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.
Martha Wallace Miller, 88, of Dover, died Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007, at her home with her family present.
Born in Akron, Ohio, she was the daughter of the late Lloyd S. Wallace and Helen Forrest Wallace.
Mrs. Miller graduated from the University of Akron, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority.
She moved to Dover in 1941 and spent most of her adult life as a dedicated wife and mother.
A caring and giving person, Mrs. Miller was a key figure in the founding of the first kindergarten in Dover.
She also was a founding member of the League of Women Voters, Delaware Chapter.
Active in community affairs, Mrs. Miller had been a longtime member of the Dover Century Club, the Kent General Hospital Junior Board and Friends of the Dover Library.
In her quieter moments, she enjoyed travel and gardening.
Mrs. Miller will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her as her community involvement truly impacted the quality of life for all in the Dover area.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Donald Wallace; and a sister, Janet Wallace Chell.
Mrs. Miller is survived by her husband of 66 years, Wilbur Ash Miller of Dover; and two sons, David L. Miller of Dover and Lewis C. Miller of Kenosha, Wis.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Delaware Hospice, 911 S. DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901.
Arrangements were by Michael J. Ambruso Funeral Director Inc., Dover.
Technical Sgt. Howard Earl Moore, USAF (Ret.)
Remembrance services for Howard Earl Moore, 83, of Dover, will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8, in Trader Funeral Home, 12 Lotus St., Dover, where friends may call from 11:30 a.m. until the time of service. Mr. Moore died Tuesday, July 31, 2007, in the Delaware Home for the Chronically Ill, Smyrna.
Mr. Moore was born March 10, 1924, in Woodside, son of the late Henry and Lottie Moore Woikoski.
He was a member of Union Lodge No. 7 Dover, VFW Post No. 8801 Clayton, and the Dover Modern Maturity Center.
Mr. Moore was a veteran of the United States Air Force, beginning more than 21 years of service in 1942. He served at many duty stations throughout the world and had logged more than one million miles as a flight engineer on the C-124 Globemaster II.
He retired from the Air Force in 1963 as a technical sergeant, then worked at Atlantic Aviation in New Castle until 1986.
Mr. Moore did volunteer work at the Dover Modern Maturity Center and was the first Mr. Maturity there. He enjoyed dancing and country-western music.
He was preceded in death by his son, Timothy M. Moore.
Mr. Moore is survived by his wife of 60 years, Barbara Manlove Moore of Dover; a son and daughter-in-law, Howard G. and Katherin Moore of Woodland Beach; a daughter, Phyllis DeGraw of Union, Ore.; a daughter and son-in-law, Carol A. and John Skadsberg of Dover; six grandchildren, Tabitha Masten, Tommy Mills Jr., Elizabeth Kennedy, Amber Kopp, Matthew Clendaniel and Katie Moore; and five great-grandchildren.
Interment will be in Sharon Hills Memorial Park, west of Dover.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Delaware Chapter 2306, Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington, DE 19805.
Technical Sgt. Robert E.J. Schwarz, USAF (Ret.)
A Mass of Christian Burial for Robert E.J. Schwarz, 71, of Dover, will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, at the Church of the Holy Cross, 631 S. State St., Dover. Friends may call on the family at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, at the Funeral Home of Michael J. Ambruso, 1175 S. State St., Dover. Mr. Schwarz died Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Mr. Schwarz was born in Yukon, Pa., son of Grace M. Slivensky Schwarz, now of Dover, and the late Karl Schwarz.
He was a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where he had served as an aircraft navigation repair technician, retiring in 1974.
After his retirement, Mr. Schwarz managed the Capital Furniture Co., which he later owned and operated from 1976 through 1986.
He was a dedicated husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, who enjoyed time with his family and friends.
In addition to his mother, Mr. Schwarz is survived by his wife of 49 years, Sharon Hearty Schwarz of Dover; and four daughters and their husbands, Michele and Steve Cunningham of Fort Myers, Fla., Marne and Paul Kozel of Dover, Robin and Mark Moore of Felton, and Julie and Chris Kelley of Dover.
He also is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Dennis and Betty Schwarz of Highland Lakes, N.J.; six grandchildren, Nicole Cunningham and Ryan Cunningham of Fort Myers, Tyler Moore and Taylor Moore of Felton, Ashley Kelley and Amanda Kelley of Dover; and a great-grandson, Brayden Cunningham of Fort Myers.
Graveside services for Dora Louise Spella, 71, of Cheswold, were held Monday, Aug. 6, in Sharon Hills Memorial Park, west of Dover. Mrs. Spella died Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Mrs. Spella was born Oct. 8, 1935, in Oklahoma, daughter of the late Amos and Aves Howard Payne.
She was a homemaker who enjoyed cooking, reading and crocheting and who loved animals, especially her pets.
In addition to her parents, Mrs. Spella was preceded in death by a daughter, Doreen Seamon; four brothers, Larry, Gordy, Amos Eugene and Robert; and four sisters, Stella, Mary Anne, Rose and Brenda.
She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Paul J. Spella; and seven children, Fred Ayoub of Cheswold, John Amos Ayoub of Dagsboro, Mary Rose Harris of Sumter, S.C., Paula Lowman of Woodside, Ruby Ann Murphy of Hartly, Carleen Lee Curlett of Arizona and Charleen Marie Reynolds of Cheswold.
Mrs. Spella also is survived by five brothers, Jimmy Payne of Georgia, Gary, Floyd, Lloyd and Carl, all of Texas; and eight sisters, Clara Head of Georgia, Alice of Arizona, Ruth of California and Shirley, Carlene, Rosie, Linda and Pearl, all of Texas; her stepmother, Lena Sanchez of Texas; 23 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; and an extended family of nieces, nephews and friends.
Arrangements were by Pippin Funeral Home, Wyoming.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, 5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 250, Dallas, TX 75244.
Dr. Frank Bancroft Thomas
Funeral services for Frank Bancroft Thomas, 85, of Kenly, N.C., formerly of Dover, were held Thursday, Aug. 2, in the Kenly United Methodist Church, Kenly. Dr. Thomas died Tuesday, July 31, 2007.
Dr. Thomas was born June 14, 1922, on the Evergreen Farms, near Camden, son of the late Alfred Bailey Thomas and Helen B. Thomas.
At the age of 14, he served as a congressional page in the United States Senate in 1937 and 1938 for Sen. Harry S. Truman and Delaware Sen. John Hurd Hughes.
Dr. Thomas enrolled at the University of Delaware after his 1940 graduation from Caesar Rodney High School, studying for two years until he entered Officer’s Training School and served as a captain in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He served with the sea rescue service in the Gulf of Mexico.
He returned to the University of Delaware following World War II, graduating in 1948. The then received a master’s degree in horticulture and a doctorate in horticulture, both from the Pennsylvania State University. He completed post-doctoral studies at MIT.
Dr. Thomas started his career as an instructor at Penn State and moved to North Carolina in 1958. He eventually was elected professor emeritus from North Carolina State University. Throughout his long career in food science, he received many honors and accolades and helped promote the North Carolina seafood industry to international acclaim.
Dr. Thomas was very proud of his farming background and of the time he spent on the farm that had been in his family since his great-great-grandparents’ time. He also loved to spend time at their summer home in Kitts Hummock.
He was a third-generation Granger and became a national Grange member in 1951. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather all had served as Master of the Grange.
The family attended the First Baptist Church in Dover.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Charles F. Thomas, in 1975.
Dr. Thomas is survived by his wife, Rachel, and two brothers, Alfred B. Thomas Jr. and Samuel G. Thomas; two stepchildren, David Hanes and Buffa Hanes; and a number of nieces, nephews and their children.
Memorial donations may be made to the Frank Bancroft and Rachel Kirby Thomas Food Service and Family and Consumer Science Scholarship, College of Agriculture and Foundation Office, NCSU, Box 7645, Raleigh, NC 27695-7645.
David John Warrington
Funeral services for David John Warrington, 50, of Felton, will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, at the Trader Funeral Home, 12 Lotus St., Dover. Mr. Warrington died Saturday, July 28, at the Bayhealth-Milford Memorial Hospital, Milford.
Mr. Warrington was born Feb. 14, 1957, in Milford.
He was a graduate of Lake Forest High School, and an eight-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
Mr. Warrington is survived by two daughters, Heather Gatti of Felton and Kathy Denn of Milton; three grandchildren, Samantha Warrington, R.J. Gatti and Haily Denn; his foster parents, Richard and Esther Pepper of Felton; a brother, William Martin Warrington of Dover; a sister, Nada Kimball of Magnolia; a foster brother, Monty Pepper of Smyrna; and two foster sisters, Marie Kemp of Dover and Donna Ansbach of Felton.
Interment will be at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Millsboro.
Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Phil Whitlock
Phil Whitlock, 52, of Dover died Saturday, July 28, 2007, in Christiana Care-Christiana Hospital, Newark.
Mr. Whitlock spent many years working for the Coca-Cola Co., Wilmington.
He was a resident of Little Creek and a member of the Little Creek Fire Company, where he was promoted to captain. Mr. Whitlock also held the certification of emergency medical technician.
He is survived by four brothers; two sisters; a daughter; and a host of nieces and nephews. He will be especially missed by his sister, Lillian Frey; and his niece, Paige Howell, who loved him dearly.
Services were private.
Arrangements were by Gebhardt Funeral Home, Wilmington.
Joseph C. Geiger
Funeral services for Joseph C. Geiger, 80, of Dover, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 3, in the Torbert Funeral Chapel, 61 S. Bradford St., Dover, where friends may call beginning one hour earlier. Mr. Geiger died Thursday, July 26, 2007, in his home.
Mr. Geiger was born Nov. 28, 1926, in Jamaica, N.Y., son of the late Joseph A. Geiger and Anna Kern Geiger.
He served as a member of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
Mr. Geiger owned and operated Geiger Extermination Co. for 25 years in Long Island, N.Y. He also worked for the Delaware Home for the Chronically Ill for 10 1/2 years.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Annie Chillias Geiger on Feb. 16, 2002; and his daughter, Joanne, on Dec. 31, 2001.
