Obituaries by LocationCatherine E. Johnston
Catherine E. Johnston, 81, formerly of Seneca, Venango County, died at 6:05 p.m. Tuesday at Westbury United Methodist Community, Meadville.
Born July 15, 1921, in Evanston, Ill., she was a daughter of Albert B. and Catherine E. Kiefer Hirtzig.
Mrs. Johnston had worked at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Cranberry School District in Venango County and retired in 1979 from National Fuel Gas Co. after 13 years.
She was a member of the Good Hope Lutheran Church in Oil City, enjoyed flower gardening and was a sports enthusiast who enjoyed attending her granddaughters’ basketball and swimming events.
Surviving are two daughters and their families, Mary Carol and Bob Blauser of Cranberry, Venango County, and their daughters, Lauren Blauser of Streetsboro, Ohio, and Susan Blauser of Boston, Mass.; and Karen and Tom Morrison of Butler and their daughters, Christie Morrison of Santa Barbara, Calif., and Julie Morrison of Gainesville, Fla.; and a sister, Mrs. Robert (Mary) Glod of Schaumburg, Ill.
On Dec. 23, 1947, she married Byron A. Johnston, who died Dec. 20, 1981. Five brothers and four sisters also preceded her in death.
JOHNSTON - Friends of Catherine E. Johnston, who died Tuesday, July 8, 2003, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at MORRISON FUNERAL HOME, 110 Petroleum St, Oil City. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home with the Rev. Gary Weston, pastor of Valencia Presbyterian Church, officiating. Burial will be at Brandon Cemetery , Cranberry.
Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of Northwestern Pennsylvania, 110 W. 10th St., Suite 212, Erie PA 16501; or to Venango County Meals on Wheels.
Velma M. Hemphill
Velma M. Hemphill, 90, formerly of Federal Street, died at 8:19 p.m. Tuesday at Sunnyview Nursing Home.
Born in Bowling Green, Ohio, May 20, 1913, she was the daughter of Carl W. and Gertrude Lutz Krabill.
She was a homemaker and a member of the North Main Street Church of God, where she belonged to the 60 Plus Club and the Keenager’s Sunday school class. She also was a member of the local and national chapters of the AARP.
Surviving are a son, James E. Hemphill Jr. of Butler; two daughters, Miss Sandra J. “Sauny” Hemphill of Butler and Mrs. Donald (Carol) Wigton of Zelienople; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Her husband, James E. Hemphill Sr., died April 26, 1968. A granddaughter and brother also preceded her in death.
HEMPHILL - Friends of Velma M. Hemphill, who died Tuesday, July 8, 2003, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at THOMPSON-MILLER FUNERAL HOME, 124 E. North St. Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home with the Rev. David Brown, her church pastor, officiating. Burial will be at Butler County Memorial Park, Butler Township.
KERR FAMILY
Services and burial for Kenneth E. Kerr Jr., Janet A. Jewell Kerr, Alessandra Shauna Hall, Kathleen A. Kerr and Kenneth E. Kerr III, will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Slippery Rock Cemetery . The Rev. David Herndon, pastor of First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh and the Rev. Thomas Pierotti, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church of Butler, will officiate.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Co. and Rescue Team, Attn: Ronald Steele, P.O. Box 39, Slippery Rock, PA 16057; Harrisville Volunteer Fire Department, Attn: Mark Stoops, P.O. Box 201, Harrisville, PA 16038; Unionville Volunteer Fire Department, Attn: Jeff Raab, 102 Mahood Road, Butler, PA 16001; Butler County Fire Police Association, Attn: Eugene Bartlett, 363 Little Creek, Harmony, PA 16037; Stat Medevac (a non-profit organization) Attn: Donald Goodman, 7 Parkway Center, Suite 611, Pittsburgh, PA 15220; Pittsburgh Mercy Hospital Foundation Burn Unit, Attn: Lisa Conti, 1709 Boulevard of the Allies, Suite 201, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Send notification of gift donations received to Kenneth and Cathy Kerr, 120 Haverford Drive, Butler, PA 16001.
THOMPSON-MILLER FUNERAL HOME is handling arrangements.
Frank E. Weppler
Frank E. Weppler, 88, of Zelienople died Wednesday at Ellwood City Hospital.
Born May 27, 1915, in Castle Shannon, he was a son of Frank and Eva Scott Weppler.
Mr. Weppler was a custodian at St. Gregory Roman Catholic Church and School in Zelienople for more than 27 years.
He was a member of the Hungarian Club in Zelienople and he had served with the 28th Division of the PA National Guard in Butler.
He is survived by many friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy Kingston Weppler, who died March 13, 1993; and by a brother and a sister.
WEPPLER - Friends of Frank E. Weppler, who died Wednesday, July 9, 2003, will be received from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday at GLENN-KILDOO FUNERAL HOME, 219 E. Grandview Ave., Zelienople. A blessing service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at the funeral home, with the Rev. William Ritzert, pastor of the St. Matthias Roman Catholic Church in Evans City, officiating. Burial will be in St. Gregory’s Cemetery , Zelienople.
Memorial donations may be made to the Zelienople Public Library, 227 S. High St., Zelienople, PA 16063.
Anna A. McDeavitt
Anna A. (Thein) McDeavitt, 80, of Richland Township died Sunday at the home of her daughter in Middlesex Township.
Born Oct. 11, 1922, in Pittsburgh, she was the daughter of John and Agnes Wittensoldner Thein.
She was a homemaker and a member of St. Richard Roman Catholic Church in Richland Township, the V.F.W. Ladies Auxiliary and the Regina Alena Club in Sharpsburg.
She is survived by a daughter, Suzanne McGarrity of Middlesex Township; two sons, James McDeavitt of Butler and Daniel McDeavitt of Las Vegas; a brother, Albert Thein of Reserve Township; two sisters, Lillian Birx of Cheswick and Leona Karczewski of McCandless; and seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
McDEAVITT - Friends of Anna A. (Thein) McDeavitt, who died July 6, 2003, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at HERBERT R. KING JR. FUNERAL HOME, Route 8 at 2841 Woodland Circle, Allison Park. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Richard Roman Catholic Church, Dickey Road, Richland Township. The Rev. Ken Oldenski will officiate.
Larry Marzullo
Larry Marzullo, 49, of Lynchburg, Va., died Saturday at the home of his mother, Martha Ferguson Marzullo of Butler, after a valiant battle with mesothelioma, a fatal cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
Larry was born July 12, 1953, in Butler, and was Presbyterian by faith.
He was a 1972 graduate of Butler High School and earned his bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1977. He was on the dean’s honor list.
While pursuing his career with Armco Steel in Butler, he earned his master’s degree in business from the University of Pittsburgh.
At the time of his death, he was employed at Cherokee Information Services at the Defense Supply Center in Richmond, Va.
Surviving are his mother; one brother, Daniel Marzullo; two sisters, Janet Marzullo of Butler and Christine Martin of Nashville, Tenn.; a niece and nephew, Sarah Martin and Rusty Martin, both of Nashville; two aunts, Mary Alice Gerhart of Butler and Sarah Jane Parker of Charleston, S.C.; and a number of cousins.
With the hope of finding a cure for this devastating asbestos cancer, we would appreciate in lieu of flowers a memorial donation be made to Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, 1609 Garden St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
MARZULLO - Friends of Larry Marzullo, who died Saturday, July 5, 2003, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at THOMPSON-MILLER FUNERAL HOME, 124 E. North St. Funeral services will be at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Butler County Memorial Park.
Yvonne M. Harder
Yvonne M. Harder, 80, of 101 Irene Drive died peacefully at 4 p.m. Sunday at her home with her children present.
Born in Alamo, Texas, July 18, 1922, and raised in New Bloomfield, Pa., she was the daughter of the Rev. Dr. William Baldwin and Charlotte Ratliffe Baldwin.
She was a Presbyterian and a 1943 cum laude graduate of Wilson College, where she majored in biology and chemistry in the pre-med program.
Mrs. Harder worked at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Md., and at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia before moving to Butler in 1954. She retired from North Hills Passavant Hospital in 1979.
Her husband, Jacob B. Harder Jr., whom she married in September 1950, died Sept. 3, 1993.
Surviving are three daughters, Lynn Harder Sullivan and her husband, Robert, of Pittsburgh, Kathleen M. Harder of Butler and Amy L. Harder of Durham, N.C.; and three grandchildren, Dylan R. Sullivan of Long Island, N.Y, and Jacob N. and Mariah A. Sullivan, both of Pittsburgh. Also surviving are a brother, Dr. E.M. Baldwin of San Diego, Calif.; a sister-in-law, Erin Pressley, and a nephew, Sean Pressley, both of Tannersville, Pa.
HARDER - Friends of Yvonne M. Harder, who died Sunday, July 6, 2003, will be received from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at THOMPSON-MILLER FUNERAL HOME, 124 E. North St. Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Butler County Memorial Park, Butler Township.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Hospice Program of the Visiting Nurses Association, 154 Hindman Road, Butler, PA 16001; or to the Butler County Humane Society, 1015 Evans City Road, Renfrew, PA 16053.
Audrey P. Duffy
Audrey P. Duffy, 76, of Butler died Saturday at her home.
Born Nov. 26, 1926, in Leeds, England, she was the daughter of the late Harry and Doris Dyson Howell.
She arrived in the United States in 1946 and obtained her citizenship in 1960.
A homemaker, she was a Presbyterian. She was a member of the Eastern Star and White Star.
Surviving are her husband, Orton “Danny” Duffy, whom she married Nov. 21, 1944; four daughters, Mrs. John (Marilyn) Shikella of Casa Grande, Ariz., Mrs. Kim (Linda) Karnash of Astatula, Fla., Mrs. Stephen (Pamela) Ballash of South Hills, Pittsburgh, and Mrs. James (Wendy) Mamula of Tavares, Fla.; a son, Glenn Duffy of Sanford, Fla.; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a brother, Fred Howell of Norwich, England.
She was preceded in death by a grandson.
DUFFY - Friends of Audrey P. Duffy, who died Saturday, July 5, 2003, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at YOUNG FUNERAL HOME, 127 W. Jefferson St. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Robert Mathias of Concord United Presbyterian Church officiating. Burial will be at Concord Cemetery .
Norman F. Donahue
Norman F. Donahue, 57, of 165 Beale Road, Buffalo Township, died at 2:27 p.m. Sunday at West Penn Hospital, Pittsburgh, after a three-year illness.
Born Oct. 12, 1945, in Fawn Township, he was the son of Norman B. and Gertrude A. Kutsch Donahue.
He was a machinist and the owner-operator of Anchor Machine in Brackenridge for 20 years.
Mr. Donahue was a member of Holy Martyrs Parish, Tarentum, St. Clement Worship Site. He also belonged to the Ridgway Eagles Lodge and the Elks and Masonic lodges in Tarentum, the Outdoor Life Lodge of Fawn Township and was a past president and member of the Sarver Volunteer Fire Department. He also belonged to the Sarver Veterans Club, Oregon Hunting and Fishing Club of Brackenridge and the N.R.A.
He was a 1963 graduate of Tarentum High School and enjoyed reading, crossword puzzles, computers and his camp in Ridgway.
Surviving are his wife of 35 years, Patricia A. Palko Donahue; two sons, Jeffrey Donahue of Saxonburg and Patrick B. Donahue at home; three brothers, Bernard A. Donahue of Champaign, Ill., Edwin J. Donahue of Jupiter, Fla., and James J. Donahue of Chardon, Ohio; and four sisters, Eileen Landelfeld of Beaver, Rose Mary Barr of Buffalo Township, Marilyn Durst of Freeport and Margaret Youngless of Humble, Texas.
DONAHUE - Friends of Norman F. Donahue, who died Sunday, July 6, 2003, will be received from 7 to 9 p.m. today and 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at DUSTER FUNERAL HOME, 10th Avenue at Corbet Street, Tarentum. A Christian funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Clement Worship Site with the Rev. Robert Miller officiating. Burial will be at Mount Airy Cemetery , Natrona Heights.
The Oregon Club will hold a service at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Inez N. Bruno
Inez N. Bruno, 91, formerly of Hazel Avenue and recently of the YWCA Personal Care Home, died at 2:30 a.m. Sunday at Butler Memorial Hospital.
Born in Butler, Aug. 20, 1911, she was the daughter of Frank and Sara Hale Bruno Sr.
Miss Bruno had retired as a merchandise buyer at A.E. Troutman department store on Main Street in Butler after more than 25 years.
A lifelong member of St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, she also had been a volunteer for years in the Butler County Symphony Association’s Coda Shoppe and had been a member of the YWCA ladies club and enjoyed their card parties.
Surviving are a brother, Frank Bruno Jr. of Butler; and numerous nieces and nephews. Five brothers preceded her in death.
BRUNO - Friends of Inez N. Bruno, who died Sunday, July 6, 2003, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at GEIBEL FUNERAL HOME, 201 E. Cunningham St. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, 128 N. McKean St. The Rev. Harry Bielewicz will officiate. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery .
The St. Paul Guild and Christian Mothers will recite the rosary at 9:40 a.m. Wednesday at the church.
