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.
Friends of Cornelia D. “Bunny” Rorrer, 84, of Hartly, may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 30, in the Pippin Funeral Home, 119 W. Camden-Wyoming Ave., Wyoming. Mrs. Rorrer died Saturday, May 26, 2007, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Mrs. Rorrer was born Feb. 15, 1923, in Wythe County, Va., one of five children and the last surviving to the late and Harvey B. and Bessie Ruth Shelton Sharpe.
She worked for the Sears and Roebuck Co., Dover, in the credit department and retired in the early 1980s. After her retirement, she filled her life as a homemaker and caregiver.
Her many activities included bingo, crocheting, quilting, and needlepoint; she also was an avid reader.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Harry G. Rorrer Jr. in February 1974; and three brothers, Lloyd Sharpe, Howard Sharpe and Richard Sharpe.
Mrs. Rorrer is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Sharon and Bill Brown of Hartly; two granddaughters, Rhonda Ringer and her husband, Ron of Hartly and Sherri Brown of Alexandria, Va.; a great-granddaughter, Jessica Ringer of Hartly and a great-grandson Eric Ringer of Hartly.
She also is survived by a sister-in-law, Aline Sharpe of Wytheville, Va.; a niece, Priscilla McConnell of Felton; two nephews, Rick Sharpe and John Sharpe, both of Wyoming; a niece, Debbie Brown of Harrington; and an extended family of nieces, nephews and cousins in Virginia, North Carolina and Louisiana.
Instead of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to a charity of choice.
Fred L Sipple Sr.
Remembrance services for Fred L. Sipple Sr., 80, of Leipsic, were held Saturday, May 26, in Trader Funeral Home in Dover. Mr. Sipple died Monday, May 21, 2007, at his home, with his family by his side.
Mr. Sipple was born Jan. 30, 1927, in Wyoming, son of the late W. Odie and Cynthia Sapp Sipple.
He was a life member of Leipsic Volunteer Fire Co., and a life member and past president of the Kent County Fire Police Association. He was inducted into Delaware’s Fire Fighters Hall of Fame in 1982.
Mr. Sipple was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and served in Japan. He worked at Dover Air Force Base in civil service and retired in 1984.
Mr. Sipple loved to fox hunt with his dogs. He also enjoyed country music.
His greatest love was baseball, playing the game and then coaching his sons and grandsons. A lifelong Democrat, he helped many state and local candidates into office. He was a member of the Centeral Delaware Democrat Club.
He was preceded in death by a son, Fred L. Sipple Jr.; his brothers, Maurice and his wife Sarah, Alonza, Charles and Edward; and a sister, Elizabeth Carey.
Mr. Sipple is survived by his wife of 58 years, Janet R. Sipple of Leipsic; a son, Dale H. Sipple of Lewes; a daughter and son-in-law, Cindy Sinclair of Dover, and Robin and Teddy Kimble of Sudlersville, Md.; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Pear and Harry Leslie of Hartly, and Violet Dooley of France; her grandchildren, Sabrina Kimble, William Sipple, Cody Baker and Cameron Kimble; a special niece, Donna Sipple; and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions in Mr. Sipple’s name may be given to Delaware Hospice, 911 S. DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901; and/or Leipsic Volunteer Fire Co., Leipsic, DE 19901.
Theodore A. Szabo
Theodore A. Szabo, 80, of Hartly, died Thursday, May 24, 2007, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Mr. Szabo was born in Bethlehem, Pa., son of the late Joseph and Bertha Munzec Szabo.
He was a United States Navy veteran of World War II.
Mr. Szabo spent most of his life working with the Department of Correction for the state of Virginia in Beaumont, Va., retiring in 1989. He had moved from Beaumont to Hartly in 1989.
He was an avid computer person who especially enjoyed those quiet moments spent at home.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Joseph Szabo.
Mr. Szabo is survived by his wife of 60 years, Susan K. Szabo of Hartly.
Arrangements were by Michael J. Ambruso Funeral Director Inc., Dover.
Ray Walls Jr.
Funeral services for Ray Walls Jr., 56, of Felton, were held Saturday, May 26, in Melvin Funeral Home, Harrington. Mr. Walls died Tuesday, May 22, 2007, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
He served his country proudly in the U.S. Marines.
Mr. Walls worked for Rand Whitney as a forklift operator for more than 15 years.
When he was not working, he enjoyed collecting “junk.” Everyone else’s junk was his treasure. He fixed or restored many of his findings and resold them.
Mr. Walls was an excellent mechanic and enjoyed working on older muscle cars.
He enjoyed raising game chickens, pigeons and ducks.
Mr. Walls was a big sports fan, and his favorite team was the Philadelphia Eagles. Whenever their game was on television, family and friends knew to never disturb him because he would either kick you out or hang up the phone on you.
He also enjoyed surf fishing, all kinds of hunting and watching NASCAR.
Mr. Walls will be remembered as a loving and caring husband, father and grandfather. He was known to be an agitator, but he did it in fun. His grandchildren were the love of his life, and he enjoyed spending time with them tremendously.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ray Sr. and Grace Walls.
He is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Diane Walls of Felton; his sons and daughters-in-law, Cary Ray and Tracy Walls of Felton, and Michael S. and Bonnie Walls of Felton; his daughters and sons-in-law, Deborha and Rob McGee of Russellville, Ky., Cheryl Walls and her boyfriend Bucky of Felton, and Denise Marie Walls and her boyfriend Dell of Felton; her sisters and brothers-in-law, Beverley and Jeff Trauernicht of Oak Creek, Wisc., and Shirley and Ronnie Walters of Felton; and 14 grandchildren.
Funeral services for Lisa Withrow, 65, of Frederica, were held Tuesday, May 29, in the Torbert Funeral Chapel South, Dover. Mrs. Withrow died Thursday, May 24, 2007, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Mrs. Withrow was born Pham Thi Be, Jan. 15, 1942, in Bien Hoa village, Gia Dinh, in what then was French Indochina, now Vietnam.
She had worked at Playtex in Dover for the past 11 years, and her co-workers were like a second family to her.
She was a caring woman who was known for her compassion for others, putting their needs before hers. She was also known for her delicious egg rolls and beautiful orchids. She had more than 50 different orchids that received her tender loving care.
Mrs. Withrow enjoyed playing with her grandchildren, going to the slots, collecting figurines and keeping her Vietnamese heritage alive.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Nguyen Thi Hau; and father, Pham Van Bup.
Mrs. Withrow is survived by her husband and soulmate of 35 years, James Withrow; a daughter, Victoria Hudson of Milford; a son, Michael Withrow of Dover; and four grandchildren, Melina Hudson and Nikolas Hudson, Kaylie Withrow and Noelle Withrow.
She also is survived by seven sisters, Nhan Pham of Santa Clara, Calif., Sang Pham of Vietnam, Cam Pham of Vietnam, Dung Pham Legro of Herndon, Va. Dien Benedict and Yen Pham, both of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Cuc Pham of Vietnam; two brothers, Tuong Pham of San Diego, Calif. and The Pham of Lancaster, Pa.; and her beloved family cat, Buzz.
Memorial contributions in Mrs. Withrow’s name may be made to the American Cancer Society, 92 Reads Way, Suite 205, New Castle, DE 19720; or The Shepherds Place, 1362 S. Governors Ave., P.O. Box 1969, Dover, DE 19903.
Latashia Maria Young
Funeral services for Latashia Maria Young, 35, of Dover, were held Saturday, May 26, at the Liberty Church, Dover. Mrs. Young died after a courageous battle with breast cancer Friday, May 18, 2007, at Christiana Care Hospital, Newark.
Mrs. Young was born Sept. 6, 1971, in Milford, daughter of Jessie Young.
She attended Milford Public School and Holy Cross, and graduated from Broadmeadow High School in Middletown. She furthered her education at Wesley College, Delaware Technical & Community College and Wilmington College, and received a master’s degree in social work from Delaware State University.
Mrs. Young was employed as a family specialist for the ECAP Program and as a social worker for the State of Delaware.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Justice and Flossie Young.
Mrs. Young is survived by her daughter, Tiffany Nicole Young; her mother and father, Jessie and George Pinkney and George Reynolds, all of Dover; three aunts and an uncle, Lolita and Mervin Belfast and Mable Young of Milford, and Cordilia Young of New Castle; a great-aunt, Ida Wilkinson and great-uncle, Franklin Brisco, both of Philadelphia; and a host of cousins, other relatives, friends and extended family, including the Rev. Elmer and Peggy Bratten and the Rev. James and Norma Holt.
Arrangements were by Bennie Smith Funeral Home, Dover.
Memorial contributions in Mrs. Young’s name may be made to Calvary Christian Academy, 1143 E. Lebanon Road, Dover, DE 19901, in support of the “Tiffany Young Educational Fund.”
Rafael H. ‘Chito’ Zaragoza, M.D.
Rafael H. “Chito” Zaragoza, M.D., 52, of Hayward, Calif., died Saturday, May 19, 2007, at the Washington Hospital, Fremont, Calif., where he had been admitted following a sudden cerebral hemorrhage.
Dr. Zaragoza was the son of Dr. Rafael A. Zaragoza of Dover and Alice Hufana Sison of Newark, Calif., and the stepson of Mrs. B. Claire Zaragoza of Dover.
Dr. Zaragoza attended Indiana University for his undergraduate and pre-med studies. He attended the Universidad Mundial Dominica College of Medicine, where he obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree. He did his clinical rotation at Saint Francis Hospital in Wilmington, with a six-week rotation at Kent General Hospital.
After completing his training in pain management at the San Francisco General, he opened a practice and was the medical director of the South Shore Pain Clinic in Santa Clara, Calif. After 12 years of private practice, he went into medical research and at the time of his passing was with a pharmaceutical company doing clinical trials and testing.
In addition to his parents and stepmother, Dr. Zaragoza is survived by his wife, Lois Casey Zaragoza; two brothers and their wives, Dr. Michael and Sandra Zaragoza of Dover; and Dr. (Lt. Cmdr.) Robert A. Zaragoza of the United States Navy, currently deployed in Afghanistan and Barbara Zaragoza of San Diego; two sisters, Dr. Sandra Zaragoza, DDS, a pediatric dentist practicing in Boston and her partner Mauve Omahra; and Nancy Zaragoza and her husband, Steve Fogg, both lawyers practicing in Seattle; and nine nephews and nieces.
Funeral services were held at the Chapel of Chimes in Mission Boulevard, Hayward.
