Gary V. Taylor, 61, of West Grove, died Thursday, May 19, at the Jennersville Regional Hospital. He was the husband of Pamela McWilliams Taylor, with whom he shared 30 year of marriage.
Born in Wilmington, he was the son of Wm. Frank and Adele Willey Taylor of Claymont.
Gary was employed by Genesis Health Care, Kennett Square for the past 14 years. He was the supervisor of the data center.
He was a former Eagle Scout of Troop 62, a former volunteer firefighter at the Claymont Fire Co., and a former member of the National Wild Turkey Federation.
Gary enjoyed fishing, turkey hunting, gardening, cooking, eating crabs, and being with his family, dogs and friends.
In addition to his wife and parents, Gary is survived by two sons, Chad Taylor of Kennett Square, and Scott Taylor of West Grove; one brother, Jeffrey Taylor (Lorraine) of White Haven; one sister, Diane Poplos of Newark, and three pups, Shawn, Cooper and Stella.
You are invited to visit with his family and friends from 5 to 8 on Wednesday, , May 25, at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home, 250 West State Street in Kennett Square. His service and burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to the Chester County SPCA, 1212 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester, PA 19380 or to the American Diabetes Association, 150 Monument Road, Suite 100, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Emily S. Stauffer Schneider, 98, Kennett Square, died Saturday, May 14, at Kendal At Longwood retirement community. She was the wife of the late Walther F. Schneider who died in 1999 and with whom she shared 58 years of marriage.
Born in Lansdale, she was the daughter of the late Oliver S. and the late Lillian (Cressman) Stauffer.
Before moving to Kendal in 1985, she and her husband lived in Wawa, where she was a longtime member of the Media Presbyterian Church.
Before marriage she was an executive secretary working for Sunoco retiring in 1940.
She enjoyed traveling, gardening, sewing and camping.
Survivors include two sons, W. Bartz Schneider and his wife Bernadette of San Francisco, Calif. and Glenn D. Schneider and his wife Andrea of Diablo, Calif.; and one daughter, Carol Schneider Schifferling of Kennett Square. She has five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A memorial service and interment will be held privately at Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill.
Arrangements are being handled by the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444-4116) of Kennett Square. To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.griecocares.com
Patrick Kelly (from left), Matt Jadro, Connor Dea and Matt Frey comprise Team Five 21 during Tough Mudder Philly. Photos by David Lichter
Rain ruled for most of this past weekend so adding some mud to the mix wasn’t a big deal for the thousands who gathered for Tough Mudder Philly, which was held at Plantation Field in West Marlborough Township on Saturday, May 21, and Sunday, May 22.
A little Electroshock Therapy in the form of dangling strands gives participants a jolt at the end of Tough Mudder Philly.
For the uniniated, Tough Mudder participants – known as “mudders” – pay to display their physical prowess on a nearly 12-mile course fraught with perils such as Electroshock Therapy, Quagmire, and the new Block Ness Monster. Strength, grit, stamina and teamwork get challenged as spectators yell encouragement from the sidelines.
Tough Mudder Inc., which has staged more than 200 events in six countries during the past six years, debuted in West Marlborough this past October, but this past weekend’s course offered a different set of obstacles, turning rolling hills, hay fields, and gurgling creeks into formidable beasts.
The nearly 12-mile Tough Mudder course at Plantation Field includes a series of obstacles.
Jodi Kovacs, a marketing communications associate for Tough Mudder, said about 7,000 traveled from near and far to participate in this past weekend’s event. She said revenue numbers haven’t been calculated yet, but Tough Mudder typically generates $2 to $10 million for the local economy. According to Tough Mudder’s fundraising platform partner, Crowdrise, participants raised more than $19,000 for various charities ahead of the event.
Connor Dea, a graduate of Unionville High and Elizabethtown College, decided in March to enter with three of his college friends: Patrick Kelly, Matt Jadro, and Matt Frey, an Avon-Grove graduate. Dea said they all viewed the event as a great way to work toward getting in better shape, a goal they had discussed but hadn’t been able to accomplish until their 2 ½-month regimen of race preparation. The fact that the course was at Plantation Field, near where Dea grew up, offered an added bonus.
Upper body strength is an asset for completing some of the Tough Mudder obstacles.
Coming up with a team name – Five 21 – was equally easy, he said. In addition to being the address of an apartment they share, it’s also the moniker for their band. And the much-later realization that they would be participating on 5/21 made it even more perfect. “That’s so destined,” Dea said they concluded.
Their group of supporters loved the white t-shirts they had printed for the occasion because it made it easy to pick them out in the crowd – at least until their first mud bath. And it wasn’t their last. Dea said one of their favorite obstacles was the Mud Mile, a series of four-foot mud walls that had to be traversed from pools of ribcage-high water.
Failure to hang on can result in an unwelcome dunk during Tough Mudder Philly.
“You can’t get up without help,” he said, explaining that participants needed a boost from at least one other person to scale the muddy wall. “Basically, everyone was looking around to see who needed help.”
Dea said that spirit of cooperation pervaded the course. He said the Block Ness Monster, two large rolling blocks hanging above a pool of water also required a team approach to conquer. But then participants were on their own for the last 100 yards of the course: the Electroshock Therapy, a forest of dangling, pulsing strands that runners had to traverse.
“They pulse randomly so not every one shocks you,” Dea said. “I got hit in the arm and the back, and then the last one caught me in the back of the knee, and I fell to the ground.”
Undaunted, Dea said he and his teammates had such a good time that they hope to make it an annual event. “We thought we would do it and be done,” he said. “But it was so much fun – and encourages us to keep in shape.”
Runners get ready for one of the uphill battles at pastoral Plantation Field.
Dea said the benefits outweigh some of the more punishing aspects of the course. “It’s so rewarding when you finish,” Dea said. “There are so many steep hills, and even on downhill, it’s a challenge – and an accomplishment that we’re proud of. We haven’t stopped talking about it.”
Tough Mudder, which reportedly attracts participants ranging from 20-somethings to 80-plus, says it’s more than just a weekend event; it’s a lifestyle. More than 5,000 Mudders have reportedly had the Tough Mudder logo tattooed on their bodies, according to the organization’s website.
In addition, Tough Mudder has raised more than $10 million for the Wounded Warrior Project®. For more information on Tough Mudder, visit https://toughmudder.com.
“The State of Women in Chester County,” a program on women’s issues hosted by Penn State Great Valley, brought together 240 people seeking to learn more and to network with various groups, including 11 exhibiting organizations.
The Chester County Women’s Commission and the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls led planning efforts to deliver a program that included inspirational remarks from Lisa McCann, a principal of information technology at the Vanguard Group; a presentation of the fund’s Blueprint Report; and a panel discussion featuring four local women leaders, according to a press release from the Chester County Fund for Woman and Girls.
The Chester County Economic Development Council, the STEM Academy, League of Women Voters, United Way of Chester County, Chester County Chamber of Commerce, Fulton Bank, AAUW, and Unruh, Turner, Burke & Frees participated on the forum’s Planning Committee, the release said.
The Chester County Fund for Women and Girls launched its 2016 Update to the Blueprint Report: Leveraging Progress, an objective and comprehensive assessment of the status of women and girls in Chester County compared with the status of women and girls across the state and country.
The Blueprint Report was conducted in partnership with the West Chester University Center for Social and Economic Policy Research. Information about the report, its implications, the fund’s response and what Chester County residents can do to make a positive difference were discussed at the forum.
People interested in reading the report, receiving more information, or attending one of the Blueprint Report presentations in their area should visit the fund’s website at www.ccfwg.org or call (484) 356-0940. To view the 2016 Blueprint Report, visit www.ccfwg.org/research.
The Chester County Fund for Women and Girls is a grant-making and education foundation dedicated to addressing the needs of women and girls in the county. For more than 18 years, the Fund has raised awareness about the critical needs of women and girls, and has awarded over $2 million to 65 nonprofit organizations.
The steeplechase action begins at the 86th Radnor Hunt Races, a fundraiser for the Brandywine Conservancy.
The 86th Radnor Hunt Races, on Saturday, May 21, was a day full of tailgating fun and breathtaking steeplechase horse racing.
Despite some rain, elegant hats dominate the landscape at the 86th Radnor Hunt Races.
The event is among the top five meets in horse racing’s spring schedule. Since 1980, the proceeds of the races have benefited the Brandywine Conservancy’s efforts to preserve and protect the region’s land and water resources. Since its inception, the Brandywine Conservancy has protected more than 62,000 acres of open space.
Attendees enjoyed the exhilaration of spending time in the fresh, country air with family and friends. The ever-faithful Young Friends of the Brandywine Conservancy set up their tailgate early. “We were the first ones in the field; we’ve been here since 10 a.m.,” declared Brian Cawley.
Children hung on the fence rails; old friends and new friends mingled and munched on simple to elaborate picnic spreads. Willistown Boy Scout Troup 78 answered questions and helped guide people around the grounds.
Elaborate patriotic spreads reflect this year’s theme ‘Picnic with a President.’
The tailgate theme this year was “Picnic with a President.” Groups went all out trying to create the best tailgate display and win first prize. Race-goers dressed in costume and used elaborate props to enhance their tailgate displays. Several tailgaters evoked the memory of President John F. Kennedy.
One group focused on the Bay of Pigs invasion and included “Fidel Castro” and live Caribbean music. The extended display also had a presidential limo, a podium and “secret service agents” wearing darks suits and ear buds and mimicking security detail exchanges – all in good fun and contributing to the allusion of a president in attendance.
Radnor Hunt is steeped in tradition, and, once again, the Mounted Color Guard of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry officially opened the day with the presentation of colors. “The First Troop is the oldest continuously serving cavalry unit in the United States Army,” explained member Dan McCormick of Jenkintown. “Founded in 1774, the troop has fought in every American conflict since the Revolution. It’s part of the 28th Division of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and has been deployed five times since 2011,” he added.
Angela and Michael Galantino of Berwyn enjoy the ambience of the Radnor Hunt Races.
Hats, fantastic hats, are always a must-see at the Radnor Hunt Races, and this year didn’t disappoint. Even though the skies were threatening (and actually delivered a brief shower), women still wore wonderful hats in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. A chapeau contest for women and children and a best tie competition for men added to the friendly spirit of competition.
The carriage parade, which was dedicated to the late George A. “Frolic” Weymouth, a Brandywine Conservancy co-founder, was canceled because of the rainy weather. Weymouth died April 24 and was described this way in the race program: “He led the way toward his vision of beauty, fun and sport atop an elegant coach set to four matching bay horses. His spirit will continue to lead our hearts and memories.” A special video tribute to Weymouth was shown, and everyone lifted a glass in salute at the conclusion.
Lora has a passion for art, gardening, yoga, music and dancing. She continues to research the life of locally born abolitionist and 1998 National Women's Hall of Fame inductee Mary Ann Shadd Cary. She is a dedicated community volunteer, working with the American Association of University Women, Wilmington, DE branch (programs chair), Chadds Ford Historical Society (former board member) and Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.
Lora lives in Birmingham Township with her husband Bill and son Brad. Daughter Erika lives in Pittsburgh with husband Bob and baby Wilhelmina. She is a former French, Spanish and ESL teacher, bilingual life insurance underwriter and public relations coordinator for Delaware Art Museum and Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.
