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Chester County Press

Obituaries

09/25/2013 05:09PM ● By Acl

CHARMAINE P. BROWN

Charmaine P. Brown, 84, of Williamsburg, Va., formerly of Kennett Square, passed away on Sept. 16 at the Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center.  
She was the wife of Raymond L. Brown, with whom she shared 64 years of marriage. Born in Kennett Square, she was the daughter of the late Grayson and Julia Kelly Patchell. She was a bookkeeper at Longwood Gardens, retiring in 1985. She enjoyed watching TV, going for walks, and being with her family and friends.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by one daughter, Lisa Arguello and her husband David of Williamsburg, Va.; three grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by one sister, Janice Slicer.

A funeral was held Sept. 21. Burial was in Union Hill Cemetery in Kennett Square.

WARREN  M.  DEVONSHIRE

Warren M. Devonshire, 84, of West Grove, passed away on Sept. 16 at his residence. 

He was the husband of Milania "Millie" Franceschine Devonshire, with whom he shared 60 years of marriage. Born in Yorklyn, Del., he was the son of the late William and Ella Carrigan Devonshire. He was a senior gardener at Longwood Gardens, retiring in 1993 after 38 1/2  years of service. He was a member of Assumption BVM Church in West Grove, The Fireman's Relief Association, and a lifetime  member of the Longwood Fire Company and the West Grove Fire Company. He served as Fire Police Captain at the Longwood Fire Company for many years. He was a former member of the Kennett Auxiliary Police, and he was also a member of the Civil Defense Corps. He was an avid baseball fan, and enjoyed gardening, working on cars and trucks, woodworking, watching westerns on TV, and being with his family and friends.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Kathleen DeCamillo and her husband Daniel of Cochranville, and Patricia  Devonshire of Cochranville; two grandsons, Daniel and Matthew DeCamillo; one brother, Robert Devonshire of Vineland, N.J.;  and five sisters,  Joanne Miller of West Grove, Shirley  Nau of West Grove, Dorothy Ranck of Kennett Square, Sylvia Marzean of Vineland, N.J., and  Theresa Rowe of Lancaster, Pa.

He was predeceased by four sisters, Verna Harsh, Hazel Carrigan, Lillian Wynn and Gladys Johnson; eight brothers, William, Thomas, Harold, Stanley, Howard, Winfield, John and LeRoy Devonshire.

A funeral was held Sept. 20 at Assumption BVM Church in West Grove. Burial was in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Kennett Square.

In memory of Warren, a contribution may be made to Assumption BVM Church, 105  W. Evergreen Street, West Grove, PA 19390; or to the Longwood  Fire Company, 1001 East Baltimore Pike, Kennett Square, PA 19348.

EARLE W. NEYMAN 

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Earle W. Neyman, 65, of Abingdon, Va., formerly of Oxford, went to be with the Lord on Sept. 18, surrounded by his family and friends.

Born in 1947 in West Grove, he was the son of the late William N. and Margaret Cockerham Neyman. He was a fourth-generation Oxfordian and was raised in a loving family in the Oxford farming community. On July 19, 1968, Earle married the love of his life, Betty Wood Neyman. He was a member of the Lakeshore Community Church, Abingdon, Va. He was a brick mason by trade and in his later years loved driving a tour bus for the Lakeshore Tours and District 3 Transit in Abingdon. He was an avid fisherman and loved his family and friends, especially the people of Lakeshore Campground.

He is survived by his wife; two sons, Edward Neyman and his wife Jody, William N. Neyman and his wife Jamie Teel; one daughter, Sandra Keen and her husband Christopher; eight grandchildren, Ashley Rasnake, Christopher Rice, Wesley Neyman, Dylan Neyman, Jesse Neyman, Mark Keen, Adam Keen, Madelyn Neyman; four great-grandchildren; three brothers, James Neyman, Thomas Neyman, and Joseph Neyman; one sister, Nancy Cooney; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Funeral services were held Sept. 23. Interment was in Oxford Cemetery.

Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

ELAINE M. GESSNER

Elaine Mary Gessner, 65, of Oxford, Pa., and North Fort Myers, Fla., died unexpectedly on Sept. 20 at Christiana Hospital in Delaware.

She was the partner of Linda Luker, daughter of Anna and Paul (deceased) Gessner of Mechanicsburg, Pa.; sister of Patricia (Alton) Hughes, Carolyn Jovanelly, Dennis (Sandy) Gessner and Cindy Varner; aunt and great-aunt to a niece and seven nephews; and dear friend and teacher to many whose lives were impacted and improved by her kindness, great intelligence, curiosity, know-how and extraordinary beauty inside and out.

She was raised in Camp Hill, Pa. A graduate of East Stroudsburg and West Chester universities, she was a health and physical education teacher and coach at Unionville Middle School until her retirement. Elaine and Linda toured Europe, Africa and the Caribbean extensively. As much as she enjoyed these adventures, she was most content tending their beautiful home, gardens and wild birds, and exploring the woodlands surrounding their property.

A celebration of Elaine's life will be held at 11 a.m. Oct. 5 at the First Presbyterian Church (292 W. Main St., Newark, Del.). In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society of the United States, 2100 L Street NW, Washington, DC  20037 (www.humanesociety.org); or Tri-State Bird Rescue, 110 Possum Hollow Road, Newark, DE (tristatebird.org).

Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

LUIS R.  CRUZ 

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Luis R. "Papo/Louie" Cruz, 54, of West Grove, passed away on Sept. 19 at the Jennersville Regional Hospital. 

He was the husband of Anita "Janie"  Anderson Cruz, with whom he shared 25 years of marriage. Born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, he was the son of the late Victor Cruz and Maximina Soto Rodriguez, but was raised by his grandparents, the late Carmen and Andres Cruz. He was foreman at Mushroom Conveyors in Avondale. He enjoyed  baseball, riding mountain bikes, roasting pigs, watching all sports, cooking, barbecueing ,  NASCAR, and being with his family and friends.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by one daughter, Anica Cruz of West Grove; one son, Andre Cruz of West Grove; five  sisters, Letty Hernandez, Iris Soto, Maximina Rodriguez, Luz Rodrigues and Julie Soto, all of New York;  nine  brothers,  Luis Rodriguez of New York, Luis Cruz of Wilmington, Del., Angel Cruz of Elkton, Md., Junior Cruz of West Grove, George Cruz of Ocala, Fla., Victor Cruz of Elkton, Md., Terry Cruz and Keith Cruz, both of Wilmington, Del., and Sterling Cruz of Elkton, Md. He was predeceased by one brother, Miguel Soto.

A visitation with family and friends will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Sept. 28 at the Living Faith Church (111 Vineyard Way, West Grove). His funeral service will follow at noon. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the family to help with funeral expenses.

CLANCY EWELL PIERCE 

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Clancy Ewell Pierce, 67, of Newark, Del., died suddenly on Sept. 21.

He was born in 1945 in Oxford, Pa. He was pastor of Apostolic Lighthouse Church in Elk Mills, Md. His greatest passion was seeing God transform lives by the power of His spirit. He was one of six children born to the late Robert Ralph and Mary Kate Pierce. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Robert Ralph Pierce, Jr., and Ronald Edwin Pierce; and sisters Shelva Jean Hess, and Kathy Ann Feconda.

He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Deborah Hilaman Pierce; brother Gary Wayne Pierce of Oxford; daughters Sherry Lynn Maule and husband Todd of Elkton, Md., Michelle Kate Carlson and husband Jordan of Newark, Del., Melody Lynn Tetrault and husband Matthew of Rising Sun, Md., and Amy Leigh Johnson and husband Mark of North East, Md.; sons Robert Aaron Pierce of Castleberry, Fla., and Michael David Pierce of Rising Sun, Md. He had eight grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

He worked for Hilaman Milling before pastoring Apostolic Lighthouse Church in Lewisville, Pa., Jonesville, Va., and then Elk Mills, Md. He was an avid bowler and coached the youth bowling at Blue Hen Lanes in Newark, Del. He enjoyed spending time with his wife, church, family, and bowling friends. He impacted many lives through his wisdom, sense of humor, and love of people. He will be greatly missed.

Funeral services will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 25 at the Christian Life Center (105 Francis Ave., Oxford), where friends and family may call from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Interment will be held at 10 a.m. on Sept. 26 at New London United Methodist Church Cemetery (1010 State Rd., New London). In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Brunswick Junior League, 501 Newark Shopping Center, Newark, DE 19711.

Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

STEPHEN McCLAIN 

Stephen Leroy McClain, born Oct. 28, 1952, passed away on Sept. 19. He was a resident of Oxford. Memorial services will be held Sept. 27 at 11 a.m. at the Second Presbyterian Church in Oxford.

DONALD L. DRENNEN 

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Donald L. Drennen, 85, of Oxford, passed away Sept. 23 at Jennersville Regional Hospital as the result of a stroke.

He graduated in 1946 from Oxford High School. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict as a mechanic in the 319th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. He owned and operated the Oxford Grain and Hay Company with his father, L.C. Drennen, and his brother, Lawrie R. Drennen, retiring in 1997. During his life, he was a member of the Oxford Lodge No. 353 F&AM, the Oxford Lions Club, and Union Fire Co. No. 1. He served his community as a board member of the Oxford Area School District, and was currently on the Board of Directors of the Oxford Senior Center. He also served on the Board of Directors of the People's Bank of Oxford. He was a member of the Oxford Presbyterian Church for more than 70 years, serving as an elder and as special funds treasurer.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Josephine G. Drennen. He is survived by two daughters, Donna D. Kelly and her husband Darrell Kelly, and Cynthia D. Pugh and her husband Alan Pugh, both of Oxford; five grandchildren, Megan Kelly, Scott Kelly, Joanna L. Harmelin, Daniel Pugh and Galen Pugh; and one brother, Lawrie R. Drennen of Oxford.

A viewing will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Oxford Presbyterian Church (6 Pine St., Oxford). A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Oxford Presbyterian Church. Interment will be private.    

In lieu of flowers, donations in Don's memory may be made to the Oxford Senior Center, 12 E. Locust St., Oxford, PA 19363; or the Lighthouse Youth Center, 47 South Third St., Oxford, PA 19363. 

Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.