safety requirements agreed to by all parties. He also volunteered to and will lawfully dispose of the handgun that was left in the vehicle, Hogan said.
“This was a terrible lapse of judgment on my part,” the parent said in the press release. “I apologize to the parents and children at Patton Middle School and the entire school district.”
School District Superintendent John C. Sanville said he understood the district-wide concern and outrage the incident has generated. “Guns do not belong on school grounds. Period,” he said in the release. “The safety of our students and staff in our buildings must never be compromised.
Echoing a problem that has plagued several local areas, the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance to solve a string of residential burglaries.
The department said it is working with state police from the Media barracks, who are investigating similar crimes just south of Westtown Township and Thornbury Township. Kennett Township Police have also issued an alert, and a break-in was reported recently in Pocopson Township.
Westtown-East Goshen Police believe the person committing these crimes is selecting homes that appear to be vacant, approaching the home and knocking on the door before forcing entry.
Police are asking residents to remain vigilant and to call 9-1-1 when an unexpected person makes contact with them at their home, reporting the physical description of the individual and any vehicle, said a Westtown-East Goshen press release.
Residents with video systems are being asked to check their system for suspicious activity during the afternoon of Sept. 22. Westtown-East Goshen police responded to four homes on Sept. 22 for so-called “knock knock” burglaries or suspicious activity, the release said.
The first instance occurred in the 1000 block of South New Street in Westtown Township on Sept. 22 after an alarm was activated. Police arrived at 4:23 p.m. to find the front door forced open and loose jewelry on the front step. The homeowner returned to the residence and confirmed that a jewelry box had been removed from the master bedroom, the release said.
At 4:29 p.m. on Sept. 22, police responded to the 1100 block of Westbourne Road in Westtown Township after a homeowner received a call from his alarm company, drove home to investigate, and found his front door damaged. After police completed a search of the residence, they determined that no entry was gained; the next-door neighbor arrived home at 3:49 p.m. and likely scared away the suspect, police said.
A couple of hours later, Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police responded to a home in the 300 block of Old Bailey Lane in Thornbury Township for a burglary discovered at 6:13 p.m. Police met with a family member who found the rear door of the residence forced open, the release said.
Police learned that the homeowner had received a call from their alarm company at 3:48 p.m. for a “shatter activation” that did not activate any motion sensors so the homeowner directed the alarm company not to call police. A search revealed that nothing had been taken, police said.
Finally, on Sept. 22 at 3:03 p.m., police spoke with a resident of the 800 block of East Sage Road in Westtown Township. The homeowner reported that her children were at home when a suspicious white male his 30s knocked at the front door and indicated he was there to do roofing work. The child told the individual to leave and then closed and locked the door; the child then looked outside and did not see the person or a vehicle, the release said.
A local company known for successfully tapping into the national craft beer craze will host the Chester County Historical Society’s next “History on Tap” program.
Victory at Magnolia, Victory Brewing Company’s Kennett Square location, will host “History on Tap,” on Monday, Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m.
Join Matt Krueger, vice president of Victory Brewing Company, on Monday, Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m. for a presentation at the Victory Brewing Company’s brewpub in Kennett Square.
Krueger’s topic will be “The History of Beer.” He will apply his expertise and background in the industry to discuss the world history of beer, then move on to Philadelphia beer production and finally to beer-making in Chester County, ending with a primer on Victory Brewing Company.
History on Tap is a popular, periodic, free program that brings history to the casual atmosphere of local bars or restaurants. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Victory’s Kennett Square brewpub is located at 650 W. Cypress St., Kennett Square,19348.
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library has announced a new endowed position: the Brown Harrington Director of Garden and Estate in honor of gifts from Winterthur Trustee Alice Cary Brown and from the late Elinore “Ellie” Harrington.
Chris Strand
Chris Strand, who has led Winterthur’s Garden and Estate operations for 10 years, will assume the endowed leadership position immediately. An alumnus of the University of Delaware’s Longwood Graduate Program, Strand has also worked at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum, Callaway Gardens in Georgia, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Green Spring Gardens in Virginia. He was one of three co-curators of Winterthur’s blockbuster “Costumes of Downton Abbey” exhibit, said a Winterthur press release.
“Winterthur’s 60-acre naturalistic garden was designed by Henry Francis du Pont and is considered one of the finest in the nation. We know that with Chris Strand, the Brown Harrington Director of Garden and Estate will help to preserve the horticultural vision and legacy of H. F. du Pont through continuing excellence and beauty for generations to come,” said Brown in the release. “We are delighted that the Brown and Harrington names are linked through this position, as Ellie Harrington was a fellow garden advocate and a dear friend.”
Brown has been a member of the board of trustees since 2007 and has served as chairman of Winterthur’s Garden Committee and been an annual member of Winterthur’s Garden and Landscape Society. She was a vice president of the Garden Club of America and a GCA horticulture judge. In 2012, Alice Cary and her husband, W. L. Lyons Brown, a chairman emeritus of Winterthur, provided the funds necessary to create the Brown Horticulture Learning Center at the heart of Winterthur’s state-of-the-art horticulture education and programming campus.
Harrington was a resident of Wilmington, De., for many years and was a longstanding member of the Garden Club of Wilmington. She returned to Greenwich, Ct., after the death of her husband, Charles, in 1996. She was an award-winning member of the Greenwich Garden Club.
“Winterthur is deeply grateful to Alice Cary Brown and the late Elinore Harrington for their generous gifts, which have made possible the endowed Brown Harrington Director of Garden and Estate,” said Winterthur Director Dr. David P. Roselle in the release. “We congratulate Chris Strand for his appointment to this newly endowed post, which will serve as a lasting tribute to both Alice Cary Brown and the late Elinore Harrington while forging a solid bedrock for Winterthur to continue the exceptional horticultural legacy of Henry Francis du Pont.”
At Winterthur, H.F. du Pont created a garden of extraordinary beauty, complexity, and coherence. A master gardener, H.F. du Pont received the two highest awards given to non-professional horticulturalists in the United States: the Gold Medal of the National Association of Gardeners, and the Garden Club of America’s Medal of Honor. In presenting their award in 1956, the Garden Club of America proclaimed H.F. du Pont “one of the best, even the best, gardener this country has ever produced.”
Winterthur—known worldwide for its preeminent collection of American decorative arts, naturalistic gardens, and research library for the study of American art and material culture—offers a variety of tours, exhibitions, programs, and activities throughout the year. General admission includes a tour of some of the most notable spaces in the 175-room house, as well as access to the Winterthur Garden and Galleries, special exhibitions, a narrated tram tour (weather permitting), the Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens, and the Enchanted Woods children’s garden.
Tickets, which are $20 for adults, $18 for students and seniors, and $5 for ages 2–11, are valid for two consecutive days. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Winterthur is located on Route 52, five miles south of Route 1. For more information, including special services, call 800-448-3883 or visit www.winterthur.org.
Ruby Dale Peak (DeBoard), 98, of Landenberg, died Monday, Sept. 21, at Manor Care Rehabilitation Facility in Wilmington, following leg surgery.
She was born Jan. 10, 1917 in Piney Creek, N.C. to Minnie Alice (LaRue) Loggins and William Loggins,
She formerly resided in West Grove, but more recently lived with her son, Charles, and granddaughter, Karen, in Landenberg.
She enjoyed crocheting, sewing, quilting, embroidery, vegetable gardening and canning. She loved spending time with her family and grandchildren and her dog, Harley. She had recently attended her family reunion where she spent time surrounded by her loving extended family. During her life she had worked for Oxford Royal Mushroom House in Kelton (22yrs), Elkton Powder Plant and volunteered in the kitchen serving meals at Sunset Park.
Mrs. Peak is survived by her son, Charles C. Peak; granddaughters, Janette Benner (Chad), Karen Smith, Larraine Campbell (Charles), and Tina Peak; great-grand-daughters, Cheyenne Smith and Alexis Campbell; great-grandsons, Joshua and Cameron Smith, Ryan and Gabriel Benner, and Charles Campbell II; great-great-grandson, Nathaniel Boyce; great-great-granddaughter, Paige Cavanaugh and Karen’s grandson, Frederick Worden IV; as well as many nieces and nephews.
She is predeceased by her husband, Fitzhugh Peak; son, James Peak; sisters, Leska Loggins, Dorothy Mae Bonham, and Blanche May Dudeck; brothers, Denver Loggins, Dale Loggins, Charlie Loggins, Paul Loggins and Carl Loggins.
You are invited to visit with her family and friends from10 to 11 a.m.on Monday, Sept. 28, at the Foulk & Grieco Funeral Home, 200 Rose Hill Road in West Grove. Her funeral service will follow at 11. Burial will be in the Kemblesville United Methodist Church Cemetery.
Robert J. Connelly, 91, of West Chester, and formerly of Lansdowne, died surrounded by his family on Sept. 23.
Born in Philadelphia, in 1924, he was the son of the late Anna (Rooney) and Joseph N. Connelly.
Robert served honorably in the U.S. Army during WWII. He was a teacher at Roxborough High School and also worked as an accountant for Fernwood Cemetery, Fernwood.
He was an avid golfer for over 50 years and enjoyed watching sports and spending time with his family.
Robert was the beloved husband of Jeanne (Dulin) Connelly; loving father of Patricia Scherf (John) of West Chester, Maureen Connelly (Allen) of Ridley Park, Robert Connelly of Wilmington, DE, Theresa Rodriguez (Jeff) of Wenonah, NJ and Jeanne Connelly (Matthew) of West Chester; loving grandfather of six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
