Obituaries by LocationGary F. Sweesy, Sr,
May 17, 1945 ~ May 2, 2010
Gary F. Sweesy, Sr., age 64, of Kaiser Road, Butler, Pennsylvania, passed away
Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 6:57 p.m. surrounded by his family in the Good Samaritan Hospice at Concordia.
Born in Butler, Pennsylvania, May 17, 1945, he was the son of the late Fred D. Sweesy and Winona A. Blain Sweesy.
Gary graduated from Butler High School in 1963 and after three years at Youngstown State University, he joined the Marines in 1966 and was active until 1970. He was proud to have served in Vietnam. "Once a Marine, always a Marine - Semper Fi." Gary was a proud member of AA and he loved the program and his AA family.
He was Presbyterian by faith. Gary retired from Armco in 2000 after 25 years of service in the trucks department. Having a very unique sense of humor, he always had a witty answer for every occasion and was a friend to all who knew him.
A loving husband, father and grandfather, Gary is survived by his wife, Gloria Marin Sweesy, who he marriage on September 16, 1995; one son, Gary F. Sweesy Jr. of New Castle, Pennsylvania; one daughter, Brandee Sweesy of Marathon, Florida; two step-sons, William Clark Jr. and Anthony (Beth) Clark both of Klamath Falls, Oregon; five grandchildren, Gary F. Sweesy III of Petrolia, Pennsylvania and Madison, Allyson, Makay and Acen Clark, all of Klamath Falls, Oregon.
He is also survived by one brother, Tom (Sandra) Sweesy of Saxonburg, Pennsylvania; one sister, Nancy Sweesy of Butler, Pennsylvania; two brothers in-law, Richard (Cleo) Marin and Philip (Naomi) Marin both of Phoenix, Arizona; six aunts, one uncle, two nieces and numerous cousins.
There will be no public visitation.
Please join the Family of Gary Sweesy for a Celebration of Life on June 5, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at the East Butler Fire Hall.
The family requests in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Make-A- Wish Foundation, The Gulf Tower, 707 Grant Street, 37th floor Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1916 or to www.wishgreaterpa.org.
Gladys Marie Walker Neel
October 15, 1917 ~ May 3, 2010
Gladys Marie Walker Neel, age 92, of Endicott, New York, formerly of Butler, Pennsylvania, passed away and joined God on Monday, May 3, 2010 at the Ideal Senior Living Center in Endicott, New York.
Born October 15, 1917, she was the daughter of late William H. and Margaret Logan Walker. She was raised in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania.
Gladys was a 1935 graduate of Butler High School. She has been a long-time member of Unionville United Presbyterian Church and was active in area service groups including The Grange and the AARP. She and her late husband, Robert, owned and operated a poultry farm for many years on Chestnut Ridge Road near Lake Arthur and Moraine State Park. She also worked at The Grill at Slippery Rock State University for a number of years where she worked with and met many great friends. Following the death of her husband Robert, Gladys moved to the Arbors in Butler. She and her friends enjoyed many meals at Linda's Restaurant and she and her good friend, Helen, made numerous visits to restaurants from Butler to New Castle to sample pie and other dessert favorites.
Gladys moved to Endicott, New York in 2003 to be near her son and his family. Gladys was a wonderful and kind-hearted woman whose love for her family and friends was endless. She would do whatever she could to make life easier and better for everyone she met, asking nothing in return. Her smile would light up a room and her greeting of "Hi Honey" will never be forgotten. God has welcomed a true angel home. May God bless you Gladys.
Gladys is survived by one son, Roger Walker Neel, a daughter-in-law, Beth Neel and a step-granddaughter, Angela Anderson, all of Endicott, New York. She is also survived by two sisters-in-law, Alice Walker of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and Donna Walker of Ames, Iowa; a brother-in-law, Roy S. Neel, Jr of Butler, Pennsylvania; a niece, Jean Neel of Butler, Pennsylvania; five nephews and their families including: Roy Corso of Harrisville, Pennsylvania; Dan and Shirley Corso of Butler, Pennsylvania; William and Carole Walker of Ohio; Kenneth Walker of Ohio and Douglas and Nancy Walker of Arizona; Gladys is also survived by many cousins and their families as well as hundreds of wonderful friends.
Gladys was preceded in death by her husband, Robert M. Neel, whom she marriage in June of 1949; her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Roy S. Neel, Sr. and Belle Neel; her brothers, Howard Walker and Dr. Homer Walker; her brother- in-law and sister-in-law, Sam and Nancy Means; and her sister-in-law, Dorothy Neel.
Family and friends will be received at the Thompson-Miller Funeral Home, 124 East North Street, Butler, Pennsylvania on Monday, May 10 from 10 a.m. -12:00 Noon. Funeral service will follow visitation and will be held at 12:00 Noon with Reverend Matthew Kail of Unionville and Muddy Creek Churches officiating. Burial will be at Greenlawn Cemetery in Mount Chestnut.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in honor of Gladys Neel to the Unionville United Presbyterian Church, 114 Sunset Drive, Butler, Pennsylvania 16001.
John Matthew Kirkwood
March 13, 1951 ~ May 7, 2010
John Matthew Kirkwood, age 59, of Holcomb Avenue, Butler, Pennsylvania, died Friday, May 7, 2010 at 9:32 a.m. in the Butler Memorial Hospital.
Born In Butler Pennsylvania on March 13, 1951, he was the son of the late Kenneth G. Kirkwood and Jennie M. Tirk Kirkwood.
John was a 1969 graduate of Butler High School. He then graduated from Bob Jones University in South Carolina in 1973 with a Bachelors of Arts Degree. He then became an ordained Baptist minister.
John opened the first Subway restaurants in Butler and then spent the last fifteen years employed at Armco, now AK Steel.
John is survived by one son, Joel Martin Kirkwood of Butler, Pennsylvania; his ex-wife, Kathryn Kirkwood of Butler, Pennsylvania; one sister, Margaret (Peggy) Morando and her husband, Donald, of Butler, Pennsylvania; one brother, Kenneth E. Kirkwood and his wife, Joyce, of East Butler, Pennsylvania; by numerous nieces and nephews, and his companion Sharon Ehrman of Butler, Pennsylvania.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his one son, Jared Michael Kirkwood.
Friends and family of John Kirkwood will be received at the Thompson-Miller Funeral Home, Inc., 124 East North Street, Butler, Pennsylvania 16001 on Monday, May 10, 2010 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Funeral Services will follow at 8:00 p.m. Monday, May 10, 2010 with Reverend Roger Nuerge of Concordia Lutheran Home officiating.
Interment will follow on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at Butler County Memorial Park.
Wayne L. Myers
August 6, 1920 ~ May 7, 2010
Wayne L. Myers, age 89, of Peoria, Arizona, formerly of Seneca Drive, Butler, Pennsylvania, died Friday, May 7, 2010 at (time) in the Forum at Desert Harbor.
Born August 6, 1920 in Butler, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late Claude A. Myers and Fannie Sommerville Myers.
Mr. Myers retired on January 1, 1986 after having served as a Commercial Bank teller in the Drive Thru Office of Union National Bank, now known as National City Bank. Mr. Myers was a veteran of the United States Army in World War II, where he served in the Pacific Theatre. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge #272 F & AM and Accepted Scottish Rite, Valley of New Castle, and past treasurer of the Butler Area Council of Churches.
Mr. Myers is survived by one daughter, Lee Ann of Peoria, Arizona; one brother, Kenneth G. Myers of Somerset, Pennsylvania; three step-sons, John Jay Rankin of East Holden, Maine, Jamie Rankin of Princeton, New Jersey, and Paul W. Rankin of Somerset, Pennsylvania; four step- grandchildren; one niece; one nephew.
Mr. Myers was preceded in death by his first wife, Margaret I. "Peg" Myers who passed away on August 22, 1988 and also by his second wife, Joan Myers who passed away on February 28, 2007, and by one son, Gary L. Myers.
Friends will be received at the Thompson-Miller Funeral Home, Inc., 124 East North Street, Butler, Pennsylvania, on Friday, May 14, 2010 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.
Services will be held at the Community Alliance Church on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. with Reverend Paul W. Rankin of Reunion Presbyterian Church officiating. Interment will follow in St. John's Reformed Church Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Reunion Presbyterian Church, 769 West Main Street, Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania 15666 or to the Community Alliance Church, 800 Mercer Road, Butler, Pennsylvania 16001.
Veva Alberta (Herold) Stevenson, "Tootie"
October 7, 1917 ~ May 8, 2010
Veva Alberta (Herold) Stevenson, "Tootie", age 92, of Butler, Pennsylvania, died Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 3:22 a.m. at her residence.
She was born the 4th child to John Frederick Herold and Veva Cora (Youkers) Herold on October 7, 1917 in Center Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania.
She raced ponies at the Big Butler Fair with her sisters, Gladys Minerva, and Mabel Cora. She went to school at the one room schoolhouse located at the end of Duffy Road, known as St. Clair School and also the Butler High School.
At the age of 19, she marriage George Alvin Stevenson, Jr. on January 1, 1937. They lived in Portersville, Muddy Creek Township, on a farm that had no running water or electricity. That farm is now on the southern side of the Moraine State Park office.
She was a homemaker and a gardener all of her life. She raised four children: Nancy Lee "Johnston", George Alvin III, Alberta Belle "Slater" and Ruth Ellen "Gordon".
Tootie was the secretary and home leader of the Penn State Agriculture Extension Group-Pleasant Hills Group wherein she was one of two surviving original members and was the only one remaining active to this date.
She was Secretary and Treasurer of Child Evangelism Fellowship for many years. She served as Treasurer of Prospect United Presbyterian Church Sunday School and she was a second and third grade Sunday School teacher at Prospect United Presbyterian Church.
Tootie was an assistant to the judges at the Big Butler Fair in the Home Economic Exhibitors Division. She entered many fruits, flowers, vegetables, and farm products over the years and won many prizes.
She assisted in the formulation and the sales of each of the (13) Butler County Extension cookbooks. She worked at the Muddy Creek Township election board for many elections until she was 80 years old, often serving as Judge of Election.
Square dancing was one of her hobbies or sports that she joined George Jr. in. He called the square dances and she danced at them at dance halls over the county. Both she and George belonged to the Worth Township Grange.
She was a member of the Butler County Republican Woman's Club. Both she and George were members of the YWCA Mr. and Mrs. Club. She had belonged for many years to the national organization known as "The Jolly 1917'ers". She belonged to the Mount Chestnut Senior Center and to the Evans City Senior Center. She learned how to clog and line dance at the age of 73 years old at Tanglewood Senior Center in Butler.
She fell while dancing to Yackety Sax and broke both wrists and spine in a compression fracture. In 1995, she had her aortic main heart valve replaced at the age of 77. She stilled clogged regularly and participated in shows with the Evans City Senior Clogging Group.
She is survived by three daughters, Mrs. Raymond (Nancy) Johnston of Columbus, Ohio, Mrs. Alan (Alberta Belle) Slater of Prospect, Pennsylvania and Mrs. Joe (Ruth) Gordon of Ringgold, Georgia; one son, George A. Stevenson III of Prospect, Pennsylvania; eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren; two step-grandchildren and eight great step-grandchildren; and by a number of nieces and nephews.
Tootie is preceded in death by her husband, George Alvin Stevenson, Jr, a grandson, three brothers and two sisters and one step-granddaughter.
Friends will be received at the Thompson-Miller Funeral Home, Inc., 124 East North Street, Butler, Pennsylvania on Monday, May 10, 2010 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 and Tuesday, May 11, 2010 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9.
Funeral Services will be held at the Thompson-Miller Funeral Home, Inc., 124 East North Street, Butler, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. with Reverend Michael Charles of Portersville Bible Church officiating. Interment will be at the Greenlawn Burial Estates in Mount Chestnut.
Hyman T. Abes
November 15, 1915 ~ May 10, 2010
Hyman T. Abes, age 95, of Encinitas, California, died Monday, May 10, 2010 at 9:24 a.m. in the Seacrest Village in Encinitas, California.
Born November 15, 1915 in Butler, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late Morris Abes and Eva Gelman Abes.
Mr. Abes was a member of the Congregation B'Nai Abraham and a member of the B'Nai Brith. He owned and operated the Cutaway Meat Market in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Abes is survived by one daughter, Holly Abes of Steamboat Springs, Colorado; one son, Mark Abes of Carlsbad, California; three grandchildren, Jillian Abes, Meryl Meranski and Joel Meranski.
Mr. Abes was preceded in death by his wife, Reva Maglin Abes, who passed away on January 11, 1997, and also by two sisters and two brothers.
Friends will be received at the Thompson-Miller Funeral Home, Inc., 124 East North Street, Butler, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 from 1 to 2 p.m.
Services will be held at the Thompson - Miller Funeral Home, Inc. on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. with Cantor Gary Gelendar of Congregation B'Nai Abraham officiating. Interment will follow in Congregation B'Nai Abraham Cemetery.
