Frances F. Hewton, 84, of West Chester, died Sunday, Jan. 17, at the Pocopson Home.
Born in Lewiston, Maine, she was the daughter of the late David and Mary Madeline McGrath Frieman.
Frances was a homemaker who enjoyed shopping, dining out with her friends, going to art museums, summers at the Jersey Shore, trips back to Maine and especially enjoyed being with her family and friends.
Frances is survived by one son, Robert D. Hewton and his wife Ellen of West Chester; one daughter, Cathryn King and her husband Michael of West Grove; two brothers, Donald Frieman of Philadelphia, and James Frieman of Florida; two sisters, Arlene Dowd and Susan Davis, both of Philadelphia, and four grandchildren, Kelly, Katherine, Lindsey and David.
Her service and burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Delaware Valley Chapter, 620 Freedom Boulevard, Suite 101, King of Prussia, PA 19406
William “Bill” R. Kuntz, 78, of Landenberg, died Friday, Jan. 15, at Seasons Hospice in Newark. He was the husband of the late Lila Rose Conklin Kuntz, who died in 2012 and with whom he shared 50 years of marriage.
Born in Lock Haven, he was the son of the late Raymond and Marion Kuntz.
Bill was a machine mechanic for Wyeth Laboratories for more than 30 years. He enjoyed playing volleyball, watching Penn State Football, crossword puzzles, listening to 1950s music and vacationing at the summer cabin with the family.
He was a member of the Italian American club in Kennett Square and West Chester.
Survivors include one son, Patrick Kuntz and his wife Lisa of Landenberg; two daughters, Lisa Mills and her husband Gilbert of Elmer, N.J. and Lana Cornette of Oxford; four brothers, Richard, Jack, Charlie, Raymond all of Lock Haven; three sisters, Barbara Barzona, Rita Clark, and Patricia Kuntz all of Lock Haven, and six grandchildren, Sheena Kuntz, Cody Kuntz, Kylie Beyer, Blaine Cornette, Eden Cornette and Sally Cornette. He was predeceased by two brothers and three sisters.
You are invited to visit with Bill’s family and friends from 4-6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, 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 6 p.m. Interment will be held privately. To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.griecocares.com
Single-digit wind chills might have frozen out one event scheduled for Martin Luther King Day, but students and volunteers from several school districts, including Unionville-Chadds Ford, did their parts in warming spirits and bodies.
Peanut butter and jelly is always a fun lunch choice.
U-CF, Kennett and Avon Grove overlapped on a number of different community service projects during the Jan. 18 remembrance of King. They provided food for the Kennett Food Cupboard, volunteered to help out with the “Winter Wonderland Senior Prom” at Twin Pines Health Care Center and did some painting at Family Promise in West Grove.
Subfreezing temperatures prevented Unionville and Kennett high and middle school students and adult volunteers from cleaning up Anson B. Nixon Park, one of the regular activities during the last eight years of the MLK observance.
Local elementary schools continued what have become their own traditions. Volunteers at Chadds Ford Elementary School donated and filled 111 backpacks for students at the Chester County Family Academy in West Chester.
CFES Principal Shawn Dutkiewicz said there were 81 volunteers who sorted the packs and filled them with personal items, including books, pajamas and dental hygiene products.
Backpacks, 111 of them, collected at Chadds Ford ElementarySchool and filled with pajamas, tooth brushes and books go to the Chester County Family Academy.
Hillendale volunteers made, packed and delivered 300 bagged lunches and 100 quarts of soup for needy families in Southern Chester County. They also collected non-perishable food items for the MLK Food Drive and backpacks for “Backpacks for MLK’s Dream” Project, benefitting La Comunidad Hispaña.
Unionville-Chadds Ford schools have been taking part in MLK Day events for the past eight years. Calling it “a day on, not a day off,” U-CF Superintendent John Sanville said, “It’s nice to give back.”
He said he regretted not being able to work at the park, but it was simply too cold. However, he added that there were 15 other sites where people could volunteer, working in morning or afternoon shifts.
Students from Salesianum and one from Avon Grove Intermediate School volunteer at Project C.U.R.E. in West Grove taking in recycled and refurbished medical supplies, and preparing them to be sent to other countries. The student in the box is Jimmy Conley Jr., a sixth-grader at Avon Grove, and son of Unionville High School Principal Jimmy Conley Sr. who provided the photograph.
“Kennett School District, Avon Grove and Unionville-Chadds Ford are involved in a real collaborative way,” Sanville added. The food drives, we’ve all worked together. Representatives from the three districts have been going to the MLK planning meetings. There are other districts doing things, but the three of us have been doing things together.”
He said hundreds of U-CF students took part.
(Top photo: Hundreds of bagged lunches made at Hillendale Elementary School are prepped for delivery to needy families in Southern Chester County.)
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.
Edith Anne Mills, 87, of Chadds Ford, died Thursday, Jan. 14. She was in the care of Jenner’s Pond in West Grove for 6 weeks prior to passing. She was the loving wife of Arthur Mills and had been happily married for 67 years.
Edith was born in Brooklyn, New York to the late Edward P. Barbante, and Reba McDonald.
During her time in Pennsylvania, she worked at Kohl’s Department Store as a sales associate, and enjoyed the company of the other employees and the many customers she grew to know. Edith loved to spend time with family and friends, especially her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren.
Edith is survived by her husband, Arthur, along with all of her five children; Two daughters, Cathryn Jordan, of Los Angeles, Calif. and Janice McGetrick, of Kennet Square; three sons, Richard Mills and his wife Deborah, of Huntington, N.Y., Robert Mills and his wife Mari of Warren, N.J., and Thomas Mills and his wife Simone, of Pasadena, Calif. She was predeceased by both of her brothers, Edward Barbante and Donald Barbante. Along with her five children, she is survived by twelve grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
Please feel welcome to visit with her family and friends at the Hilton Inn, 815 E. Baltimore Pike in Kennett Square, on Saturday, Jan 23. A service will be held, at 4 p.m. followed by a dinner in her honor.
Members of the CommUNITY choir perform under the direction of Leon Spencer at the 15th Annual MLK Jr. CommUNITY of the Greater Kennett Area Breakfast.
The inspiring words of Martin Luther King Jr. reverberated throughout the Red Clay Room in Kennett Square on Monday, Jan. 18, at the 15th Annual MLK Jr. CommUNITY Breakfast.
Keynote speaker Jerry F. Poe (left) poses with his son, Jerry Franklin Poe.
About 350 people gathered to begin a day of service and to celebrate King’s legacy. Carol A. Black, vice-president of the MLK Jr. CommUNITY of the Greater Kennett Area, emceed the two-hour program, which featured tributes to King, both in speech and in song.
King’s message resounded melodiously during a crowd-pleasing performance by the CommUNITY Choir, which was directed by Leon R. Spencer, a former Kennett Square mayor and borough council president.
Among the songs presented were “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Negro national anthem; and “We Have a Dream,” which was written 15 years ago by Dennis Melton, a local architect who sang in the choir and also played the piano.
Trevor Seidel (left), a Unionville High senior, is joined at the podium by Chris Jones, a 1996 Kennett High graduate and area musician, for their ‘Glory’ solos.
The group also delivered a rousing rendition of “Glory,” a John Legend song popularized by the film of the same name. Trevor Seidel, a Unionville High School senior, and Chris Jones, a 1996 Kennett High graduate and area musician, were featured soloists.
Black noted that Martin Luther King Day is the only federal holiday committed to community service. “It’s a day on, not a day off,” she said, adding that a number of the day’s activities, including the culmination of a food drive for the Kennett Food Cupboard, bring people closer to King’s vision of a loving, inclusive community.
The audience heard from Chester County Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh, who stressed the importance of giving back to the community. She ended her remarks by quoting the late Rev. John Wesley who urged people “to do all the good that you can by all of the means that you can in all the ways that you can … as long as ever you can.”
Chester County Sheriff Carolyn ‘Bunny’ Welsh stresses the importance of community service.
State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, presented a proclamation from the Senate that recognized the work of the CommUNITY organizers. He said that although Chester County is seventh in terms of population in the state, it has the fifth highest number of homeless children.
Dinniman used Family Promise, a new multi-faith initiative that’s serving homeless families in southern Chester County, as an example of the community’s commitment to reversing such grim statistics. Other programs that spotlight that same dedication to service are The Garage, The Lighthouse and After the Bell, he said.
The Rev. William G. George, Dan Cornett and Terrell Smith all gave evocative renditions of several of King’s speeches, and Jerry Franklin Poe introduced the keynote speaker: his father, Jerry F. Poe, the chair of the steering committee for the event.
State Sen. Andy Dinnigan (from left) is shown with emcee Carol A. Black and keynote speaker Jerry F. Poe at the MLK Jr. breakfast.
The elder Poe expounded on the theme “We Hold These Truths,” acknowledging that some of today’s truths are unpleasant. For example, he pointed out that Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, who always insists that he wants to be treated fairly, has suggested that President Obama has failed so miserably as the nation’s first black president that there likely won’t be another for many years.
Poe, a Kennett Square native, questioned the fairness of that view. He pointed out that when other presidents have disappointed the public no one has ever said: “So and so has done such a bad job that there won’t be another white president for generations.”
Despite some progress, much work remains, he said. He referenced sobering statistics about the disproportionate number of minority youth in prison and the lower median income for blacks.
“To fix a problem, we must first admit there is one,” he said. “This is not a blame game. This is about improving and finding solutions. All of us must be part of the change for the better.”
State Sen. Andy Dinniman (left) chats with Kennett Square Police Chief Edward A. Zunino at the end of the program.
Poe, a minister, entrepreneur and community activist, said his father relocated from West Virginia to Kennett Square to work in the mushroom industry to support his 10 children. He said the family was poor financially but reaped some rich rewards from others’ generosity.
One indelible memory involved a visit from Joseph Zunino, Poe said. Zunino, the uncle of Kennett Square Police Chief Edward A. Zunino, needed to collect some back taxes that Poe’s father didn’t have. Later, the family learned that Joseph Zunino had paid their tax bill.
“I’m not the same person I was” because of that random act of kindness, Poe said, urging others to follow that lead.
Poe likened racism to a big bully that needs to be stopped. “It’s not who we are that defines us, but what we do,” he said. “Don’t be silent; don’t let the bully triumph.”
Proceeds from the breakfast support initiatives of the MLK Advocates, a group committed to promoting equality, and MLK CommUNITY scholarships to Camp Cadet, a program run by the Pennsylvania State Police, and to local high school graduates.
Ingeborg Jack, 88, died peacefully in her sleep at Kendal at Longwood, in Kennett Square, on Jan. 17. Inge, as she liked to be called, was born in Stuttgart, Germany, but spent her adult years living in the USA, Belgium, Switzerland, and Thailand. Her early memories are of hikes in the Black Forest, and singing folk songs with her family. Inge had a beautiful voice and was often asked to sing by school and town officials.
Before retiring, Inge worked for UNICEF in New York City. She helped establish two chapters of Amnesty International, and worked tirelessly supporting the work of her late husband, peace and human rights activist, Homer Jack. Upon Homer’s passing, she devoted her time lobbying for children living in war ravaged areas, and trying to eradicate the use of land mines (a cause she worked on with the late Diana, Princess of Wales); she was also concerned about global warming,
She is preceded in death by her husband, Homer Jack, her parents, Ernst and Auguste, a twin sister, Majella, a younger sister, Helma, as well as her beloved brother, Herbert. She leaves behind her daughter, Marianne, married to Chris Thatcher, as well as two other daughters, Renate and Sigrid, and five grandchildren, Annemarie (Georg), Mark (Jen), Robert (Karoline), “Mac”, and Jasmine. She also has five great-grandchildren: Sophie, Alastair, Julian, Edward, and Emily. She is also survived by a sister, Majella Kolb.
The family of Ingeborg would like to thank the staff at Kendall for welcoming Inge like a family member, for the past 10 years, and for the respect and loving care they gave her.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, January 24, in the activities room at Kendal at Longwood, 1109 E. Baltimore Pike in Kennett Square.
Chester County Senior Judge Thomas G. Gavin stands in front of the panels in the Justice Center that list all of the judges' names and dates. Research for that project led to the discovery that Gavin is the longest-serving judge in county history.
A conspiracy against a Chester County jurist unfolded quietly over the course of a couple of months, culminating last week in a celebration.
Chester County Senior Judge Thomas G. Gavin displays the painting that artist Edward Shenton used as a model for his Chester County courthouse mural.
On Monday, Jan. 11, members of the Chester County bench gathered for their monthly judges’ meeting. Most had no inkling that that they would be learning about a judicial achievement, not routine court procedures.
Late last year, Chester County Judge John L. Hall, one of several avowed history buffs on the bench, was finishing up a 2014 assignment to compile a county list of judicial tenures when he discovered that Chester County Court Senior Judge Thomas G. Gavin was about to become the longest-serving judge in the county’s 225-year court history.
Hall shared the news with President Judge Jacqueline C. Cody that on Jan. 11, Gavin’s length of service – 30 years and five days – would eclipse Judge W. Butler Windle’s 1957 record of 30 years and four days. Cody agreed not only that the occasion should be recognized, but also that it should be a surprise. The best way to avoid possible leaks? Keep the plan to themselves.
“They completed shocked me,” Gavin said of the distinction. “I had no idea. I really thought a couple of the judges had served longer than I had.”
During his tenure, Gavin, who describes himself as an “old school” jurist, said that he benefited from the wisdom of trusted mentors like former Chester County Court President Judge D.T. Marrone and that he aspired to serve a similar role.
“I hope I’ve made a positive difference in some people’s lives,” he said. “There’s one thing I know for certain: Thirty years has really flown by.”
Gavin’s chosen career began in 1971 after completing a law degree at Villanova University – a pursuit that followed a three-year stint as a U.S. Marine Corps captain that included service in Vietnam.
Gavin entered private practice in Chester County in 1972, specializing in civil and criminal litigation. By the time he was elected judge in 1985, he had served as an assistant district attorney, a court-appointed criminal defense attorney, and a master in juvenile court. He served as the county’s president judge from 1995 until January 2000. He and his wife have five grown children and six grandchildren.
Over the years, Gavin has garnered publicity for a host of high-profile cases, ranging from the 2013 murder trial of Morgan Mengel, a West Goshen mother convicted of conspiring with her lover to kill her husband, to the 2010 conviction of Makeda J. Marley, the daughter of reggae icon Bob Marley, for growing marijuana plants in her Caln Township residence.
Judge Thomas G. Gavin says he can’t believe how quickly his 30-plus years as a judge have flown.
More recently, Gavin, who became a part-time senior judge in 2011, was tapped to head Chester County’s Veterans Court, a prison-alternative program. Like other diversionary initiatives, it offers participants intense, individualized treatment designed to help them avoid incarceration. He was also selected to hear an ongoing, $20 million insurance fraud case in Bucks County against the Risoldi family, a 2015 assignment that stemmed from the family’s alleged ties to Bucks County’s Republican Party.
In addition to his caseload, Gavin has also attracted attention for hammering nails as well as justice. In 2002, he traded his black robe for carpentry gear and reconfigured his chambers to make the space more efficient. While he was in construction mode, he also built a desk and credenza.
In 2004, he added playwriting to his resume, crafting a drama about an emancipated slave facing double-homicide charges in Kennett Township. Based on an actual 1820 trial, the play was performed at the biennial Meet the Judges Program in Chester County, an open house of sorts for the judiciary.
Gavin presided over the 2012 unveiling of a 5- by 16-foot Edward Shenton mural, which originally hung in the historic courthouse and was relocated to the Justice Center after a meticulous restoration. Gavin said the work, which serves as a visual compendium of county history, was commissioned when the courthouse’s North Wing was constructed in the mid-1950s.
For decades, Gavin led a quest to gain more insight into the painting, which hangs in his courtroom. In 2013, he even invited the artist’s son to visit; however, Ned Shenton couldn’t solve the mysteries about what his father, an acclaimed artist trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, had included and why. Undeterred, Gavin vowed to continue his research.
Gavin said he’s had his share of regrets. He once relented and allowed an abuser to get out of prison after the female victim begged for the man’s release. He learned of her death at his hands a couple of days later.
He said he’s still bothered by the fact that he was unable to get restitution for a Berwyn landscaper whose attorney, Ralph Mirarchi, scammed him out of his life’s savings in 2006. Gavin said the fact that Mirarchi hid the money by putting assets in his wife’s name was particularly galling.
Gavin said he prefers to dwell on the positives: the drug addicts who turned their lives around and returned to say thank-you, or the drunk drivers who ended up using their tragic outcomes to deter others.
With 40 percent of Chester County’s cases stemming from driving under the influence, Gavin said driverless vehicles are starting to look attractive. “That may be technology I can embrace if it ends up saving lives,” he said.
He recalled fondly that his judicial mentors decades ago required lawyers to show up early in crisp white shirts and suits ready to argue their case. Nowadays, the attire and the preparation have become more lax. “We have to get back to law as a profession,” Gavin suggested.
He would like to see the emphasis shift from billable hours to community service. “You’ve got to give something back,” he said. “Sometimes it’s more important to give without getting anything in return.”
Gavin noted with a smile that the only part of Monday’s ceremony more stunning than his longevity was the fact that Hall, known for his frugality, bought him lunch. Then he quickly retracted his remark.
“I don’t want to embarrass John,” Gavin said, agreeing to share the information only with Hall’s permission.
Hall laughed when told about Gavin’s comment. He then proceeded to recount the innumerable ways in which Gavin had exerted a positive influence on him, dating back to Hall’s assignment as a fledgling assistant district attorney in Gavin’s courtroom. Hall said Gavin epitomized the tradition of “honesty, civility and industry” on the Chester County bench.
