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 Roger C. Barlow Jr., 61, of Dover, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 1, in Bennie Smith Funeral Home, Dover, where friends may view two hours prior. Friends also may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Mr. Barlow died Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007, in Raleigh, N.C.
Mr. Barlow was born Dec. 5, 1945, in Harrison, Ga., son of Retha Cooper, now of Dover, and the late Roger Barlow Sr.
He attended school in Harrison, then came to Dover and worked doing construction until he retired due to disability.
In addition to his mother, Mr. Barlow is survived by nine sons, Roger, Rah Rah, Tony, Charles, Micheal, Little Roger, Ronald, Darren and Ronald, all of Dover; and 13 daughters, Bobby Jean, of Georgia, Kim of North Carolina, Tacomo, Roshonda, Deatrice, Jessica, Tonessa, Niece, Tonya, Nicole, Sonia, Rahiem and Roddick, all of Dover.
He also is survived by a daughter-in-law, Robin; two brothers, Roce Barlow, of Georgetown and Donnie Barlow, of Harrington; six sisters, Mary Mills, Lizzie Pearl Lindor, Shirley Burris, Diane Barlow, Annie Carol Thompson and Barbara Stevenson, all of Dover; a sister-in-law, Teresa Barlow; two brothers-in-law, Arthur Mills and Lawrence Burris; 45 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Funeral services for William A. Blair, 57, of Felton, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, March, 1, in Faith Community Church, 2240 S. DuPont Highway, Camden, where friends may call one hour earlier. Mr. Blair died Saturday, Feb. 24, 2007, in his home, surrounded by the loving family he cared so much for.
Mr. Blair was born in Dover, son of Alice Marie Blair and the late Archie Blair.
He served his country proudly as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, where he spent 18 months in the country.
Upon discharge, he went to work for General Food of Dover where he spent the next 20 years. He started out as a janitor and worked his way up to a senior supervisor.
Mr. Blair also was a member of the Delaware Air National Guard and the security manager for Dover Air Force Base. To this day, he was the highest decorated officer at the air base.
He had 33 Air Medals, five Bronze Stars, and numerous Purple Hearts. He believed many other deserved those Purple Hearts over himself.
Mr. Blair was a diehard Marine. He lived and modeled his life after Corps values. Honor and integrity were the foundations of his life, as well as God and country. His word was his bond, and you could take his word to the bank. He never was afraid to approach his commanders and tell them they were wrong and that they needed to apologize to their men, and oftentimes they would. He never backed down, and even got denied promotions, because he stuck to his beliefs and values.
In his spare time, Mr. Blair enjoyed going to auctions and hunting. He enjoyed studying political issues and history, especially the history of the Constitution. He was a firm believer in the Constitution and the ideas and values it embodies. He believed in keeping God in the Constitution and In God We Trust. Mr. Blair was a member of the NRA, and the Disabled American Veterans.
Mr. Blair will be remembered as a man of honor, integrity, and honesty. His love of the Marine Corps, God, country, and family were second to none, and he will be dearly missed by his loving family.
In addition to his father, he was preceded in death by three brothers, Frank Blair, Bob Blair and Sam Blair; and a sister, Rose Blair.
In addition to his mother, Mr. Blair is survived by his loving wife of 34 years, Donna A. Blair, of Felton; a son and daughter-in-law, Aaron C. and Cindy L. Marshall Blair, of Felton; and a daughter and son-in-law, Jamie D. and Charlie R Reed III, of Felton.
He also is survived by eight brothers and sisters, Chuck Blair, of Marydel, Wayne Sapp, of Viola, Danny Blair, of Dover, Jean Diane Aiken, of Felton, Joan M. Blair, of Dover, Dennie J. Buxton, of Hotsprings, Alaska, Doris M. Carey, of Shannon, Pa. and Rose Bennett, of Chicago; and a grandson, Charles R. Chas Reed IV.
Interment will be in the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Millsboro.
Instead of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to Delaware Hospice, 911 S. DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901.
Lillian G. Coker
Funeral services for Lillian G. Coker, 89, of Cheswold, were held Saturday, Feb. 24, in Immanuel Union United Methodist Church, Cheswold. Mrs. Coker died Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007, in the Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill, Smyrna.
Mrs. Coker was born May 28, 1917, in Cheswold, daughter of the late Benjamin and Anna May Durham.
She married John Coker, who preceded her in death on April 29, 1996.
Mrs. Coker was a factory worker until her retirement.
She enjoyed doing crossword puzzles, house cleaning and being with her family.
Mrs. Coker was a member of Central Baptist Church, Dover, for many years.
In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by two sons, Nelson Coker and Donald Coker.
Mrs. Coker is survived by five sons, Charles Eddie Coker, of Dover, John Jack Coker, of Felton, Leroy Ben Coker, of Dover, Steven Coker, of Cheswold and Richard Ricky Coker, of Hartly; and four daughters, Eleanor McKinney, of Dover, Barbara Velez, of Harrington, Joann Moore, of Gatesville, Texas, and Monica Coker, of Dover.
She also is survived by a sister, Mirian Carter, of Dover; 23 grandchildren; 37 great-grandchildren; a great-great-grandson; a host of nieces, nephews and friends; and a very special friend and aide, Kissy, at the Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill.
Funeral services for Orrie William Dean, 77, of Wyoming, were held Sunday, Feb. 25, in Pippin Funeral Home, Wyoming. Mr. Dean died Monday, Feb. 19, 2007, in Bayheath-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Mr. Dean was born Aug. 23, 1929, in Federalsburg, Md., son of the late Orrie L. and Lillian Klieber Dean.
He served his country proudly as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army Air Corps for more than 20 years.
After retirement, he worked as an insurance investigator, a maintenance mechanic for the Capital School District, was a special Kent Court constable, worked for Bennett Security, was a lieutenant in charge of security at the governor's mansion and retired as a state of Delaware environmental protection officer.
Mr. Dean was a member of American Legion Post 2, FOP Lodge 3 and Camden-Wyoming Moose Lodge.
He was an avid reader and was a jack-of-all-trades.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Genevieve Dean, in 1991.
Mr. Dean is survived by his wife of 15 years, Mary Dean; two sons, William Dean of Washington, D.C., and James Dean and his wife Renee of Downingtown, Pa.; a sister Doris Hudson and her husband Robert of Georgetown; and several nieces and nephews.
Celebration of life services for Tech. Sgt. Shawn Paul Fry, 31 of Felton, were held Monday, Feb. 26, in the Pippin Funeral Home, Wyoming. Mr. Fry died of an apparent heart attack Friday, Feb. 23, 2007, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Mr. Fry was born Feb. 1, 1976, in Clearfield, Pa., son of Diane Fry, now of Phillipsburg, Pa.
He graduated Phillipsburg Osceola High School in 1995, and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. While on active duty, he served in various overseas locations and most recently deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was assigned to the 166th Communication Squadron, Delaware Air National Guard, New Castle, and was also a senior technical analyst with Citi Group.
Mr. Fry completed both his bachelor s degree and, in January 2007, his master s degree in computer science with Wilmington College.
In addition to his mother, Mr. Fry is survived by his grandmother, Julia Kolbe, of Woodland, Pa.; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Robien and Howard Maines, of Mooresdale, Pa. and April Maruschak, of Philipsburg; a nephew, Dustin Fry, of Philipsburg; his loving companion, Amy Rigby, of Felton; and their beloved puppy, Calif.
He was blessed with a wonderful family and so many friends who loved him dearly and will miss him very much.
Memorial contributions in Mr. Fry s name may be made to the American Heart Association, 1151 Walker Road, Suite 202, Dover, DE 19904.
Bronwlyn L. Haman
Funeral services for Bronwlyn L. Haman, 59, of Dover, were held Saturday, Feb. 24, in the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Smyrna. Ms. Haman died Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2007, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Ms. Haman was the daughter of the late Leon and Vivian Butcher.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Delbert Haman; and a sister, Lorna Butcher.
Ms. Haman is survived by her children, Deborah Y. Butcher, Brian Butcher, Delbert L. Haman and Jordan C. Haman; and several brothers and sisters, Leon Butcher, Leona Butcher, Bonnie Brown, Gordon Butcher, Karen Brooks, Jawanda Morrow, Kevin Butcher and Trent Butcher.
She also is survived by several grandchildren, Taylor and Tiffany Butcher and Jordon Haman Jr.; a daughter-in-law, Crystal Butcher; and a host of nieces, nephew, cousins, other family members and friends.
Arrangements were by the House of Wright Mortuary, Wilmington.
Mary Elizabeth Hartley
Graveside services for Mary Elizabeth Hartley, of Dover, will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va. Mrs. Hartley died Sunday, Feb. 18, 2007, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Mrs. Hartley was born in Edgewood, Texas, daughter of the late James and Alice Langston Adams.
She studied nursing at Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Houston, and served as a registered nurse with the rank of first lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II. She met and married her husband while overseas.
After moving to Dover in 1965, she was a homemaker and volunteered at Dover Air Force Base for many years with family services.
Mrs. Hartley received several awards including the 1993 Governor's Outstanding Volunteer of the Year award. She was a member of the Officers Wives Club, Kent Sussex Industries and the World War II Veterans Committee.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Col. Donald K. Hartley on May 9, 1995.
Mrs. Hartley is survived by her daughter, Dolores Sherman, of Warner Robins, Ga.; her sister, Dorothy Boswell, of Dallas; and a granddaughter, Tara Anne Sherman, of San Diego.
Instead of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to a charity of choice.
