State police from the Avondale barracks are seeking the public’s help to locate a missing 14-year-old girl.
Police said Aigner Daku-Tucker was last seen at Avon Grove High School on Friday, Oct. 16, about 8 a.m. According to a press release, the bus driver dropped her at the school; however, she was never seen entering the building and did not report to any of her classes.
The teen is described as a black female, 5-foot-8 inches tall, weighing about 175 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing blue pants, a long-sleeve black-and-white, horizontal-striped shirt, a dark jacket, dark brown wire-rimmed glasses and white Nike high-top shoes. Police said she has no tattoos, scars, or piercings.
Police said Daku-Tucker has only been living in Chester County for about three weeks and has family ties in the Norristown area. Anyone who has any information on her whereabouts is asked to call Trooper Jason Sperazz at 610-268-2022 and reference incident No. J02-1492975.
Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board directors got a lesson on the importance of strategic planning from the executive director of Longwood Gardens.
Paul Redman and Marnie Conley, Longwood’s director of marketing, addressed the school board during its Oct. 19 work session to explain how strategic planning helped Longwood in its goal to improve an already excellent system. They came at the request of School Superintendent John Sanville.
Sanville and Director Bob Sage have discussed the idea of a strategic plan with the board several times, and Sanville said Monday that before moving forward with the process, he wanted to bring in people who have experience in developing strategic plans.
“The way we’ve done things in the past has been a year-to-year process where the board looks to approve goals…based on a snapshot in time,” Sanville said.
But he added that developing a strategic plan that covers a course of years would enable the district to perform better. In his research, he looked at other districts and even went outside the field of education.
“I looked to a world-class organization, Longwood Gardens, and noted that Longwood has recently gone through a strategic planning process…I reached out and contacted Paul Redman, and he said he’d be glad to talk about the process,” Sanville said.
Redman said he strongly believes in the value of strategic planning, but also stressed that everyone in the organization must share the vision that’s developed. However, there’s only one place where a successful plan can begin.
”The key to success starts at the top. You have to live and breathe this. It’s not something you can delegate,” Redman said.
He said the success Longwood has achieved, all the positive press it gets and the increased number of visitors, is a result of everyone in the organization understanding and being on board with the vision and aim developed in the plan.
“All the great things you’re reading about us in the newspaper, all the great things we’re accomplishing, they all go directly back to our strategic plan,” he said.
The first plan was a five-year plan, he said, and Longwood is now developing a second five-year plan.
He told the board that developing plans can cost as little as $50,000 or up to $2 million. Redman also stressed the importance of hiring good solid professional consultants to do the work.
The reason for developing the initial plan, he said, was that when he came to Longwood nine years ago, he recognized that regardless of how well Longwood had been doing, the world was changing and that a plan was need to meet those changes.
He said a comprehensive strategic plan is the best way to keep your finger on the pulse of the community.
For that reason, the plan must be adaptable and focus on the long term, the big picture, not the details.
“It’s not about the to-do list, it’s about the big idea,” he said.
During a brief question-and-answer session with the board, U-CF President Vic Dupuis broached the subject of outside consultants, and Redman said doing so is crucial to getting good results.
“I think that is absolutely critical to the process because it brings in unbiased opinion. The most valuable tool in the planning process is the external outreach to get the information about perceptions,” Redman added.
That unbiased opinion would help the organization identify key issues that need to be addressed to determine long-range solutions, he said.
At the end of the segment, Sanville said he and Sage have already spoken with some consultants and would continue with that, and then have more information for the rest of the board in November.
Other business
During a public comment period, several parents expressed concerns about the size of third-grade classes at Hillendale Elementary School. Class size is up to 26 pupils in the two third-grade classes there.
The parents acknowledge that the district can’t create a third class at this time, but want a third language arts teacher just as there is now a third math teacher.
They also want the district to re-examine the criteria used to determine the class size.
Director Mike Rock, an economics professor at Bryn Mawr, responded by saying he understands the need for a smaller class size. In his own experience, he said, he can get more teaching done in a class of 13 students than in a class of 30.
Sanville said he would consult with Hillendale Principal Steve Dissinger and with John Nolen, the director of curriculum and instruction, and then get back to the parents.
The board will begin the process of replacing Keith Knauss on the board beginning with its Oct. 26 meeting, Sanville said. It will advertise for a replacement and keep the application process open until Nov. 6. Interviews will begin Nov. 9, and a vote is scheduled for Nov. 16.
He added that Knauss, who announced his resignation on Oct. 9, would be present when the board officially accepts his resignation.
Dupuis jokingly said that night is close to Mischief Night and board members should prepare accordingly.
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.
Up until the last election for supervisor in 2013, when Richard Leff joined Scudder Stevens to form a new reform administration, Kennett Township had unfortunately gained a terrible reputation regarding its financial management.
Previous administrations routinely co-mingled funds collected for different purposes – open space, sewers, etc., in the general fund, contrary to state law and generally accepted accounting practices. Because of this, the apparent general fund ‘surplus’ had grown to some $10M, a staggering amount for such a small township.
Worst yet, the township did almost no financial planning for long-term infrastructure requirements like road maintenance, sewer construction and police protection. Therefore, it was impossible to tell whether our township had a true financial surplus, or might actually be seriously underfunded.
These problems were further compounded by the fact that previous administrations routinely refused to discuss financial matters openly, and stonewalled public demands for an impartial audit of the township’s finances. Their infamous low point was certainly the public unmasking of the unreachable ‘Ed Johnson’, the auditor who never was, but that was just yet another example of their total disregard of the public trust.
After so many years of mismanagement and controversy, it’s no surprise that, even after a change in administration, many residents are still confused about the township’s financial state. Does the township still have a huge surplus? Is that money being properly managed? Shouldn’t the township be giving at least some of that money back to the taxpayers?
The truth is that since becoming the board of supervisors’ majority less than two years ago, Stevens and Leff have completely turned around the township’s financial management. The township’s books are now completely open and routinely audited, and the township’s operating account is even posted online.
Moreover, the huge general fund ‘surplus’ has finally been properly reallocated into various special purpose reserve funds to cover the anticipated longer-term costs of township infrastructure development and maintenance, including the acquisition of open space. Due to this careful planning, the remaining general fund balance is now reduced to a modest, responsible hedge against unexpected contingencies that will protect both township operations and taxpayers for many years to come.
This Nov 3, there is an election for another Kennett Township Supervisor. Only one candidate, Whitney Hoffman, has staunchly supported the financial reforms of Stevens and Leff, and also has had extensive experience managing the finances of several other public organizations. The other candidate is a long-term ally of past administrations, and never voiced any complaints about their years of serious financial mismanagement. For me the choice is clear: I’ll be voting for Whitney Hoffman and I hope you will be as well – the financial future of our township depends on it.
Wesley M. Burritt, 24, of New London, died Friday, Oct. 16, at his home in New London.
Born in Christiana, and raised in New London, he was the son of George and Linda (Kelly) Burritt.
Wesley was a 2009 graduate of Avon Grove High School and studied heating and air conditioning at Delaware Community College. He was working with his dad in his paintless dent-repair business.
Wesley loved riding his four-wheeler, working out with his dad and brother and playing with his dog Bruno. He was always willing to help his family, friends and neighbors.
Along with his parents, he is survived by his paternal grandmother, Frances Burritt, and his brother Michael, both of New London and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
You are invited to visit with Wesley’s family and friends from 6-8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, and 10-11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26 at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444-4116) 250 W. State St. Kennett Square, PA 19348. A funeral ceremony celebrating his life will be 11 a.m. Monday. Interment will be Monday in New London Presbyterian Cemetery in New London.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Kacie’s Cause 232 Longwood Road Kennett Square, PA. 19348 or online at www.kaciescause.com. To view his online obituary and share a memory with his family, please visit www.griecocares.com
Three Jugs, 1928, by Max Weber (The Hevrdejs Collection)
New exhibit opens October 27, 2015 at the Philadelphia Museum of art and runs through January 10, 2016. The artists named reflect the scope and variety of the exhibit.
This fall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art will present a major exhibition surveying nearly two centuries of the most intimate, intricate, and varied genre of painting practiced in the United States. Audubon to Warhol: The Art of American Still Life will explore the nature and development of still-life painting in this country from the days of the early American republic to the emergence of Pop Art in the early 1960s, providing a fresh perspective on the evolution of this genre over time and the various ways in which it has reflected our history and culture. Nearly one hundred artists will be represented, ranging from Philadelphia’s Peale family of painters and masters of trompe l’oeil such as William Michael Harnett to modern masters like Charles Sheeler, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Roy Lichtenstein.
Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive
Officer, said, “Still life is an important subject that continues to
Reminiscences of 1865, 1904, by John Frederick Peto (Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The Julia B. Bigelow Fund by John Bigelow
fascinate us today. It can be a meditative study of a single, small object and yet also serve as a metaphor for the world. The story of American still life begins in Philadelphia, and we are delighted to have an opportunity to share this exhibition with our audiences. This is the first major show of its kind in more than thirty years and brings together works of great beauty and historical significance from collections around the country.”
The exhibition surveys the history of American still life. The earliest section addresses the interest of late 18th and early 19th-century painters, a period interested in precise visual description. In their efforts to understand and categorize nature, art and science were linked in the minds of such leading figures of this period as John James Audubon, whose Carolina Parrot (about 1828) depicts a species now extinct and provides a signal example of the combined artistic and scientific ambition that motivated his celebrated Birds of America. The exhibition also explores the pleasures of the senses and sensuality that became the primary focus of American still-life painters at the beginning of the Victorian era. The works of this period exemplify a spirit of newfound prosperity and abundance, as can been seen in Severin Roesen’s vivid floral still lifes and in tables overflowing with nature’s bounty, such as Andrew J. H. Way’s Oysters in Half Shell (1863). Discerning appetites and distinctions of the affluent after the Civil War, as recorded in images such as The Blue Cup (1909) by Joseph DeCamp will be highlighted along with works that address the technological and psychological preoccupations of early 20th-century American artists.
Rolling Power, 1939, by Charles Sheeler (Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts: Purchased with the Drayton Hillyer Fund)
Visitors will encounter audio and visual representations of the iconic 20th Century Limited locomotive, the subject of Charles Sheeler’s classic Rolling Power (1939). Signaling the reach of a burgeoning media culture, the installation will dramatize how masterfully the artist evoked power and modernity, extending the idea of what still life could be. The exhibition concludes with a selection of Pop Art icons, including Roy Lichtenstein’s Still Life with Goldfish (1974).
The exhibition will evoke the different ways of looking that American still-life painters have explored of the course of more than two centuries, immersing visitors in fully developed environments. The still lifes of the mid-19th century, for example, were typically created for parlors and dining rooms. A re-created Victorian parlor will invite visitors to appreciate these semipublic social settings, where educated and erudite conversations were sparked by artworks such as Edward A. Goods’s Fishbowl Fantasy (1867). The artworks themselves will be arranged in small groups to encourage comparison and discussion among visitors, as they did for their early audiences. The exhibition will also include evocations of Theodore Stewart’s famous New York City saloon, which drew crowds from nearby City Hall and around the world to admire William Michael Harnett’s large-scale After the Hunt (1885), which was displayed there in its own theatrical setting for many years. Themes such as music, literature, popular media, and science—including tangible ephemera such as bird specimens, magazines, and pocket watches—will bring forward the immediate inspirations and contemporary contexts of the art.
The impact of the Philadelphia region on the emergence and development of American still life is a theme that spans the entire exhibition. Mark D. Mitchell, the Associate Curator of American Art and Manager of the Center for American Art, said: “We examine not only still life’s development in America—motivated as much by wider cultural dynamics as by artistic taste—but also the distinctively regional association of American still life as a Philadelphia story.”
Catalogue
A fully illustrated catalogue, with essays by Bill Brown (University of Chicago), Carol Troyen (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), Katie Pfohl (Harvard University), and Mark D. Mitchell (Philadelphia Museum of Art) will accompany the exhibition and be distributed by Yale University Press. The catalogue will be available in October.
Sponsorship
The exhibition is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Peter R. & Cynthia K. Kellogg Foundation, and The Annenberg Foundation Fund for Major Exhibitions. Additional support is provided by Leigh P. and John S. Middleton, Mr. and Mrs. William C. Buck, the Estate of Phyllis T. Ballinger, Frank J. Hevrdejs, Bonnie and Peter McCausland, Russell C. Ball III, Sondra and Martin Landes, Jr., Washburn and Susan Oberwager, Sarah Miller Coulson, Leslie Miller and Richard Worley, an anonymous donor, other generous individuals, and by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Related educational programming and resources are supported by The Center for American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The publication is supported by the Davenport Family Foundation, the Wyeth Foundation for American Art and The Andrew W. Mellon Fund for Scholarly Publications at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Curator
Mark D. Mitchell, formerly Associate Curator of American Art and Manager, Center for American Art, now The Holcombe T. Green Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Yale University Art Gallery.
Location
Dorrance Special Exhibition Galleries, first floor
Admission
Tickets go on sale to the public September 15. Adults, $25, Seniors (65 & over), $23, Students (with valid ID), $20, Youth (13–18), $20; Children (12 & under), free, Members (Join), free. All tickets include an audio tour and are issued for a specific date and time, subject to availability. Tickets are issued for half-hour time slots.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is Philadelphia’s art museum. We are a landmark building. A world-renowned collection. A place that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the Museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts.
The Pocopson Township Board of Supervisors voted to advance the Barnard House project and received a preview of the 2016 budget at a budget workshop on Monday, Oct. 19.
Pocopson Township Supervisors Ricki Stumpo (from left), Georgia Brutscher, and Barney Leonard listen to financial projections for the 2016 budget.
Before the financial analysis began, Supervisors’ Chairman Barney Leonard made a motion to authorize the township’s solicitor to review a draft of the bid proposal for the Barnard House. Once a stop on the Underground Railroad, the historic building is being renovated for use as the township municipal building and the home of the Kennett Underground Railroad Center, a repurposing that has generated conflict.
Supervisor Ricki Stumpo said she had received only a portion of the document, which is several inches thick, that morning and thought it would be discussed at the next supervisors’ meeting. “I think it’s prudent that the board looks at it first,” she said.
Supervisor Georgia Brutscher, a member of the Barnard House Steering Committee, disagreed. “They [solicitors] need a long time to review it,” she said.
Leonard said that the bid package could still be discussed at the next supervisors’ meeting. In the meantime, he said forwarding it to the solicitor would ensure “it complies with all the laws in Pennsylvania and Chester County.”
With Stumpo dissenting, Brutscher and Leonard approved the motion and then turned the meeting over to Peggy Lennon, the township’s treasurer.
During a detailed presentation, Lennon gave the supervisors an overview of the 2016 budget, a work in progress that will require the supervisors to make a number of decisions before finalizing it.
Lennon suggested that the supervisors consider adding $15,000 to the township’s general reserve fund, which would be available for emergency use. Although the township hasn’t had to use the fund for several years, it also hasn’t increased it. Under township code, the fund, which presently totals about $60,000, could increase up to $75,000, Lennon said.
Another issue for consideration involves an open space loan the township took out in 2011. Lennon explained that it had a pre-payment penalty that expires in October 2016. “Do the supervisors want to be more aggressive at paying it down?” Lennon asked.
Lennon said questions about the Barnard House finances would also have to be reconciled. The township included a $750,000 loan in its 2015 budget that likely won’t materialize since it takes eight to 10 weeks to process. “Even if we started the paperwork now, the earliest the loan could close would be mid-December,” Lennon said, adding that the first payment wouldn’t occur until 2016.
She said she added an $800,000 loan to the 2016 draft budget because she thought an extra $50,000 was needed for windows. She revised it to $750,000 after Lauressa McNemar, a member of the Barnard House Steering Committee, said the windows were included in the loan estimate.
“I feel confident we’re going to be able to finish it for $750,000,” said Brutscher. According to township records, about $800,000 has been spent on the project so far.
Lennon said the township also typically transfers money from the general fund into the general reserve for categories such as highway aid and township facilities. In the latter category, Lennon said she listed $200,000, based on “overruns we’ve had in the past” on capital projects, a figure that the supervisors will ultimately need to determine.
Both Leonard and Brutscher will be leaving office at the end of the year. Their expected replacements, Elaine DiMonte and Alice Balsama, both of whom are running unopposed for the two vacancies, attended the workshop. Both have been among a growing number of residents who have expressed concerns about the Barnard House project, questioning costs, workmanship and the building’s suitability for township administration.
The next budget workshop is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The next supervisors’ meeting is on Monday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m.
A Pocopson Township Elementary School fifth-grader’s road to fame began inauspiciously with a tonsillectomy.
Alex Wunsch strikes a kingly pose during a 2014 Halloween sketch on ‘Saturday Night Live’ that included host Jim Carrey (right). Photo courtesy of the Wunsch family
William “Alex” Wunsch said he was home from school for a week at age 6 after having his tonsils removed. “He was the worst patient,” confided his mother, Juliet Wunsch, explaining that her high-energy son quickly tired of the sedentary routine.
The next thing she knew, he was on the phone and said, “Yes, my name is Alex; yes, my mom is right here,” and handed the receiver to her, initiating a series of events that would ultimately lead to Hollywood.
Next week, instead of trick-or-treating in Pocopson Township, the 11-year-old will be collecting candy in Tinseltown with fellow cast members of “The Peanuts Movie.” The producers are flying him, his 9-year-old brother Korey, his mother, and his father, Kurt, to California for the movie’s premiere on Nov. 2. It opens to the public on Nov. 6.
Alex supplied the voice for Shermy, one of Charlie Brown’s close friends in the animated film based on the beloved comic strip of Charles Schulz. The screenplay was written by Schulz’s son, Craig Schulz, and the team of Cornelius Uliano, and Bryan Schulz, the cartoonist’s grandson.
Kurt and Juliet Wunsch (top, from left) pose with their sons Korey and Alex at a 2011 event in Florida, where Alex landed his first agency contract. Photo courtesy of the Wunsch family
The call that jumpstarted Alex’s journey came in response to a TV commercial touting an opportunity for children interested in launching a television career. After getting approval from his parents, he found himself at a cattle call in Philadelphia, where his outgoing personality set in motion a series of events that attracted an agent and then a manager.
Since then, Alex has appeared in several commercials, touting products that range from health care to trampolines. He even found himself ensconced on a throne during a Halloween-themed sketch last year on Saturday Night Live. He played an imperious king, who received counsel from his servant-slave, played by comedian Jim Carrey.
“At the time, he didn’t even know who Jim Carrey was,” his mother said. “Now he’s one of Jim Carrey’s biggest fans.”
Alex said he was very familiar with the Peanuts gang long before he traveled to New York to audition for Pig-Pen’s voice in the movie, which he didn’t get. He said he grew up watching the Charlie Brown Christmas and Halloween specials each year.
“I didn’t have the right voice,” he said matter-of-factly of the Pig-Pen tryout. But then several months later, he got another call, and he was tapped for Shermy.
Alex noted proudly that while Shermy, reportedly named after a high school buddy of Charles Schulz, isn’t as well-known as Lucy and Snoopy, he was “the first character to have a speaking role” when Peanuts made its comic-strip debut in 1950.
In the strip, Shermy proclaimed: “Good ol’ Charlie Brown . . . How I hate him!” Alex certainly doesn’t share that sentiment; in fact, he said he’s eager to help Shermy return to prominence in the Schulz pantheon.
Alex Wunsch is shown in the costume room as he awaits a fitting for an AT&T commercial. Photo courtesy of the Wunsch family
Alex said he’s also enthusiastic about visiting Hollywood, meeting the other cast members, and seeing the movie. He said his role required him to stand by himself in a glass-walled sound room with headphones and read lines for a total of about four hours, periodically getting instructions to change his inflection. “It seemed perfectly normal,” he said of the experience.
His impressions of the final product have come only from the pages of dialogue he received for the auditions, his speaking parts, and the movie’s trailer. “It will be fun to see it,” he said.
Juliet Wunsch said she’s not surprised by her son’s drive, describing him as exceptionally verbal since early childhood. “Everything he does is directed by him,” she said. “Obviously we support him, but all he has to do is say ‘I don’t really want to do this’ and it won’t happen.”
Her husband, Kurt Wunsch, added that he is extremely proud of the choices his son has made. “It takes a lot of follow-through work and even disappointment to achieve what he has,” he said. “It is extremely exciting to be a part of what we call William’s wild ride.”
For his part, Alex said he’s enjoying the experiences and appreciates the fact that he is surrounded by relatives on both sides who are immersed in the arts. His parents’ relationship started at a theatrical lighting company where his father, now a lighting design consultant, worked. His mother, a theater professor at West Chester University, came in to rent some equipment and was instantly smitten. Alex’s grandparents pursued successful careers in art, music, and photography.
“I really want to do this,” Alex said of his theatrical ventures, acknowledging that rejection is sometimes part of the process. He said he tends to put auditions out of his mind once they’re over, and if he gets a call, it’s a pleasant outcome. If he doesn’t, he’s already moved on.
Whether he pursues an acting career is uncertain, said Alex, who earned a black belt in karate and also enjoys computer programming and science, especially inventing things.
In the meantime, here’s a tip for any Hollywood producers interested in luring him to the silver screen: His favorite food is cheese fries.
When Crozer-Keystone opened the Crozer Medical Plaza at Brinton Lake (300 Evergreen Drive, Glen Mills) back in 2005, the health system was ahead of the curve in terms of bringing high-quality, patient-centered health care services in an outpatient setting to western Delaware County. Today, Crozer Brinton Lake is the most comprehensive outpatient complex in the region with over 30 medical specialties and centers for cancer care, medical imaging, outpatient surgery, pain management, sleep medicine, endoscopy and more. To learn more, visit www.crozerkeystone.org/brintonlake.
Patients of all ages have access to the outpatient services in one of three convenient locations, next to the Shoppes at Brinton Lake, that also include the Crozer Health Pavilion (opened in 2007, 145 S. Brinton Lake Road, Glen Mills) and the Crozer-Keystone Regional Cancer Center (opened in 2011, 500 Evergreen Drive, Glen Mills). With free parking and first-class facilities, many residents of western Delaware County, eastern Chester County, and northern Delaware have chosen to make Crozer Brinton Lake their medical home of choice as a preferred destination.
Crozer Brinton Lake by the Numbers
150,000 and Growing: Number of care visits delivered annually at Crozer Brinton Lake
141,500: The combined number of square feet in all three buildings at Crozer Brinton Lake
Patrick Gavin, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Crozer-Keystone and president of Crozer-Chester Medical Center, comments, “When it comes to the success of Crozer Brinton Lake, we have to give credit to the Crozer-Keystone Board of Directors for observing trends in our county and in healthcare and taking action. As the county’s largest employer and healthcare provider, Crozer-Keystone looked at the needs of Delaware County – including the tremendous population growth in western Delaware County – and worked to open facilities where residents could receive quality healthcare from trusted providers right in their backyard.”
In appreciation of the dedicated and loyal patients that choose to receive care at these locations, Crozer Brinton Lake will host a community event on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. within both the 300 and 500 Buildings of the Crozer Medical Plaza. Everyone is invited to attend this festive event that will include entertainment courtesy of Makin’ Music, Mr. Scott the Music Man, local dance groups and more. In addition, the event will include a scavenger hunt, arts & crafts for children, health screenings and information, and the opportunity to make appointments with medical imaging, other medical specialties and physician’s offices.
Mark D. Wells, 66, of Hockessin, died Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Christiana Hospital. He was the husband of Carole Abrams Wells, with whom he shared nine-and-a-half-years of marriage.
Born in West Chester, he was the son of the late William R. Wells Sr. and Anna Barry Wells.
Mark was the director of weapons training at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Aberdeen, Md., retiring in 2007 after 37 years of service. He had also served as a court commissioner for Cecil County, Md.
He was a chief warrant officer 4 in the US Army. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam as a door gunner in a Huey gunship. He was a member of the 176th Assault Helicopter Co.-Muskets.
He enjoyed hunting, fishing, his dogs Sarge and Chief, and being with his family and friends.
Mark was a member of the Chesapeake City VFW Post 7687, a former Commander of the Hockessin VFW, American Legion and Ducks Unlimited.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Mark W. Wells and his wife Amanda of Smyrna, and Michael D. Wells and his wife Melissa of Midland, Ga.; one daughter, Sara Silva of Orlando, Fla.; one step-son, Robert Sohlman and his wife Erin of Wilmington; one step-daughter, Stephanie John and her husband Steve of Newark; one brother, Emerson H. Wells of Landenberg; his twin sister, Myra Conway of Doswell, Va., and seven grandchildren, Lexi, Airi, Ethan, Heny, Matthew, Mattix and Brayden.
His Memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Chesapeake City VFW Post 7687, 304 Basil Avenue, Chesapeake City, MD 21915. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to the Chesapeake City VFW Post 7687 at the above address.
