Obituaries by LocationCarol Eugene Sonntag
June 2, 1927 - March 21, 2002
Carol Eugene Sonntag, 74, formerly of Allentown and Philadelphia, died Thursday evening at 7:30 PM in Ephrata Community Hospital where he was a patient for the past 3 weeks. He had resided at Parkside Manor, Stevens, Lancaster County, since June 4, 1996. Born in Delaware, Ohio, he was a son of the late Harold and Pauline (Mondeaux) Sonntag. Retiring in 1975, he had worked for the former Stef & Lowry Storm Windows & Doors, Bristol, PA, and earlier for the Cross Keys Theatre, Darby, PA. He is survived by a sister, Fay E., wife of Richard R. Bernhard, Palm City, FL; a step sister, Suzanne, wife of Rockland Awalt, Garden Valley, CA; and a nephew.
All services for Mr. Sonntag will be handled privately by his family.
Clarence K. Shimp
March 26, 1917 - January 9, 2002
Clarence K. Shimp, 84, of 1067 Pieffer Hill Road, Stevens, Lancaster County, died Wednesday evening at 8:43 PM in the Ephrata Community Hospital where he was a patient since December 28. Born in East Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, he was a son of the late Samuel L. and Ida (Keith) Shimp, and was the husband of Helen M. (Eshelman) Shimp for 62 years on December 2, 2001. He was a member of St. Paul’s Evangelical Congregational Church, Reamstown, Lancaster County. He retired after over 20 years with Ephrata Manufacturing Company, Ephrata, and was a self-employed farmer for many years. Surviving in addition to his wife is a son, Dwight S., husband of Kathleen E. (Lemon) Shimp, and a daughter, Joan Y., wife of Larry M. Eshleman, both of Ephrata; 3 granddaughters; 2 great-grandchildren; a brother, Victor K. Shimp, Fivepointville, Lancaster County; and 2 sisters, Judy Shimp, Lancaster; and Agnus LeVan, Reading.
Clarence's funeral will be private by his request. There will be no public viewing and burial will take place in Center Union Cemetery, East Earl Township, PA. The family asks that rather than flowers, remember him with your contributions to his church, St. Paul's E. C. Church Memorial Fund, Post Office Box 275, Reamstown, PA 17567-0275 or to the Ephrata Community Hospital, 169 Martin Avenue, Ephrata, PA 17522, where he was given exceptional care during his last days.
Raymond E. Shupp
January 20, 1915 - May 18, 2002
Raymond E. Shupp, 87, formerly of 1200 Muddy Creek Road, Denver, Lancaster County, died Tuesday morning in Garden View Skilled Nursing Center of Garden Spot Village, New Holland, Lancaster County, where he resided one day. He had resided at Mountain View Assisted Living of Garden Spot Village since September 20, 2001. Born in Brecknock Township, Lancaster County, he was a son of the late Henry K. and Anna M. (Taylor) Shupp. He was a member of St. John’s Center United Church of Christ, East Earl, Lancaster County. Retiring in 1980, he was employed for over 35 years as a carpenter with the former Paul Weber Builder and James Weber Builder, both of Terre Hill, Lancaster County. Raymond also assisted with the family farm for most of his life. Many years ago he had worked at the former Royer’s Bakery, Denver. He was an Army veteran of World War II having served in the Pacific Theater. Mr. Shupp was an avid woodworker, blacksmith, caned chairs, made brooms and enjoyed gardening, cooking and reading. Surviving is a sister, Edna M. Weber, also a resident at Garden Spot Village, New Holland; 3 brothers, Arthur E. Shupp, a resident of Denver Nursing Home, Stevens, PA; Harry L. Shupp, a resident of Fairmount Homes, Inc., Farmersville, PA; and Ralph K., marriage
to Evelyn (Heisey) Shupp, a resident of Brethren Village, Neffsville, PA; and 4 nieces and 3 nephews.
Raymond's viewing will be held on Monday, May 20, 2002, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM from our funeral parlor. The funeral ceremony will take place on Tuesday, May 21, 2002, at 10:00 AM with his pastor, The Reverend Bradley J. Haws, officiating. The burial will follow in Center Union Cemetery, East Earl Township, Lancaster County, PA.
The family asks that rather than flowers, contributions in Raymond's memory be sent to St. John's Center United Church of Christ Memorial Fund, 432 Reading Road, East Earl, PA 17519.
A Biographical Sketch from records of Mountain View Assisted Living of Garden Spot Village:
Raymond Eugene Shupp was born January 20, 1915, in Brecknock Township near Fivepointville, PA, to Henry And Anna Shupp. He was the youngest of eight children with six brothers - Paul, Arthur, Harry, John Walter, William & Ralph, and 1 sister, Edna. Arthur is 101 years old and reside at the Denver Nursing Home, Harry resides at Fairmount Homes, Inc. and Ralph lives at Brethren Village, Lititz, while his sister, Edna Weber, lives also at Garden Spot Village. Raymond's parents were farmers and did truck farming and attended market in Reading, PA, where they sold their produce. When he was 2 years old the family home caught fire and burnt. They rebuilt on the same foundation. Raymond resided in that home his entire life. One of his earliest memories, age 4, was when his brother, Paul, went to war in 1918 to fight in France, returning 11 months later at the end of World War I. Raymond began school at the age of 4 at Red Run School, a one-room schoolhouse where he completed the eighth grade. He had several male teachers and female teachers over the years, the last one being a male who was strict, but very good. Raymond liked school and learning was easy for him. When he was 6 years old his chores on the farm consisted of hunting the eggs and getting the kindling for firewood. As he got older his chores included hunting for tobacco worms and hoeing tobacco. One of the things his brothers and he liked to do was pitch quoits. One day his father told them to pull weeds in the corn, which they did. However, they took the quoits with them and went to the middle of the field and cut one row down, just enough to pitch quoits. They had a lot of fun and their father never found out until he went to harvest the corn. When Raymond was 16 years old, he went to work at Bollman Hat Factory, Adamstown. He worked there one summer and continued after he finished his schooling. He worked in the tipper and hardener section, as well as the box factory for one year. He continued at Bollman for about 10 years. During that time, Raymond became interested in photography, which he pursued, taking many pictures and developing them himself. He also developed films for other people as well. In 1937, Raymond decided he needed to build up his strength and muscles, so he bought a set of weights and began weightlifting. Once again he was a success. He also enjoyed hunting pheasant and other small game, as well as deer. He often went deer hunting with his neighbor to Lycoming County. Upon leaving Bollman Hat Company he was offered a job at Royer's Bakery in Denver by the owner. He accepted and began in March, but left in November that year due to being drafted into the U.S. Army. He did his basic training at Camp Macon, GA, at which time he went to radio school. After completing his training, be went to Camp Shenango, Pittsburgh, which was the distribution center for the trainees. There he received orders to go to Camp Stockton, near San Francisco, CA, traveling by train. In California he received orders to go to the South Pacific. They left for San Diego by boat, sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge, newly constructed at that time. This was a very memorable even for Raymond. In San Diego he boarded a ship to take him to New Caledonia, about 400 miles off of Australia's coast. It was a Swedish ship that had been converted to a troop ship. It took them 23 days at sea, zigzagging across the Pacific Ocean to avoid torpedoes that may have been fired at them. They only had one escort the whole way. The men had to sleep 5 high, one on tope of each other, with only 18 inches between each bunk. As they headed to New Caledonia, they crossed the equator, at which time all men who were crossing for the first time received an initiation. They had to crawl through a makeshift tunnel around different obstacles, only to be sprayed in the face with a hose as they came out the other end. Upon arriving at their destination, Raymond was assigned to an artillery unit which handled 155 millimeter guns. There he continued with radio school and became a short wave radio operator, sending messages using Morse Code. His job was to relay the commander's orders by radio to others so they would know which direction to shoot. They eventually left New Caledonia working their way up through the islands past Guadalcanal to the Philippines, ending on the isle of Leyte. This was one of the first islands bombed by the US to regain the Philippines. He remembers seeing the coconut trees laying all over the beach, having been mowed down by artillery from the ships. Raymond's unit was one of the units that brought up the rear. One time another unit received the wrong orders and instead of firing the shells over their heads, they mistakenly fired on them, exploding close to Raymond and a couple of other men. Of course he radioed telling them they were firing in the wrong direction. His unit received orders that they were being sent to Japan, but before they left, the Atomic Bomb was dropped, ending the war. Therefore, they never had to go to Japan. Raymond had entered the Army in December 1942 and finally was discharged in January 1946. He had obtained the rank of Sergeant and had spent the entire 4 years without a furlough. Upon his arrival in Lancaster at the railroad station, two of his brothers were there to pick him up. They stopped for gas on the way home in Denver near the bakery where Raymond had worked. His old boss saw Raymond and immediately offered him his old job at the baker for $25 a week. He worked there until 1953, baking cookies, bread, rolls, buns and doughnuts. He eventually earned $53 a week. He worked both day and evening shifts. He left the bakery to go to work for his brother-in-law, Paul Weber, a builder in Terre hill, at his request. He worked in the construction business for over 35 years. They built houses and an occasional warehouse...and even a church. During these years he lived with his mother and brother, William, in the same home where he was born. His mother and William took care of the farm. His mother was a small woman but could work as good as any man, but she eventually began to slow down and needed nursing care which Raymond, his brother and sister provided. His mother died May 9, 1974, at age 100. Upon retiring from construction, he was a curious and determined man. This he believes he inherited from his maternal grandfather. Raymond enjoyed attending the Kutztown Fold Festival, observing the many different demonstrations at the fair. As a result, he began to do some woodworking, making small benches and chests. He also made brooms, caned chairs, gardened and managed a small orchard at the farm. His brother, William, became ill and Raymond cared for him until his death. Raymond began experiencing some health problems and realized it was becoming more and more difficult to keep up the farm. He broke his shoulder in August 2001 which made it impossible to continue. Since his sister already lived at Garden Spot Village, he decided to take up residency at Mountain View on September 20, 2001. Since arriving, he enjoys feeding the birds and even growing tomatoes in his room...continually welcoming visits from family and friends, as well as, making new friends.
Clair L. Shober
December 25, 1936 - September 15, 2004
Clair L. Shober, 67, 91 Denver Road, East Cocalico Township, Denver, Lancaster County, died Wednesday morning, September 15, at 2:45 AM in Ephrata Community Hospital where he was a patient since Friday. Born in Denver, he was a son of the late James L. and Elsie G. (Musser) Shober, and was the husband of Millie J. (Schappell) Shober for 44 years on August 27th. He had been employed most of his life as a construction worker and took great pride in his family homestead. A member of Muddy Creek Evangelical Lutheran Church, Swartzville, he was active in volunteer building projects at the church. Clair was a peacetime veteran of the Air Force. Surviving in addition to his wife are 2 daughters, Debra I. (Shober), marriage to Jeff Marks; and Diane I. (Shober), marriage to Jerry L. Englert, both of Denver, PA; a grandson, Joseph H. Marks; 3 sisters, Minerva Mae (Shober), wife of Franklin D. Fry, Ephrata, PA; Bette J. (Shober) Teele, Quakertown, PA; and Dorothy L. (Shober), wife of Charles Shealer, Lancaster, PA; and 4 brothers, Ellis G. Shober, companion of Elizabeth Myers, Stevens, PA; Lester M., husband of Mae (Folkenhower) Shober, Ephrata, PA; Paul R. Shober, Ephrata, PA; and James L., Jr., husband of Joyce (Smith) Shober, Stevens, PA.
A viewing will be held on Friday, September 17, 2004, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at our funeral home.
Services will be held on Saturday, September 18, 2004, at 11:00 AM from Muddy Creek Evangelical Lutheran Church, 11 South Muddy Creek Road, Denver (Swartzville), PA 17517, with Pastor Joyce A. Seip officiating. There will be a viewing one hour prior to the service.
Flowers will be received or you may remember Clair with contributions to his church's Building Fund at the address above.
Audrey E. Schmidt
June 16, 1935 - January 28, 2005
Audrey E. Schmidt, 69, of 6 West Church Street, Reamstown, Lancaster County, PA, formerly of West Milford, New Jersey, died in her residence Friday morning. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, she was the daughter of the late Carl and Olive (Thrasher) Facenbaker, and was the wife of Robert A. Schmidt, who died December 21, 1976. She was a member of Akron United Zion Church, the Cocalico Area Senior Center, was a collector of porcelain dolls and enjoyed crocheting. She had worked at the former Davet Wallpaper Company, Inc., Ringwood, NJ. Surviving is a daughter, Kathryn S., wife of Rick J. Dillon, Stevens, PA; a son, Robert, husband of Jill (Bobrowsky) Schmidt, Standfordsville, NY; and a brother, Donald, husband of Emma Facenbaker, Weehawken, NJ.
A memorial service will be scheduled by the family at a later date. Audrey's cremains will be inurned in Philos Cemetery, Westernport, Maryland, with her parents.
Rather than flowers, please remember Audrey with contributions to the Cocalico Area Senior Center, 156 West Main Street, Reinholds, PA 17569.
William G. Schwarzmann, Sr.
Feb. 1, 1910 - Aug. 9, 2001
Loving Father
William G. Schwarzmann, Sr., age 91, of 1373 Clearview Drive, Denver, Lancaster County, formerly of Abington and Frankford, died Thursday morning at 4:40 AM in the Ephrata Community Hospital where he was a patient for the past 8 days. Born in Philadelphia, he was a son of the late George and Lillie (Fritchie) Schwarzmann. His wife, Dorothy H. (Harrer) Schwarzmann, died June 21, 1990. Retiring in 1968, he was employed for 41 years as a regional salesman for the Uniroyal Corporation, Philadelphia, and formerly employed by Masland Duraleather Company, Philadelphia. He was a life member of the Jerusalem Lodge #506 Free & Accepted Masons, Philadelphia, and the LuLu Temple Shrine, Plymouth Meeting. Surviving is a son, William G. Schwarzmann, Jr., with whom he resided; and a sister, Katherine Link, St. Petersburg, Florida.
The viewing is scheduled from 7:00 to 9:00 PM with the services at 8:00 PM on Sunday, August 12, 2001, from our parlors. A Masonic tribute and celebration of memories will be offered.
Graveside committal will be held on Monday, August 13, 2001, at 11:00 AM in Whitemarsh Memorial Park, 1169 Limekiln Pike, Ambler, Montgomery County, PA.
Harold E. Sensenig
January 30, 1926 - June 8, 2004
Harold E. Sensenig, 78, of 30 Robert Road, Ephrata, Lancaster County, died Tuesday morning at 12:40 AM in Val-D’or Hospital, Val-D’or, Quebec, Canada, where he was a patient for 3 days. He was visiting Canada for a fishing trip and became ill. Born in Reamstown, Lancaster County, he was a son of the late Walter R. and Katie F. (Sweigart) Sensenig, and was the husband of Ruth (Weinhold) Sensenig for 57 years on April 1, 2004. He retired in 1991 after over 25 years as a truck driver with Richard L. Sensenig, Inc., Ephrata. He was employed earlier by Ewell Trucking, Inc., East Earl, Lancaster County. Sensenig attended Bible Fellowship Church, Ephrata. He was a motorcycle enthusiast and a member of the Happy Pappys Motorcycle Club. He was an Army corporal during World War II and was an avid fisherman. Surviving in addition to his wife are 2 sons, Bruce A., marriage to Linda L. (Miller) Sensenig, Denver, PA; and Walter W., marriage to Fawn (Trier) Sensenig, Pottersdale, PA; 1 granddaughter; a step-grandson; and a great-granddaughter; also a sister, Shirley Ann Sensenig, Ephrata, PA; and a brother, Edward R., marriage to Brenda (Wolf) Sensenig, Ephrata, PA. He was preceded in death by 2 brothers, Victor L. and Richard L. Sensenig.
A viewing will be held on Sunday evening, June 13, 2004, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM from our parlors. The service celebrating Harold's life will be held at our funeral home on Monday, June 14, 2004, at 10:00 AM with The Rev. Robert Smock, The Rev. Dan Allen and The Rev. Kelly Sensening officiating. Burial will follow in Memory Gardens, Wabash Road, Ephrata, Lancaster County, PA. Military honors will be accorded by the Red Rose Veterans Honor Guard of Lancaster County.
If desired, remember Harold with your contributions to Susquehanna Association for the Blind, 244 North Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17603.
