Delaware Obituary Collection
(Obits and death notices from Various Funeral Homes in Delaware [with many Maryland obits that are associated with Delaware]).
Many obituaries from Dover and Rehoboth Beach.
Funeral services for Lydia L. Rhoades Blanchfield, 66, of Magnolia were held Friday, Oct. 15, in Daniels and Hutchinson Funeral Home, Middletown. Mrs. Blanchfield died Sunday, Oct. 10, 2004, in Bayhealth-Milford Memorial Hospital, surrounded by her loving family.
Mrs. Blanchfield was born June 18, 1938 in Port Penn, daughter of the late Dolly Rhoades.
She was a homemaker and a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She had previously worked at Harris Manufacturing in Smyrna.
In addition to her mother, Mrs. Blanchfield was preceded in death by her husband, Leroy A. Blanchfield Sr., in 2000.
She is survived by three daughters, Brenda Stelljes of Felton, Dolly Ann Castillo of Dover and Deborah Boisey of Harrington; a son, Leroy A. Blanchfield Jr. of Felton; a grandson, whom she raised and referred to as her son, Joey Castillo; eight additional grandchildren; three great-granddaughters; three sisters, Henrietta Arnold of New Castle, Marie Bolt of North East, Md., and Louise McCabe of Ocean City, Md.; and two brothers, Albert Rhoades of Marydel and Ronnie Rhoades of Dover.
Funeral services for Mary Elizabeth Farrall, 88, of Dover were held Friday, Oct. 15, in Berry-Short Funeral Home, Felton. Mrs. Farrall died of natural causes Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2004, in the Silver Lake Center, Dover, where she had lived for the past three years.
Mrs. Farrall was born Aug. 20, 1916, in Rockland, north of Wilmington, daughter of the late Charles B. and Margaret Diebert Jones.
She was a retired homemaker and a wonderful mother.
Mrs. Farrall had been a member of the Order of the Eastern Star in New Castle and of the Frazier’s Homemakers Club in Felton.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Norman Farrall, in August 1985.
She is survived by two daughters, Mary Lou Bass of Viola and Norma Jean Peterson of Phoenix; four sons, Kenneth John Farrall of Newark, James Farrall of Wyoming and Robert Farrall and Richard Farrall, both of Phoenix; and several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Margaret S. Gourley, 70, of Felton were held Tuesday, Oct. 19, in the Melvin Funeral Home, Harrington. Mrs. Gourley died Friday, Oct. 15, 2004, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Mrs. Gourley was born March 27, 1934, in Felton, daughter of the late Joshua and Grace Shahan.
She was a kind and loving mother and grandmother, sister and aunt. Her greatest joy was taking care of her family.
She never took things for granted. She considered a “Hi, how are you?” a little note or even a quick visit a real blessing. Her entire life was centered on her family and she loved playing board games, watching the soaps on TV, going camping and taking rides in the country.
Mrs. Gourley will be missed by her family and everyone that knew her.
In addition to her parents, she was proceeded in death by her husband, David E. Gourley; a son, Johnnie Gourley; a daughter, Wanda Gourley Fris; and two brothers, Vernon and George Shahan.
She is survived by two sons and a daughter-in-law, Dennis L. and Loretta Gourley of Dover and Kenneth Gourley of Milford; a daughter, Janet Shaw of Camden; four sisters and two brothers-in-law, Betty Blackburn of Wyoming, Charlotte Hurd and her husband Ralph of Milford, Evelyn S. Cole, Joyce S. Tribbett and her husband Norman, all of Felton; five grandchildren, Tracie, whom she raised, Yvonne, Jason, Katie, and Kenneth Jr.; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Burial was in Barratt’s Chapel Cemetery, Frederica.
Lawrence W. Montondo
Lawrence W. Montondo, 80, of Dover died Thursday, October 14, 2004, in Christiana Hospital, Newark.
Mr. Montondo was born Oct. 29, 1923, in Watertown, N.Y., to the late Lawrence E. and Alice Cameron Montondo.
A veteran of the U.S. Army, he served in the Philippines during World War II.
He retired in 1988 after 45 years as a plant manager for Pine Cleaners Dry Cleaning in Watertown. He attended Holy Cross Catholic Church, Dover.
His wife Catherine preceded him in death in January 1999.
Mr. Montondo is survived by his son, Thomas E. Montondo of Syracuse, NY; his daughter, Nancy A. Roberts of Dover; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be private.
Arrangements by Torbert Funeral Chapels, Dover.
Esther Croasdale Myers
A memorial service for Esther Croasdale Myers, 93, formerly of Dover, will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, at “The Hickman,” 400 North Walnut St., West Chester, Pa. Mrs. Myers died Thursday, Oct. 7, 2004, in Media, Pa.
Mrs. Myers born in 1911 and graduated from Temple University. She did home bound teaching in Kent County for several years.
She was an active member of the American Association of University Women AAUW and Camden Friends Meeting, where she was the chairwoman of the First Day School for many years.
During part of the 1970s and early 80s she and her husband, Sutton Myers, lived at two different locations in the Philippines, where Mr. Myers worked as an engineer with the federal government. Upon his sudden death in December 1981, Mrs. Myers returned to live in Dover.
After her return, Mrs. Myers enjoyed traveling abroad to Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. In 1994 she became a resident of “The Hickman,” a Quaker retirement home in West Chester.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Myers was preceded in death by her son, Morton Myers, in December 1980, and five of her siblings.
She is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, David and Donna Myers of Clearwater, Fla.; a daughter-in-law, Martha Myers of Wyoming; six grandchildren; one great-grandchild; two sisters, Ruth Coppock of Media and Rachel Tennis of Brant Beach, N.J.; a brother, Frank Croasdale of Hilltown, Pa.; and many nieces and nephews.
Pauline D. Puckett
Remembrance services for Pauline D. Puckett, 70, of Hartly were held Monday, Oct. 18, in Trader Funeral Home, Dover. Mrs. Puckett died Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Mrs. Puckett was born June 30, 1934, in Weston, W.Va., the daughter of the late William Everett and Edna Sprouse Donaldson.
She loved to cook and can vegetables. She also was an avid reader and loved to work on crossword and jigsaw puzzles. Mrs. Puckett was a fan of both NASCAR and county music. She will be best remembered for spoiling her granddaughter.
She moved to Dover in 1955 and worked at Bolan Motors Ford dealership in Dover, where she met her loving husband. She retired from the Dover Coca-Cola plant in 1993.
Mrs. Puckett was a member of the Hartly United Methodist Church.
She is survived by her husband of 46 years, Dudley; two daughters and their husbands, Kimberly and Bill Brockenbrough of Clayton, and Kay and Tom Schultz of Dover; a brother and sister-in-law, Eugene and Gerry Donaldson of Weston, W.Va.; and the light of her life, her granddaughter, Emily Schultz.
Burial was in Sharon Hill Memorial Park, Dover.
Sheila Gaye Robison
Funeral services for Sheila Gaye Robison, 58, of Dover, formerly of Seaford, will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in the Framptom Funeral Home P.A., 216 N. Main St., Federalsburg, Md., where friends may call from 7 until 9 p.m. the night before. Mrs. Robison died Sunday, Oct. 17, 2004, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Mrs. Robison was born Dec. 29, 1945, in Maryland, daughter of the late John Otis and Blanche J. Wharton Dawson.
She was a graduate of Colonel Richardson High School in Federalsburg, Md., class of 1963.
In the late 1960s, Mrs. Robison worked at the E.I. DuPont plant in Seaford as well as for several area businesses in Seaford.
She enjoyed riding motorcycles with her husband, traveling to many areas of the country and vacationing in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Lancaster, Pa.
Mrs. Robison was a former member of Nanticoke REACT, an emergency Citizens Band radio club, and was a past member of the motorcyclists’ Goldwing Road Riders Association.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a brother, David Dawson; and her father-in-law, Ollie Robison.
She is survived by Robert Charles Robison, her husband of 39 years, whom she married March 5, 1965; a son and a daughter-in-law, Scott and Michele Robison of Seaford; a granddaughter, Chelsea Lynn Robison; three sisters and two brothers-in-law, Virginia Bessette of Dover, Anita and Harlan Davis of Preston, Md., and Robin and Jim Good of Cambridge, Md.; her mother-in-law, Dot Robison of Denton, Md.; a brother-in-law and his wife, Richard and Julia Robison of Greensboro, Md.; a sister-in-law and her husband, Dotty and Earl Hemenway of Denton; and several nieces and nephews.
Burial will be in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Seaford.
Janet L. Vetter
Funeral services for Janet L. Vetter, 58, of Dover were held Saturday, Oct. 16, in Wesley United Methodist Church, Dover. Mrs. Vetter died Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2004, in Christiana Hospital, Newark. Mrs. Vetter was born Nov. 24, 1945, in Reading, Pa., daughter of Helen Stump Rice, now of Mesquite, Texas, and the late Ralph Donato.
She was a graduate of Dover Air Force Base High School.
After high school, Mrs. Vetter worked for Diamond State Telephone Co. for several years as a switchboard operator and for the past 25 years as a data entry supervisor for the Delaware State Police.
Mrs. Vetter was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church in Dover, where she was a member of the Wesley Branches visiting the elderly in nursing homes in the area. She also was a mentor at North Dover Elementary School.
In addition to her mother, Mrs. Vetter is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Sabrina Vetter of Camden; a brother, Raymond Donato of Reading; a sister, Gloria Brooks of Holly Springs, N.C.; two half brothers, Gary Rice and Steve Rice both of Mesquite; and two grandsons, Ricky Vetter and Ryan Vetter.
Arrangements were by Torbert Funeral Chapels, Dover.
