Grace DeFeo, 87, of Glen Mills, formerly of Ocean City, N.J., died Tuesday, Nov. 27, at Neighborhood Hospice, West Chester. She was the wife of Frank DeFeo who died in 2013, and with whom she shared 57 year of marriage.
Born in Philadelphia, she was the daughter of the late Camillo Verratti and the late Anna Bianchi Verratti.
She was an underwriter at the Aetna Insurance Co, Philadelphia, retiring after 34 years of service.
She was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.
She was a member of St. Damien Catholic Church in Ocean City, N.J., and the Italian American Club in Ocean City, N.J.
Grace enjoyed reading, the beach, family get-togethers, sports and watching game shows on TV.
She is survived by one sister, Rose Less of Glen Mills, seven nieces and nephews and their families.
Grace was predeceased by two sisters, Connie Falco and Esther Koziel.
You are invited to visit with her family and friends from 9 to 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, at St. Cornelius Catholic Church, 160 Ridge Road in Chadds Ford. Her funeral mass will follow at 10 . Burial will be in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Route 82, Kennett Square.
In lieu of flowers, a contribution may be made to St. Cornelius Church at the above address.
To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.griecocares.com
Victor Castaneda Velazquez, 54, of Avondale, died Monday, Nov. 26, at Christiana Hospital. He was the husband of Irene Ayllon Mendiola.
Born in Almoloya De Alquisiras, Mexico, he was the son of Elpidia Velaquez of Mexico and the late Rafael Castaneda.
He was a maintenance worker at South Mill Mushrooms in Kennett Square.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by one son Miguel Castaneda of Avondale; three daughters, Yulissa Castaneda, Veronico Castaneda and Esmeralda Castaneda, two brothers, seven sisters and one grandson, Ryan Rafael Castaneda.
You are invited to visit with his family and friends from 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at St. Rocco Catholic Church, 313 Sunny Dell Road, Avondale. His Funeral Mass will follow at 5. Burial will be in Mexico.
To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.griecocares.com
After nearly two decades, the first female sheriff elected in Chester County has announced that she will retire from the Sheriff’s Office and therefore won’t be seeking re-election. Her term ends in early 2020.
Chester County Sheriff Carolyn Bunny Welsh, the longest-serving sheriff in county history, said she plans to pursue one of several opportunities that have surfaced.
“Sometimes God leads you down a path and opens doors where you least expect it,” Welsh said in a press release. “After serving as sheriff for 20 years, I will be looking forward to a new challenge in 2020.”
Carolyn Bunny Welsh
Welsh said she is weighing several options and will not disclose her decision until it has been finalized. She added that she was announcing her intention to change course now to give qualified candidates an opportunity to step forward and be considered.
“I care deeply about this office,” she said. “Leading it has been one of the greatest honors. I am thankful to the citizens who continued to give me their trust and confidence.”
Her allegiance to the office she has overseen for nearly two decades makes her eager to assist the next person who will inherit “one of the best sheriff’s offices in the nation,” she said. She added that she plans to work tirelessly for the next year to implement some new initiatives and improve some existing ones.
Welsh, a resident of Pennsbury Township, has amassed a significant number of achievements and awards during her tenure as Chester County sheriff. The first woman to be elected president of a graduating class at the National Sheriffs Institute, Welsh also became the first female president of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association in 2009.
She was elected in 2011 to the board of the National Sheriffs Association, which oversees more than 3,000 sheriffs across the nation. She currently serves on the NSA’s executive committee as third vice president, the first woman ever to hold that post. She is co-chair of the National Coalition on Violence Against Animals and a board member of the National Flag Foundation.
Locally, Welsh is a member of the Rotary Club of West Chester and serves as vice president of the Chester County Hero Fund. She sits on the board of the Chester County Family Academy and the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School.
In 1997, Welsh was named one of the Top 50 Women in Business in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Her volunteer efforts earned her the National “Eckerd 100 Women of 2000” award, and in 2002, she received the prestigious “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” award from the National Center for Women and Policing. In 2004, Welsh was inducted into the International Police Association Hall of Fame; she received the March of Dimes Chester County Women of Achievement award the same year.
In June 2005, Welsh graduated from the Mid-Atlantic Law Enforcement Executive Development Program “LEEDS” after the FBI Training Committee selected her to participate. In 2006 she was presented with an award for “30 Remarkable Women Making Domestic Violence History” by the Pennsylvania Coalition against Domestic Violence.
In 2014, Philadelphia Main Line Today Magazine named Welsh, a mother of four and grandmother of nine, one of its 24 power women. And in 2018, Welsh received the Senator Robert J. Thompson Public Service Award for the broad scope of her myriad accomplishments.
Under Welsh’s leadership, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office has also earned awards and recognitions. In 2008 and 2011, the CCSO was selected as the top sheriff’s office in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for Crime Prevention and Community Outreach. In 2016, Sgt. Paul Bryant and K-9 Don of the CCSO’s K-9 Unit swept the cadaver category at the USPCA’s National Detector Dog Trials. The team’s extraordinary prowess also led to another award: best overall. At the same competition, the teams of Lt. Harry McKinney and his drug-detecting K-9 partner Jessie and Deputy Sheriff Brian Bolt and K-9 Yukon, his explosives-detection partner, also received trophies.
Welsh acknowledged that handing over the Sheriff’s Office to her successor will be bittersweet. “I hope that he or she will share both my pride and my passion for this wonderful job,” she said. “I also hope they will recognize what an honor it is to work with these extraordinary men and women who serve the courts and the citizens with professionalism and dignity.”
• Candlelight Christmas is this Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Chadds Ford Historical Society, from 1-6 p.m. This event highlights the society’s historic buildings, decorated with symbols of the season. Visit our three 18th century houses along with our visitor center, adorned with symbols of the season. Admission is $15 per person or $10 CFHS members. Tickets are available online or at the visitor center.
• The public is invited to a holiday authors’ event on Sunday, Dec. 2, from 2-4 p.m. showcasing the works of eight local authors, including Gene Pisasale and Bruce Mowday. Guests will have a chance to chat with each author and view their many books available for purchase. Family-friendly; all ages welcome. Light refreshments will be served. The event benefits and is being held at the Kennett Area Senior Center, 427 South Walnut Street in Kennett Square. For more information, contact the Senior Center at 610-444-4819 or the Kennett Resale Book Shoppe sponsoring the event at 610-444-6069.”
• Santa will be making his rounds courtesy of Longwood Fire Co. later this month. Santa will be in Kennett Township on Dec. 15, Pocopson Township on Dec. 16, Pennsbury Township on Dec. 22 and in East Marlborough Township on Dec. 23. All trips will begin at 8:30 a.m. on those dates. Santa will be handing out candy canes, according to Fire Chief A.J. McCarthy.
• The Marlborough Friends Meeting will hold a Christmas Carol Sing at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 23 at the meeting located at 361 Marlborough Road in Kennett Square. Harp and guitar music blend easily into centuries-old woodwork. Candlelight creates an authentic holiday atmosphere as children shake sleigh bells and sing Rudolph’s story.
'A Longwood Christmas' lights the sky through January 6
Welcome back from wherever Thanksgiving took you for the last week. For me, I ventured to Charleston, South Carolina to visit family and enjoy the temperate weather, brightly colored colonial buildings, and the smell of salty sea air. It was a lovely respite, but I welcome the return to the Brandywine Valley and our beautiful holiday traditions. Perhaps you’ll be entertaining out of towners in the next few weeks and looking for art inspired activities to fill your schedule. I have a few suggestions for you…
Top is the list is Longwood Gardens. This unique tradition has put me in the holiday mood since early childhood, although it only gets better with age and with Longwood’s innovations! You’ll recognize the light display from Route 1 as you exit for the festivities. Trees, expertly decorated with twinkling lights, usher you in as a siren song to what awaits you past the entrance.
In addition to the expansive outdoor light exhibitions, Longwood also provides rustic outdoor bonfires where you can pause to warm up along your walk. Christmas shows, wandering carolers, and organ concerts number among the festive events that make Longwood such a magical destination for holiday visitors. Of course, once you enter the conservatory (and let’s be honest, I’m here more quickly than I’d like to admit as I can’t stand the cold), you’ll be embraced with the red, green and gold colors of the season. Take off your gloves and scarves and enjoy the floral masterpieces. You will want to get your tickets in advance as space fills up quickly during the Holiday season which runs through January 6th.
Next, check out the Brandywine Art Museum for some new exhibitions. First exhibition, Brandywine Christmas, showcases the region’s greatest model train railroad. This display is fun for all ages, and includes several decorated Christmas trees as well.
Brandywine is also featuring Winslow Homer: Photography and the Art of Painting. This exhibition delves into the use of photography as inspiration and guidance for Winslow Homer’s photo-realistic paintings. The second and final stop on its’ tour, this exhibition arrives here from Bowdoin College Museum of Art. Homer would often recreate the photograph in different media as a painting or as a print. There’s a saying that you don’t really know something until you paint it, and as an artist myself, I believe there is truth to that saying. Check out this exhibition while it’s on display through February 17th.
Next, take a Saturday to enjoy the festivities in Malvern as Gallery 222 hosts “Dueling Paint Brushes: A One Day Indoor Plein Air Event” to coincide with the Holiday events on King Street. Local artists will participate in three rounds of timed painting with a different subject matter featured in each gallery. Local artists include: Elise Phillips, Randall Graham, Monique Sarkessian, Jan Wier, Denise Sedor, Sarah Baptist, Nancy Bea Miller, Jeremy McGirl, David Ohlerking & Kristi Gilfillan. Timed painting sessions start at: Noon, 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. with a reception from 6 – 8pm. Gallery 222 will also be featuring a Small Works Show until Christmas Eve featuring work for sale from $8 – $500. Pick up some unique gifts of those arts appreciators in your circle.
If you are in West Chester, stop by Art Trust for a similarly themed exhibition, “Gifted,” which fill feature affordable art between $25 – $500 for sale through January 11th. Stop by for some First Friday shopping on December 7th from 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Happy Holidays from Mixed Media! May your season be merry and filled with art. Until next time!
