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.
Sara Crossley Emerson, 89, of Dover, died following a courageous battle with cancer Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006.
Mrs. Emerson was born Nov. 24, 1916, daughter of state Senator Dudley Crossley and Ethel Crossley of Clayton. She was a 1934 graduate of Smyrna High School where she captained her varsity basketball team. She earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics in 1938 from the University of Delaware.
She was a fine athlete in her youth and remained a graceful competitor throughout her life. She was a skilled and beautiful knitter; an accomplished bridge player and a loyal fan of the Philadelphia Phillies. She was a frequent volunteer at Kent General Hospital, where she was a charter member of the Junior Board.
Mrs. Emerson possessed a dry wit and a warm, easy-going manner that endeared her to many and earned her a wide circle of friends. Most importantly, she was dedicated to her family. She was a much loved and respected wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Her happiest times were spent caring for her family and sharing their interests.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Carl Crossley.
Mrs. Emerson is survived by her husband of 67 years. Ralph Sudler Emerson; a daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth and Neal Moerschel of Rehoboth Beach; a son and daughter-in-law, R. Pennell and Sharon Emerson of Rehoboth Beach; a sister, Thelma Tarburton of Dover; three grandchildren, Frederick A. Townsend, Stuart E. Townsend and R. P. Chadwick Emerson; and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be private, with interment at Camden Friends Meeting House Cemetery.
Arrangements were by Pippin Funeral Home, Wyoming.
John Anthony Golba
Funeral services for John Anthony Golba, 23, of Dover, will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, in the Faries Funeral Chapel, 29 S. Main St., Smyrna, where friends may call one hour earlier. Mr. Golba died following a courageous five-year battle with cancer Friday, Feb. 3, 2006, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover.
Mr. Golba was born Nov. 6, 1982, in Dover, son of Joseph F. and Elena DiBitondo.
He graduated from Delaware State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in airway science management. While in school, he was on the dean’s list, earned his student pilot’s license and had made solo flights.
Mr. Golba was a former member of the Delaware Air National Guard.
Despite his battle with cancer, he continued to pursue many interests including weight lifting, cycling, hunting with his nephew Temy, participating in Civil War re-enactments and playing ice hockey.
He was the goalie for Team Black during their 2002-03 championship season with the Harrington Ice Hockey League.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Golba is survived by two sisters and their husbands, Juliana and Jeffrey Swinford of Dover and Sabrina and James Fitzhugh of Bear; a brother and sister-in-law, Peter J. and Jennifer Golba of Salisbury, Md.; his paternal grandmother, Margaret Golba of Lucerne Mines, Pa.; a niece, Alexis; and four nephews, Temy, Thomas, Andrew and Patrick.
Instead of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 100 W. 10th St., Suite 209, Wilmington, DE 19801.
Lottie Rebecca Green
Funeral services for Lottie Rebecca Green, 87, of Felton, were held Monday, Feb. 6, in the chapel of Berry-Short Funeral Home, Felton. Mrs. Green died Monday, Jan. 30, 2006, in Silver Lake Nursing Home in Dover.
Mrs. Green was born May 31, 1918, in Felton, daughter of the late Arley T. and Rebecca Wyatt Bright.
She worked for Playtex in Dover for 27 years, retiring in 1980.
Mrs. Green enjoyed embroidery, gardening and spending time with her grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her first husband, Kenneth LeGates in 1949; her second husband, Benjamin Green in 2000, three sons, Norman LeGates in 1977, George LeGates in 2003 and Kenneth LeGates in 1935; and a sister, Pauline Bright.
She is survived by a daughter, Shirley Maloney of Frederica; two half brothers, Reynolds Bright of Milford, Wayne Bright of Harrington; a half sister, Eloise Darrell of Dover; and 24 grandchildren.
Nancy Sinclair Havens Harris, 96, of Felton died Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006.
Mrs. Harris was born May 3, 1909, in Point Pleasant, N.J., daughter of the late Fred Crane and Ethel Pechin Sinclair Havens.
She was an exceptional athlete and student in her youth. She graduated from the New Jersey College for Women, now Rutgers University’s Douglass College, in 1930, and attended law school at George Washington University.
After World War II, she crusaded to protect interracial neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. She worked as an editor for the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Public Health Service and the Federal Aviation Administration. After her retirement from the federal government in 1966, she had success in real estate including properties in Little River, S.C., where she lived for many years.
Mrs. Harris will be remembered for her frank and joyous celebration of life, as well as her tireless enquiry into life’s many mysteries.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Fred Crane Havens Jr. and William Sinclair Havens; and her husband, Louis Hamrick Harris.
She is survived by a sister, Ethel Pechin Sinclair Havens Shaw of Willimantic, Conn.; nieces and nephews; and her longtime friend and caregiver, Georgia L. Schroding of Felton.
She was interred beside her husband in the Havens family plot in the First Baptist Church cemetery, Brick, N.J.
Arrangements were by Torbert Funeral Chapel, Dover.
Pocahontas Harvey
Funeral services for Pocahontas Harvey, 94, of Dover, were held Saturday, Feb. 4, in the Funeral Home of Michael J. Ambruso, Dover. Mrs. Harvey died Thursday, Jan. 26, 2006, in Westminster Village, Dover.
Mrs. Harvey was born March 26, 1911, in Collinsville, Ala., daughter of the late William and Mary White Bobo.
She worked for a brief period at Playtex in Dover, but spent most of her adult life as a homemaker.
Mrs. Harvey had a special fondness for animals and often served as a pet sitter. In her quieter moments, she enjoyed watching old movies.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, William Harvey; and a son, Kenneth Harvey.
Mrs. Harvey is survived by a niece, Sharon McElroy of Pottstown, Pa.; and a nephew, William Mason of Felton.
A memorial service and military funeral for retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Harry William Mikesell, 85, of Dover, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Bear. Mr. Mikesell died after many years in poor health Sunday, Feb. 5, 2006, in his home.
Mr. Mikesell was born Nov. 13, 1920, in Toledo, Ohio, son of the late Harry Monroe and Tekla Pilarowski Mikesell.
He graduated from the University of Toledo with an undergraduate degree in business and graduate studies at the law school.
Mr. Mikesell served for more than 20 years with the United States Navy and naval reserve, and saw service during World War II and the Korean War. During World War II, he was commanding officer of a ship in the Philippines during the Battle of Leyte, where one-third of the ship’s complement were killed or wounded in one day, Oct. 25, 1944. He also saw action while protecting ships passing through the Panama Canal, and was based in Yokohama during the occupation after the Japanese surrender.
Before the start of the Korean conflict, he started a building supply company with other veterans. Escalation of the conflict brought a return to the Pacific theater, where he commanded troop transports and ships protecting supply lines.
After the Korean armistice, he was transferred to New York, where he worked in military intelligence under Vice Adm. Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter. His primary responsibilities there included making arrangements for visiting heads of state and royalty coming to New York City. He was proud to have received thank-you letters from Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, Netherlands Queen Juliana and King Juan Carlos of Spain.
As a devout Roman Catholic, he was the Navy’s liaison with Francis Cardinal Spellman.
Mr. Mikesell left active military service in 1957, joining the reserves. He moved his family for the 10th time in 10 years to Westfield, N.J., and worked as sales manager for Jaeger Lumber in Union and later for Loizeaux Lumber in Plainfield. He retired to Clinton, N.J., in 1972.
While living in Hunterdon County, he found he was not ready to retire and began to renovate residential and commercial properties in the Clinton Main Street area.
He was a town of Clinton councilman from 1977 until 1985 and served on the Republican County committee. He served for one term as president of the board for Hunterdon Arts Center.
He and his first wife Ruth moved to Delaware in 1987 to be closer to the military community at Dover Air Force Base, where he volunteered at the flight office and pharmacy.
Mr. Mikesell was a past president of the Plainfield, N.J., Rotary Club. His hobbies included golfing, gardening and watching the stock market.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Ruth, who died Oct. 31, 2002.
He is survived by his second wife, Dorothy Lee; two daughters, Virginia Curtiss of Ridgeway, Va., and Joan Bloomer of Clinton; a son, William Mikesell of Newark, N.J.; and three grandchildren, Denise McWhorter, Charles Bloomer and Christian Sevilla-Mikesell.
Instead of flowers, contributions can be made to Harry and Ruth Mikesell Scholarship Fund, c/o The University of Toledo Foundation, P.O. Box 586, Toledo, OH 436697-0586.
Arrangements were by Michael J. Ambruso Funeral Director, Inc. Dover.
Col. Edward F. Morris, U.S. Army (Ret.)
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated for retired U.S. Army Col. Edward F. Morris, 82, of Camden, Thursday, Feb. 2, in Church of the Holy Cross, Camden. Mr. Morris died Monday, Jan. 30, 2006, in Bayhealth-Kent Hospital, Dover.
Mr. Morris was born Feb. 11, 1923, in Centreville, Md., son of the late George and Virginia Everett Morris.
He was inducted into the U.S. Army in 1942 and received a battlefield commission during the Battle of the Bulge. After World War II he attended the University of Maryland to study dairy husbandry; however, in 1951, he was recalled by the U.S. Army and assigned to Korea for the duration of the conflict until 1953. He then decided to make a career with the military and served for 28 years, including a tour during the Vietnam War.
After retiring from the U.S. Army, he worked for the Prudential Insurance Co. in Dover as a sales manager.
He enjoyed golf, reading and baseball and, in his earlier days, was an avid hunter.
Mr. Morris is survived by his wife of 49 years, Ilse K. Morris of Camden, formerly of Germany; two sons, Edward G. Morris of Daleville, Ala., and Maxwell J. Morris of Millville; two daughters and two sons-in-law, Michele and Jesse Stone of Magnolia and Andrea and Donald Allard of Wake Forest, N.C.; six grandchildren, Nicole Morris and Danielle Morris, both of Daleville, Zachary Allard and Samuel Allard, both of Wake Forest, Coral Rose McRyhew of Magnolia and Malcolm Stone of Magnolia; and two nieces, Shirley Middleton and Patricia Davis, both of Centreville.
