Frederick D. Ackwith
Lifelong Edgemere resident Frederick Dawson Ackwith, 72, died Jan. 29, 2000 at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center of complications following surgery.
A U.S. Army veteran of World War II and the Korean War, he also served in the U.S. Merchant Marine. He attended Sparrows Point High School and lived in the same Edgemere house his entire life.
He retired from Bethlehem Steel with 40 years of service.
He liked yardwork and gardening and was his family’s jack-of-all-trades. He belonged to Wells-McComas VFW Post 2678 and the Dizzy Pleasure Club.
Survivors are his wife of almost 29 years, Marie (nee Loncala), sons Frederick and Daniel Ackwith, daughter Nancy Wozniak, brother Franklin “Bud” Ackwith, many grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Services were held Feb. 2 at Connelly Funeral Home. Interment followed at Sacred Heart of Mary Cemetery.
Edward J. Cusack
Former Dundalk resident Edward J. Cusack, 73, died Jan. 25, 2000 at his home in Marshall, Texas.
Born Jan. 11, 1927, in Dundalk, he was a U.S. Navy veteran and a retired General Motors auto worker. He was a member of the Dundalk VFW Post 6694 honor guard.
He is survived by daughter Midge Wilkinson of Marshall, son Ronnie Cusack of Lancaster, Pa., sister Marguerite Crocker of Mt. Airy, Md., brother Galvin Cusack of Ocean City, Md., six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a sister, Mary Ellen Myers.
Kenneth M. Danneman
Rabon Avenue resident Kenneth Michael Danneman Sr. died at home Jan. 27, 2000 at age 69.
Born and raised in Highlandtown, Mr. Danneman graduated from Patterson High School, then took evening classes at Maryland Institute, College of Art and Johns Hopkins University.
He was maintenance foreman for Koppers Co. when he retired in 1985 with 31 years of service.
He belonged to Church of God of Dundalk and was an active member of the Billy Graham Crusade.
An avid bowler, Mr. Danneman belonged to duckpin leagues in Dundalk, Edgemere and Parkville.
Predeceased by his wife, Beatrice (nee Tinelli), he is survived by sons Kenneth M. Danneman Jr., Robert W. Danneman, sister Darlene Waters and one step-grandchild. He was predeceased by a brother, Andrew Danneman.
Funeral services were held Jan. 31 at Church of God of Dundalk. Interment followed at Oak Lawn Cemetery.
Lethia E. Dawson
Gray Manor resident Lethia Elma Dawson (nee Gardner), 72, a longtime member of Galilee Baptist Church, died Jan. 16, 2000 at Genesis Heritage Nursing Center.
A native Baltimorean, Mrs. Dawson lived on Norris Lane for most of her life. She and her family also lived in Grand Forks during the year her husband pursued a doctorate at the University of North Dakota.
From an early age, she was devoted to her Christian beliefs and became an active member of Galilee Baptist Church, where she was president of the Golden Age Ministry and a member of the junior usher board. She also belonged to the church’s senior choir and Voices of Galilee and sang with the Young Sisters gospel group at churches throughout Maryland and Virginia. She attended the Baptist Ministers Conference each year in Hampton, Va., and in 1998 was recognized for attending the conference for 15 consecutive years.
With Sunday church services an important part of her life, she took particular care to choose the perfect hat and suit to wear each week.
She worked in the Bethlehem Steel wire and pipe mill restaurant for more than 34 years before retiring in 1984. She retired a second time from the Baltimore County School System.
In 1986, she earned a geriatric nursing certificate from Community College of Baltimore. Her many interests included cooking, shopping, dining out and traveling with her husband and children.
She is survived by five children, Beatrice Owings, Deborah Lewis, Lethia Farmer, Howard Dawson Jr. and Donna Thomas, two sisters, Mary Macklin and Oradell Collins, two aunts, Druscilla Acree of Philadelphia and Alice Kidd of Columbia, Md., and 12 grandchildren. She was predeceased in 1984 by her husband, the Rev. Howard Dawson.
Funeral services were held Jan. 21 at Galilee Baptist Church followed by interment at Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery.
David Dixon
David Andrew “Andy” Dixon, 67, a longtime Liberty Parkway resident, died of stroke complications Jan. 26, 2000 at Sinai Hospital.
Mr. Dixon lived with his sister-in-law Freda Dixon and her daughter, Joy Dixon Garland, after his parents died when he was 8 years old.
After serving in the U.S. Air Force for 14 years, he worked as a carpenter and cabinet maker until he retired at age 62.
Among his many interests were hunting, playing cards, spending time with his grandchildren and visiting his brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Cass Dixon, on the Eastern Shore.
He is also survived by his wife, Maria (nee Steinberger), and children Sarah M. Parker, George A. Dixon, Deborah A. Draper, Margaret R. Franklin, Sylvia J. Morrison and Patricia L. LaMartina, 16 grandchildren and other family members.
Services were held Jan. 30 at Duda-Ruck Funeral Home.
Ruth V. Doetsch
Ruth Virginia Doetsch, a Longpoint Road resident for 60 years, died Feb. 5, 2000 at age 78.
The former Ruth Swift was born in Marion Station, Md., and moved to Baltimore to study hairdressing. Years ago, she owned and operated a beauty shop in Baltimore.
She belonged to Watersedge Baptist Church and its senior center and Dundalk Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary.
Predeceased by her husband, Joseph C. Doetsch, she is survived by son Joseph C. Doetsch, daughters Geraldine S. Doetsch, Janice R. Akers and Jacqueline Y. Godwin, sister Barbara Riggin, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She also was predeceased by two brothers, Richard and Carroll Swift.
The Rev. Marvin Kline of Dundalk United Methodist Church conducted services Feb. 7 at Connelly Funeral Home. Interment followed at Holly Hill Memorial Gardens.
Mitchell Frances Jr.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, Feb. 26, for lifelong Dundalk resident Mitchell Frances Jr., 72, who died of heart failure Feb. 4, 2000 at his home in North Point Village.
The service is set for 2 p.m. at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, 9534 Belair Road in Perry Hall.
Born in Sparrows Point in 1927, Mr. Frances served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He had worked for Bethlehem Steel for more than 37 years when he retired in 1983 as a production expediter in the 60-inch plate mill.
He was a charter member of the Dundalk Chapter of the Chorus of the Chesapeake and a 43-year member of SPEBSQSA Inc. For 31 of those years, he served as Mid-Atlantic District stage manager.
He was a lifelong member of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in both Sparrows Point and Edgemere.
Predeceased in 1992 by his wife of 41 years, Barbara A. (nee Salisbury), he is survived by sons Mitchell L. Frances III and Robert J. Frances, daughters Barbara L. Martin and Susan M. Douglas, brother William L. Frances and 11 grandchildren. He also was predeceased by a daughter, Catherine Wiedel, and a sister, Hazel Schopes.
Norma Hammel
Norma Hammel (nee Grumbach), a lifetime Graceland Park and Dundalk resident, died at Heritage Nursing Center on Feb. 10, 2000 two days before her 80th birthday.
Mrs. Hammel worked at Bethlehem Steel, Western Electric and General Motors. She had been a longtime member of Sparrows Point Country Club.
Her first marriage ended in divorce, leaving her with a son, J. Stacey Mitchell, to raise. She married J. Edward Hammel in 1950.
Mrs. Hammel loved music and had danced at all of Baltimore’s favorite dancing spots.
Other survivors are children Elizabeth Louise Hernandez and Joseph E. Hammel Jr.
