April 23, 2023 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Laureen Vatty of Chadds Ford

Laureen (Pleshinger) Vatty of Chadds Ford, died Thursday, April 13, in the loving arms of her husband, at the age of 71. She is preceded in death by her parents Irene (Boross) Pleshinger; and Joseph Pleshinger. She is survived by her husband of 49 years Roger Vatty; daughter Stephanie (Vatty) Hubbard, son-in-law Chad Hubbard and grandson Tristan Hubbard. She leaves behind her loving sister Linda (Pleshinger) Sommer and her husband Bob Sommer, along with many close family and friends.

Laureen was born in November of 1951 in Cleveland Ohio. She had a wonderful childhood filled with a large close-knit family and a group of lifelong friends. She attended Saint Francis of Assisi and was a parishioner until she moved to Pennsylvania in 2018. She went to Notre Dame Academy High School and was an active member in her graduating class, helping to organize reunions. She enjoyed school and had a thirst for knowledge. She attended Ursuline College and majored in English. Laureen enjoyed games and was a wealth of knowledge regarding trivia.

She discovered her career in the insurance industry. Laureen worked for various agencies but spent the majority of her profession with Progressive Insurance where she gained amazing friends and colleagues. Those whom were lucky enough to have met her, remember her fondly.
With her husband by her side, she lived a life full of adventure. Laureen and Roger spent two years living abroad in Germany in their younger years. They experienced everything Europe had to offer. They traveled, explored and were able to include friends and family in their journeys.

Laureen was very proud of her daughter. Stephanie is a pediatric nurse and was a travel nurse for some time. Laureen and Roger visited many locations that Stephanie worked. They were able to explore and enjoy places across the country. Stephanie settled down in Wilmington, DE, where she met her husband, Chad Hubbard. They welcomed their son Tristan Roger Hubbard in 2017. He was the apple of Laureen’s eye. Laureen and Roger moved to PA to be closer to her family. Laureen spent her last years spoiling her grandson rotten and watching him grow. She will continue to watch over him as he grows into an amazing, young man, and he will always know the love that his Gigi had for him. Laureen’s memory will live on through all those that were lucky enough to have known her. You will be forever missed.

A celebration of life will take place in the fall. If you would like to be included, please reach out to Stephanie (Vatty) Hubbard for details (email:beachbunny101@hotmail.com). Laureen will be interred at Knollwood Cemetery.

For online condolences, please visit Chandlerfuneralhome.com.

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Edward Andrew Caldwell of West Grove

Obituaries

Edward Andrew Caldwell, 93, of West Grove, Pennsylvania, died Tuesday, April 18, at Jenner’s Pond Retirement Community in West Grove. He was the spouse of the late, Lola Mankin Caldwell, with whom he shared 71 years of marriage. Born in Oklahoma City, OK he was the son of the late, Frank Norman Caldwell and Gertrude Shewbart Caldwell.

Edward spent his early days in Wilburton, Okla., and graduated from Wilburton High School, class of 1947. Upon his graduation, the family moved to California where he eventually obtained a job at Libby McNeil and Libby driving a forklift at their Sunnyvale food processing plant. He was drafted into the Army in 1952 to serve during the Korean Conflict and obtained the rank of SGT. Upon completion of his military obligations, Edward returned to his work at Libby’s and was eventually promoted to the position of Industrial Engineer responsible for the quality control of canned and frozen foods.

Over the years, Edward’s employment sent the family from California to Washington State, Illinois, and New York. Eventually, he and Lola retired to Brevard, N.C. and after 20 years living in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, they relocated to West Grove, and closer to family.

When the couple encountered health issues, Edward moved to individual living at Jenner’s Pond and then on to care at the Preston Building. While living at Jenner’s, Ed volunteered as an original member of the Employee Scholarship Committee and most recently, he served as President of the Preston Building Residents Council.

Edward is survived by his daughter Kathryn Marie Schumacher (Greg) and Gaila Ciccarone (Carlo.) He is also survived by his 5 grandchildren, Eric Schumacher (Yvette), Sara Field (Damon), Giancarlo Ciccarone (Lauren), Michael Ciccarone (Christine), Melina Van Brunt (Chad); and his 11 great-grandchildren, Ella Field, Ethan Schumacher, Quinn Field, Ezra Schumacher, Levi Van Brunt, Lincoln Field, Matteo Ciccarone, Samuel Van Brunt, Giuliana Ciccarone, Callie Ciccarone, and Gabriella Ciccarone. In addition to his parents and his wife, he was predeceased by his sister, Nadine Patterson and his brother, Edwin Arthur “Red” Caldwell.

Services and interment will be held privately.

Remembrances in Edward Caldwell’s memory may be made to Willow Tree Hospice of Kennett Square or the Simpson Co-Worker Support Fund. https://simpsonsenior.org/foundation/simpson-co-worker-support-fund/

Arrangements are by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. of Kennett Square (484-734-8100) To view his online obituary, please visit www.griecofunerals.com .

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Ian Paul McLean of Chadds Ford

Obituaries

Ian Lawrence Paul Wallace McLean, 73, of Chadds Ford, died at his home in Chadds Ford on Monday, April 17. He was a loving husband and father of four. Ian was born in Lanark Scotland, and spent time as a child in Ireland finally settling in Middlesbrough, England where he attended Teesside Polytechnic, earning a B.Sc. Honours in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computing. His studies took him to the Royal Greenwich Observatory located in Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex, where he met his future bride of 51 years, Kathryn.

Never one to shy away from hard work, Ian’s long and varied career had humble beginnings. Starting on the digging crew of Dickers where he stood out as the only team member who could definitively state why a triangle couldn’t have four sides, to a precious metals trader for the Bank of England, Ian embraced every opportunity he was given. One such opportunity was to work for the American company Engelhard, founded by Charlie Engelhard, reputedly the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s Gold Finger character Auric Goldfinger. This led to Ian and his family immigrating to the United States in 1987. During his years at Engelhard, Ian ran the worldwide trading operations of the company and was a COMEX board member. With the Iron Curtain firmly in place, he traveled the world for business to locations such as Siberia, Moscow, South Africa, Peru, Colombia, Japan, and China. In 1999, Ian’s career took another turn, and he ran Power Team for PECO which ultimately became Exelon where he rose to the position of EVP of Markets, Finance, and M&A. Although Ian ascended to the top of corporate America, his true joy was helping and mentoring those around him.

Ian had a passion for golf, spending many many many happy hours at Roxiticus Golf Club and Fieldstone Golf Club. In the years following his original Pancreatic Cancer diagnosis, Ian attained a lifelong dream of playing at Augusta National. When not playing golf or working on various charitable and advisory boards, Ian was happiest in the company of his grandchildren. He is survived by his wife Kathryn, their four children, Robert, David, Nicola and Stewart, three sisters, Sheila, Allison and Marie and five grandchildren, Emma, Anne, Andrew, Ian, and Lucy. In lieu of giving flowers, the family asks that those who are able instead to donate to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. A celebration of Ian’s life will be held at Fieldstone Golf Club 1 p.m. Monday, May 8.

Arrangements are by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. of Kennett Square (484-734-8100) To view Ian’s online obituary, please visit www.griecofunerals.com .

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Conservancy launches climate initiative

Along the Ford

unnamed — Conservancy launches climate initiative

In advance of Earth Day this year, the Brandywine Conservancy is launching a new Climate Resiliency Initiative to help local municipalities and landowners proactively address climate change in their communities. Built on over 56 years of experience, this Initiative formalizes the organization’s ongoing internal and external efforts to improve environmental sustainability and brings cross-departmental expertise—through technical assistance, funding, education, planning and project implementation—directly to its constituents to help combat climate issues.

With the Climate Resiliency Initiative, the conservancy is targeting two types of actions: climate mitigation (direct, tangible efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions) and climate adaptation (planning for resilience against the impacts of climate change). To collaborate with landowners and municipal partners, conservancy staff have developed a suite of services to improve land management and strategic planning options at various levels—from addressing individual properties to a full landscape approach—as well as a variety of municipal planning tools to assist with climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. Recently, the conservancy acted as the lead planning consultant to update the Comprehensive Plans for Malvern Borough and Highland Township in Chester County, PA. These updates included Community Climate Profiles for both the Borough and Township, as well as climate resiliency goals to help prepare these urban and rural communities for future increases in extreme weather events.

“Malvern Borough recognizes the challenges that our changing climate places on our operations, environment and infrastructure. With the assistance of the Brandywine Conservancy, we have been proactive in incorporating climate resiliency-related actions into our most recent Comprehensive Plan,” said Amy Finkbiner, resident of Malvern Borough Council. “In a climate that has seen more frequent and intense storms, as well as prolonged periods of excessive heat, the Borough has adopted a variety of recommendations focused on a better understanding of areas of vulnerability. By utilizing the benefits derived from the protection and stewardship of natural resources, and the installation of green stormwater infrastructure, we can both mitigate and adapt to climate change now and into the future. We’re thankful for the expert guidance the Conservancy has provided in this endeavor.

“While Malvern Borough and Highland Township may appear to be opposites in many ways, they were both resolute in their desire to position their municipalities for a resilient future by embracing both traditional and proven-innovative strategies,” said Grant DeCosta, Director of Community Services for the Brandywine Conservancy. Since the Conservancy’s founding in 1967, the organization has protected and conserved the land, water, natural and cultural resources of southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware through a multi-disciplinary approach. To date, the Conservancy has permanently protected over 70,000 acres of land from development, while also helping communities plan for the conservation and management of the region’s natural resources. “These successes have made the Conservancy a trusted partner with state and local governments, foundations, farmers, industry peers and individual property owners, which enables the organization to better collaborate on timely climate actions,” added DeCosta. “The Climate Resiliency Initiative aligns with the Conservancy’s core vision and mission, and it will be instrumental in helping our communities address concerns with flood mitigation, changes in flora and fauna, stormwater management, extreme heat and renewable energy.”

Brandywine’s internal commitment to reducing its climate impact involves both ongoing and new efforts, including its long-term reliance on native plants to create biodiverse habitats and increased stormwater infiltration throughout its campus gardens and preserves, to the organization’s wind power purchase agreement which now provides wind power to all of the Brandywine’s buildings on its campus in Chadds Ford.

More information on the Brandywine Conservancy’s new Climate Resiliency Initiative and how to get involved can be found at www.brandywine.org/climate.

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