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Chester County Press

Obituaries for the week of Aug. 31

09/01/2020 03:04PM ● By Steven Hoffman
Warren S. O’Sullivan
Warren S. O’Sullivan, a longtime Wilmington, Del. resident, former New Castle County engineer and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, died peacefully on Aug. 24 at his home at Jenner’s Pond. He was 93. 
He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 68 years, Frances Pope O’Sullivan, his sister Isabel Blake, sons Richard and Peter, and grandsons Andrew, Christopher, Connor and Carter.
Born and raised in Narberth, Pa., he attended Lower Merion High School and Drexel University before enlisting in the Army at the end of World War II. He was offered an appointment to West Point and graduated with a degree in engineering in 1952. He married his sweetheart that same year in a military ceremony in Fran’s hometown of Wilmington, Del.
After a distinguished 20-year career as an Army Corps of Engineers officer, which included service in Korea and two tours in Viet Nam, he settled in Wilmington, working as an engineer in the Public Works Department for New Castle County. He was promoted to the position of chief county engineer, which he held until his retirement in 1996.
Warren and Fran moved to Jenner’s Pond in 2010.  He enjoyed tennis, bridge, ballroom dancing and a busy social life with family and many friends.
Warren was an avid supporter of the U.S. Military Academy and Retired Military Officers Association.
A private burial service was held on Aug. 29.
To view his online tribute and to share a memory with his family, please visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.
Arrangements are being handled by the Foulk Funeral Home in West Grove.
 
Robert James Browning
Robert James Browning, 88, of Oxford, formerly of Newark, Del., passed away peacefully on Aug. 23 at Jennersville Hospital. He was a resident of Ware Presbyterian Village in Oxford for six years. 
He was the loving husband of Carol Hall Browning, with whom he shared 59 years of marriage.
Born in Lincoln, MA he was the son of the late George U. and Isabelle Smith Browning. Bob was a veteran of the U. S Air Force, serving during the Korean War, where he was stationed in Morocco as an X-ray technician. 
Following his service, Bob attended college, receiving a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. During this time he worked with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, including work in Greenland. 
After graduation, he was employed with the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company for 32 years, working as an engineer in many states. He had assignments as a project engineering manager in Tokyo, Japan, London, England, and Dunkirk, France. He was a licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and New Jersey, and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineering. 
During his life, Bob was also a member of the Lions Club, the Elks Club, the Greenville, Pa. Library Board, and was active in the Episcopal Church, serving in various volunteer roles. Most recently, he was a member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Newark, Del. and St. Christopher Episcopal Church in Oxford. He was an avid woodworker, making furniture and remodeling many of the family homes. He always enjoyed a good party, and loved to dance. 
He is survived by his wife Carol; his son, Stephen Browning of Bear, Del.; his daughter, Rebecca McKinley of Cheshire, CT; his grandchildren, Sarah Wilson, Scott Browning, Taylor McKinley, Dagny McKinley, and Stacy Browning; and his great-grandchildren, Jonah, Lucas, Micah and Ethan Wilson. 
He was preceded in death by his great-grandchild, Caleb Wilson; and his siblings, George Browning, Jr., Charlotte Willets, Frances Lake and William Browning. 
A memorial service will be held at a later date. 
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 29 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10006-3111.
Arrangements are being handled by Edward L. Collins Funeral Home, Inc. in Oxford. 
Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

Judith E. Schneider
Judith E. Schneider, a resident of Lancaster, Pa., passed away on Aug. 25. She was 68.
Born in Lancaster, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Lewis and Catherine Wallace McMichael. 
Judith retired in 2013 from the Office of Domestic Relations for Chester County.
She is survived by one son, Chad Schneider (Katie) of Lancaster; one daughter, Beth M. Schneider of Oxford; one granddaughter, Baileigh Lee; two brothers, David McMichael (Deb) of Oxford and Kenny McMichael of TN; and one sister, Darlene Everhart of Downingtown; and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Lancaster County SPCA, https://www.pspca.org/tribute-memorial-gifts.
Arrangements are being handled by the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. in Oxford.
Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

Byron JohnsTon
Byron Johnston passed away on July 24.
He is survived by his mother, Sharon Johnston, and by his children, Jaxton and Declan Johnston.
Services will be announced in the future.
Arrangements were handled by the Cremation Service of Delaware.

FRANCIS J. DUSZAK
Francis J. Duszak passed away peacefully at his home in Landenberg on Aug. 20. He was 80.
He is predeceased by his parents, Stella and Francis (“Hap”) Duszak, his sister, Mary Pazzi, and his brother Edward.  
Fran is survived by Kathryn, his wife of 53 years, sons, Francis, Jr., and David, a daughter, Frances Ann Jackson, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.  He is also survived by his twin sister, Odilia.
Fran was born in Wilmington, Del. on March 4, 1940, and he grew up in the city.  He attended St. Hedwig Catholic Elementary School, Colwyck Jr. High, and Brown Vocational High School.  He was always very athletic and excelled in several sports, receiving awards for both wrestling and football.  He played both offense and defense on Brown’s football team and played in the All-Star game in 1958.  
After graduating from high school in 1958, Fran worked for Hercules Powder Company at the Research Center in Wilmington, Del. He entered the U. S. Army in 1964 and served in Vietnam before returning home in 1966. He continued to work at Hercules until his retirement in 1999. In the 1980s, he went to night classes and received an associate’s degree from Goldey-Beacom.
Fran and Kathy met at Rehoboth Beach, Del. during Memorial Day weekend in 1966. They married in April 1967, and were together ever since.
Fran is a past president of the local National Wild Turkey Federation chapter, The Laurel Long Beards.  An avid turkey hunter for over 50 years, he enjoyed more than 100 hunts at his cabin in McConnellsburg, Pa., where he shared many great and memorable times with his sons and some of his closest friends. He also hunted in South Carolina, where he could visit with his daughter, Francy, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all of whom he adored. 
At the required age of 18, Fran became a member of the Polaski Legion in Wilmington, Del. He was an active member after that, and enrolled both sons as soon as they reached the required age.  He enjoyed going to the Polaski Day Parade and the annual Polish Festival whenever he could.
One of Fran’s hobbies was gardening. Every year he planted a giant vegetable garden and got much pleasure giving most of his vegetables away to family and friends.
A runner for over 50 years, Fran remained athletic all his life.  He was an active member of Hockessin Athletic Club and always exceeded expectations.
Aside from his many accomplishments, Fran was a wonderful husband, father and friend, and will be missed by many. Kathy called him “my warrior, my hero, who always made me feel safe.”  His children idolized him.  Each of his closest friends knew they could always count on him; he always had their backs.  He was loved and admired for many reasons, including his loyalty, self-discipline and determination, his endless pranks and zany sense of humor. It was often said that, “He is the toughest guy I know.”
Visitation and funeral services will be held at St. Hedwig’s Catholic Church, 408 S. Harrison Street in Wilmington, Del. on Friday, Sept. 4.  Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. followed by services at 10:30 a.m. Interment will be held at 1 p.m. at Delaware Memorial Cemetery, 2465 Chesapeake City Road, Bear, Del.  A reception celebrating Fran’s life will be held at a later date.  Donations in Fran’s memory may be made to Wounded Warriors Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675-8516 or Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306.
Josephine Barker Blackburn
Josephine Barker Blackburn went to be with the Lord on July 25.  She was 92 years old.  
She was formerly a resident of Oxford. 
Born in Damascus, VA, she was the daughter of Wiley Barker and Lola Johnson Barker.
Josephine was the beloved wife of the late Elmer Blackburn; mother of Patricia Duvall (Delmer), Lanny Blackburn (Suzanne), Larry Blackburn (Karen) and the late Linda Rowe (Richard); grandmother of Tammie, Alisa, Kristen, Jenny, Brandy, Carrie, Stephanie, Julia, Jason, Andrea, Matthew, Robert, Richard and Ethan; a great-grandmother of 16; and a sister of Madeline Barker Salerni and the late Burl Barker.
Services were held on July 31 at Longwood Funeral Home & Cremation of Matthew Genereux in Kennett Square. Burial followed in Union Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Kennett Square Missionary Baptist Church, 408 Bayard Road. Kennett Square., PA 19348.
 
Janet K. Baccino
Janet K. (England) Baccino passed away peacefully at Linden Hall in Kennett Square on Aug. 28. She was the wife of Frank A. Baccino, who passed away in 1988, and with whom she shared 16 years of marriage. She was 76.
Janet was the daughter of the late Leroy and Treva England and spent most of her life in the southern Chester County area.  She graduated from Kennett High School in 1962. 
Janet was retired from Acme Markets, where she worked for over 20 years, first at the New Garden location then in Avondale after the store relocated.  She had many positions at the store over the years, but her favorite was when she worked in the bakery department.  If you ever ordered a personalized decorated cake from the bakery in the 1990s and early 2000s, chances are she’s the one who decorated it.
In her spare time, Janet loved crafts, from the countless hand-made Halloween costumes for her children to beadwork in her later years and almost anything and everything in between.  She also enjoyed cooking and especially baking, learning several recipes from her Italian mother-in-law.  In retirement Janet used her free time to travel both by cruise and land to Canada and Europe. 
Janet is survived by her son, Nicholas (Melinda) of Landenberg; her brother James England of Townsend, Del.; loving grandsons Cole and Christopher of Landenberg; and several nieces and nephews. 
She was preceded in death by her daughter, Jacqueline; grandson, Luke; sister Kathryn; and brother Robert.
Due to the pandemic, services will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Avenue, Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601 or on the web at http://act.alz.org/donate.
To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.
Arrangements are being handled by the Kuzo Funeral Home in Kennett Square.