SIMON  ROSALES  ZAMORA

Simon Rosales Zamora, a resident of Coatesville, passed away on July 13 at the Reading Hospital. He was 41.

Born in Tenancingo, Mexico, he was the son of Juan Rosales Hernandez of Mexico, and the late Juana Zamora Zamora.

Simon was a tree climber at McDonough Tree Service in Jersey Shore, Pa.

He enjoyed going to the beach and being with his family and friends.

Simon was a member of St. Rocco Catholic Church in Avondale.

In addition to his father, he is survived by one son, Carlito James Rosales of West Grove; one stepdaughter, Lilly Jennings of West Grove; one brother, Esteban Rosales Zamora and his wife Aida Rosado of West Grove; and three sisters, Rosa Rosales Zamora, Josefine Rosales Zamora and Maria Elena Rosales Zamora, all of Mexico.

Services were held on July 17 at St. Rocco Catholic Church in Avondale. Burial was in St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Kennett Square.

To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.

LEON JOSEPH STIVALE

Leon “Lee” Joseph Stivale, of Kennett Square, departed this life on July 15.

He is survived by his wife, Brenda; two sons, Lee Alan of Chadds Ford, and David George (Kim Craig) of San Diego, CA; three grandchildren, Brittany Lee, Avery and Brayden; as well as numerous friends and relatives; and two fine, furry friends, Shadow the cat, and his “pet” fox, Foxy.

Lee was predeceased by his father, Joseph Stivale, his mother, Amelia Stivale (nee Kuczwk) of Jenkintown, Pa., and a daughter, Susanne Stivale.  

In his younger years, Lee achieved the rank of captain in the Artillery Division of the U.S. Army, and he set an all-time record for forward observer.  

His hobbies over the decades evolved to include building and racing cars at professional race tracks, sailing one of two beautiful sailboats at the Eastern Shore and the Atlantic Ocean, raising and training hunting dogs, and cooking gourmet meals for friends and family.  

Lee retired in 2005 from a long career in IT, and prior to his retirement, he most recently served as Director of IT for Unisys Corporation in Blue Bell, Pa.

His career responsibilities, along with a personal desire to see the world, allowed Lee and Brenda to enjoy many years of travel to points around the globe, including Tahiti, Australia and many voyages to New Zealand.  

After he and Brenda moved to Kennett Square in 2005, they could often be seen at Longwood Gardens strolling the gardens or attending a concert and in later years, Lee enjoyed personally maintaining the lawn and gardens of their home.

Services are private and will be handled by Kuzo Funeral Home. The burial will be at Union Hill Cemetery in Kennett Square with military honors. 

 The family requests that donations in honor of Lee be made to St. Jude Hospital for Children, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Herbert C. Osborne

Herbert C. Osborne, a resident of Cochranville, passed away on July 14 at Hospice & Community Care in Mount Joy, Pa. He was 81.

Born on Sept. 2, 1938 in Little Britain, Pa., he was the son of the late Claude and Nancy M. Greer Osborne. 

He started school at Eastland, then went to Solanco and then graduated from Scott Senior High School while he worked at Auditorium Theatre. He went on to Edward W. Bok Technical High School to become an electrician.

His first job was with Waterson Electric. Local Union 654 took him in and he held several positions while working for Henkles & McCoy and James Silvie. Many good men worked with him over the years, and he thanks them all for their assistance.

In his spare time, Herbert could be found in the mountains, where he was a member of the Chester County Hunting Club in Bradford County. He held memberships in American Legions, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Germania Fire Co., and the Rod and Gun Club.

He was known for his ability to cook pigs, and he and his brother, Ray, often cooked pigs for fundraisers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware.

He is survived by one son, Martin Osborne (Melissa Ricardelli) of Quarryville; one daughter, Lisa Osborne Hall (Rick) of Peach Bottom; five grandchildren; Eight great-grandchildren; one brother,  Raymond Greer of Peach Bottom; and one sister, Pearl Osborne Cochran (Robert) of Peach Bottom.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Cordus (Corky) Osborne.

Funeral services were held on July 18 at the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. in Oxford.

Interment was in Oxford Cemetery.

Arrangements are being handled by the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. Oxford.

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

PETER SCHWARZ, SR.

Peter Kurt Schwarz, Sr., of Kennett Square, passed away on July 12 at his home. He was 51.

He was the amazing, loving husband of Christine (Buckland) Schwarz. They shared 23 years of marriage and were parents to three children: Peter Jr., Emma and Margo. 

Peter was the son of Kurt W. Schwarz and the late Lore (Ruof) Schwarz. 

He is survived by his brother, Steven (and wife Lynne), and his in-laws Betty and George Buckland. In addition, he will be greatly missed by his nephews, niece and many loving friends and family members.  Pete will also be missed by the newest member of the Schwarz family, his dog, Oakley.

The memorial service took place on July 18.

Private funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Kuzo Funeral Home in Kennett Square. The burial was in St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Kennett Square.  

In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Schwarz Children Education Fund (ugift529.com; Code: L0K-K38) would be most appreciated. 

To offer condolences to the family please visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.

DONNA PRATOLA

Donna Pratola, 66, passed away peacefully while holding her son Christopher’s hand on July 15 at the Penn Medicine Inpatient Hospice Unit in West Chester after a near four-year battle with Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease.

Born on Feb. 21,1954, Donna was the second of three children born to the late Fred Pratola, Sr. and Angeline (Giroso) Pratola.  

She was a 1972 graduate of Kennett High School.  An extremely intelligent woman, Donna received a certification in Laboratory Science from St. Francis Hospital.  She worked in the hospital lab for several years until she had her first child.  Donna had many jobs during her lifetime, including working as an administrative assistant to the director of plant operations at Kennett High School and later as the administrative assistant for the vice principal at the school. 

She took night classes and graduated with an associates degree in medical transcription which enabled her to work for a decade at A.I. du Pont Hospital for Children.  Always wanting to better herself, she graduated from the Dawn Career Institute with a certification and license in massage therapy. She received multiple certifications in various types of massage including, pregnancy, infant, deep tissue, and Reiki.  She had a passion to help those living with chronic pain to feel better.  Her last job was working as an assistant activities director for Brandywine Assisted Living in Longwood.  She had a natural ability to show kindness, understanding, and love to those whose lives she touched.  She loved using her massage therapies with several residents of the facility.  She took great interest in their lives and became friends with many of them, especially the ones who did not have regular visits from family members.  She looked out for them and spoke up for them if necessary.

Aside from being a mother, Donna loved, cooking, music, dancing, singing and playing the piano which, she could do by ear often creating beautiful melodies by just sitting at the keys. She also loved animals and her home full of rescue dogs and cats. 

Of all of Donna’s jobs in life, she had said the most important thing for her was to be a good mother.  She loved her two children with an intense drive to make sure that all their needs were met.  She was blessed to have the ability to be a stay-at-home mom.  At home, she educated, played with, and watched over her children with unconditional love.  Some would say she was overprotective, but for Donna, keeping her children safe was at the top of her list of duties, even when they became adults.  There was never a moment when she was too tired or wanting to do something for herself.  She was selfless in her care for her children and for other children as well.  Once her youngest child was school age, she joined the PTO at New Garden Elementary, eventually becoming president of the organization.  Her creativity started some of the school’s traditions that lasted many years. She, along with other mothers who were her friends, created talent shows, led fundraising Hoagie Days and was part of the team that created the famous “New Garden Elementary School Cookbook” which contained recipes from some of the town’s best “chefs.”  The book has had two printings and is in many households. When her children moved to the middle school and high school, she joined them by first being a volunteer and then worked as an employee.

Tradition was important and she was immensely proud of her parents and her immigrant grandparents who showed what it meant to achieve the American Dream. She did her job exceptionally well and those who knew her know that she was the best mother she could be.

Her son Christopher was her caregiver from the beginning of the diagnosis until the moment she took her last breath.  The journey of her illness was not all bad and she and Christopher shared many special moments that he will always cherish.  She was able to attend an Adult Day Center where she participated in activities with other individuals suffering from similar conditions.  She always had a smile on her face at the end of the day.  She and Christopher enjoyed quality time reminiscing, going to the movies, out to dinner or lunch and just becoming as close as possible.

In addition to her loving son Christopher Carozzo, she is also survived by her her brother, Fred Pratola, Jr, her aunts Mary Pratola and Betty Pratola, two nephews, one niece, four great-nephews, one great-niece, and many cousins.

Along with her parents, she was predeceased by her grandparents Michael Pratola, Sr. and Grace Esposito Pratola, her uncle Ralph Pratola, Sr., uncle and godfather Michael Pratola, Jr., maternal grandfather Joseph Giroso, uncle David Giroso and his wife Irene Giroso. 

There will be an invitation-only service.

To view an online tribute, please visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.

Arrangements are being handled by the Kuzo Funeral Home, Kennett Square.

In lieu of flowers, donations made be made in Donna’s memory to The Alzheimer’s Association,  225 N. Michigan Ave, Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601.

 

Edward Alfred Johnson, Jr.

Edward A. Johnson, Jr., was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and educator. He was a former resident of Springfield, Delaware County, a proud World War II veteran, and Elementary principal in Haverford School District. He died of natural causes on July 14 at the Willow Valley Retirement Community in Lancaster. He was 97.

He was born on Oct. 20, 1922 to the late Edward A Johnson and Carrie Leedom Johnson. He was preceded in death by his three sisters, Eleanor Johnson, Marian Heitman, and Florence Meyer.  

Ed Johnson loved his family. He is survived by Dorothy Leonard Johnson, his wife of 72 years; his son, Edward L. Johnson (Jane); his daughter, Sandra Mast (Eric); four grandchildren, Timothy Johnson, Amy Ober (Kyle), Nate Mast (Ashley), Laura Seeley (Jonathan).  He has two great-granddaughters (Macy Ober, Quinn Mast) and a great grandson (Cooper Mast) He is also survived by his loving nieces and nephews.  

After graduating from Abington High School, he enlisted in the Air Corps, serving in the 15th Air Force Base, Italy. He flew 25 missions as part of a B-24 Bomber Crew into Austria and Germany.

Ed Johnson was an avid athlete. Following the war, he attended West Chester University where he played varsity soccer, as well as varsity, and semi-pro Suburban League baseball, while earning a bachelor's degree in physical education.  A highlight of his baseball career was playing in the East -West All-Star Game in Fenway Park, Boston where he doubled off the Green Monster. He went on to earn a masters degree in Elementary Education. At Haverford, he was a teacher from 1950 to 1954, principal at Llanerch from 1954 to 1958, Manoa Elementary School from 1958 to 1970, and Oakmont from 1970 to1988.  

While he enjoyed all sports, baseball was his passion.  Ed shared his enthusiasm for the game with family, teachers and students alike, coaching and umpiring many school baseball and softball games over the years. In his retirement, he continued his passion, working with students, by serving as a volunteer coach for Haverford Girls Softball. In recognition of his decades of dedicated service to Haverford Township, teachers and administrators awarded him a Phillies Dream Week experience, a gift of memories he enjoyed throughout his retirement. Upon his retirement, his love of baseball transferred to golf. He served as a volunteer coach for the Springfield boys golf team.

He was also a proud grandfather, and loved attending his grandchildren’s sporting events.

The family wishes to sincerely thank the staff at Willow Valley, especially the nurses at The Glen for all their support and loving care.

Graveside services are private.

 In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516.

Arrangements are being handled by the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. Oxford. Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

Ira Edward ‘Sam’ Peirson, JR. 

Ira Edward “Sam” Peirson, Jr., of North East, Md., died July 17 after a long illness. He was 73.

He was the son of the late Ira Edward Peirson and Jessie B (Eller) Peirson.  He is survived by his wife, Betty Lou (Brooks) Peirson, and two sisters, Carole Lemire (and husband Ed) of Lakeland, FL and Mary Simons (and husband Dave) of Kennett Square.

Sam was born in Wilmington, Del. on March 9, 1947. He attended New Garden Elementary School and graduated from Kennett Consolidated High School as part of the Class of 1965.

Sam was a talented musician, learning to play saxophone and guitar at a very young age.  Once he learned to play guitar, he never looked back.  He would hear a song and just play it. His first band was The Shades and he played lead guitar in various rock bands in his early years.  He was an avid Beatles, Eric Clapton and Lynyrd Skynyrd fan.  His love of rock music was contagious.  Sam also loved the muscle cars of the1960s and early 1970s.  One of his favorites was his 1966 GTO in Charcoal Blue which he affectionately called, “My Goat.”

Sam was a talented woodworker and worked as a finish carpenter for 30 years.  He learned carpentry at an early age and helped his dad build the family home in Kennett Square.  He also loved woodworking as a hobby and created items that were sturdy and meant to last a lifetime.  Later in life, he worked for 15 years as a custodian at Rising Sun High School.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 22 from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. at Crouch Funeral Home, located at 127 South Main Street in North East, Md. The graveside services will follow visitation at 3 p.m. at Auburn Regular Baptist Cemetery in Landenberg.

To offer online condolences, please visit www.crouchfuneralhome.com.