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Chester County Press

Obituaries for the week of November 17

11/17/2020 12:21PM ● By Steven Hoffman

Barry Wilmer Hostetter

Barry Wilmer Hostetter, 60, of Oxford, passed away on Nov. 9 at home.

He was the husband of Monica Bering Hostetter. They shared 38 years of marriage.

Born in West Grove, he was the son of Wilmer L. and Joyce Landis Hostetter of Oxford.

Barry graduated from Oxford Area High School where he was very involved with football, wrestling and FFA. He was a member of the Holstein Dairy Judging Team. Barry was inducted into the Oxford High Wall of Fame. Upon graduation from high school, Barry managed a Holstein dairy herd on the family farm.  

He served on the Chester Co. Holstein Club, Chester Delaware County Farm Bureau Board, and the Oxford Zoning Hearing Board.  About eight years ago, Barry became involved with Hereford beef cattle, registering them under his farm name of Hoss Hereford. He was a grain broker for the family business, Hostetter Grain.

Barry was a member of the Penn Ag Industries Feed, grain and ingredients executive committee. He was on the board of directors for the Lighthouse Youth Ministry in Oxford for the past 30 years, including 15 years as chairman of the board. He was vice chairman at the time of his passing.

He was a member of Mt. Vernon Christian Church, serving as usher and many times as a greeter.  Barry’s Faith and joy of serving the Lord was very evident in the way he loved people.

He is survived by his wife; his parents; one son, Eric T. Hostetter (Meghan) of Oxford; one daughter, Allison L. Hostetter of Oxford; five grandchildren, Blake, Madison, Grayson, Belle and Penelope; and three brothers, William L. Hostetter (Melissa) of Oxford, Bernie Hostetter (Karen) of Lincoln University and John J. Hostetter (Judy) of Oxford.

Funeral services were held on Nov. 16 at the Mt. Vernon Christian Church.

Interment was private.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Barry’s memory may be made to the Lighthouse Youth Center, 245 Commerce St, Oxford, PA 19363.

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


Joyce Baker Miller

Joyce “Lynn” Baker Miller passed away on Nov. 6. She was 70.

Lynn was born on Oct. 13, 1950 in West Chester. She was the daughter of the late Elizabeth (McKim) and Isaiah Baker, Jr. of Avondale.

Lynn graduated from Avon Grove High School in 1968 and the following year married the love of her life, Vernon T. Miller, with whom she shared 51 years of marriage.

Lynn worked at Liberty Buick, Bayard, Brill and Handelman law firm, and retired from the News Journal Company with 35 years of service. When Lynn retired, she was the executive assistant to the president and publisher of the News Journal.

She was a faithful member of Christ Church at the Grove in Landenberg, and served as a greeter and member of the hospitality committee. Lynn loved her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, her loving husband Vernon and she adored her son and grandchildren more than words can say. She enjoyed spending time with family, traveling or just hanging out on their patio, reading the Bible with Vernon, crocheting and dancing.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by their son, Michael A. Miller; grandchildren, Mason and Elianna; sister, Kathy Mae Baker; goddaughter, Kaelynn Woodie all of Wilmington, Del.; and sister-cousin, Carmen McKim Haston of Newark, Del.; brothers-in-law, Stephen H. Miller (Tracey) of Philadelphia, Ronald F. Miller (Patricia) of Brunswick, ME, Larry W. Miller of Kennett Square; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends.

Services were held on Nov. 14 at Christ Church at the Grove in Landenberg.  

Interment was at Union Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Lynn’s name can be made to the American Cancer Society, 92 Reads Way #205, New Castle, DE 19720.

Arrangements are being handled by Kuzo Funeral Home in Kennett Square.


Dawn M. Sexton

Dawn M. (Charles) Sexton passed away peacefully at her home in Oxford while in the presence of her loving family on Nov. 11. She was 80.

She was the wife of Robert E. Sexton, with whom she shared over 57 years of marriage.

Born Dec. 11, 1939 in the city of Lancaster, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Emmett and Mildred Ruth Charles.  She moved to Chester County early in life.

Dawn attended one room schools until 1954 when she enrolled to Oxford Area High School and graduated with Bob as part of the class of 1958.

She was employed at various jobs over the years. She was well known as an immaculate housekeeper and gardener. Her grandchildren often said, “We could eat off of mom-mom’s floors.” They would also rave about her lasagna and French toast and Thanksgiving dinners.

Dawn loved raising her children and helping to raise her grandchildren.

After being diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer, Dawn was taken care of at home by Bob, Kevin, Kelly, Bruce, Lisa and her granddaughter, Kirstie. 

Special thanks to Sam and Emma Stoltzfus and family for providing meals and creating a flower garden for Dawn. 

The family would also like to thank the University of Pennsylvania hospice nurse, Paige Conant, and the nurses’ aides, especially Pam Lawrence, Lashona Webster and social worker Halli Witherspoon.

She is survived by her husband; two sons, Robert Bruce Sexton (Lisa) of Lansing, MI and Kevin Mark Sexton (Kelly) of Oxford; five grandchildren, Kirstie, Joshua, Wesley, Jacob and Ericka; and one great-grandson, Wyatt.

She was preceded in death by her two brothers, Robert Charles and Jerry Charles.

At the request of Dawn, there is no visitation and services will be private.

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

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


Lynn A. McCarthy

Lynn A. McCarthy passed away unexpectedly at Chester County Hospital on Nov. 7. She was 74.

Lynn was born on Sept. 27, 1946 in Sacramento, CA to Betty Lou and William F. Duffy, Jr. 

She was raised in Philadelphia, along with her younger brother Michael Duffy (married to Diane Duffy). 

She married Daniel F. McCarthy, Jr. on Dec. 22, 1971. Dan described his wife as “a saint,” and “his queen” and “the love of his life.” They would have celebrated their 49th anniversary this year. 

Lynn was the loving mother to Aimee McCarthy (Sam Trombetta), Stephanie Rivera (Luis Rivera) and Ave Maria McLaughlin (Warren McLaughlin, Jr.). She was the nurturing mom-mom to Shaun Trombetta, Janelle Rivera, Sienna Rivera, Isaac Rivera, Teagan McLaughlin, and Warren McLaughlin III. 

She was a devout Catholic. She attended Saint Cyril of Alexandria Church and was very involved in the church and school functions, one of her favorite being the carnival at the end of the school year. 

When her family moved to Oxford she attended Sacred Heart Church with her husband, daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. 

She stayed home with her children until they were all in school, and during that time she sold Tupperware and Avon. She also worked for Acme Markets for more than 30 years. 

Lynn loved game night with her family, and enjoyed spending time with her beloved cats, Aminja and Bentley, dancing, bingo, and ceramics. 

Lynn was preceded in death by her parents, Betty Lou and William F. Duffy, Jr.; a son-in-law, Luis Rivera, and her best friend of 70 years, Patricia “Pat” Foley. 

She was always there for the ones she loved and will be remembered as a loving, caring, compassionate, patient, generous, funny, and friendly person who will be extremely missed.

Family and Friends are invited to attend the visitation at 10 a.m. on Nov. 20 at Sacred Heart Church at 203 Church Road in Oxford. Mass will be held at 11 a.m. with interment to follow at Oxford Cemetery.   

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

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


Beatrice Everson Cope

Beatrice Everson Cope, a beloved educator, writer, playwright, and mother, passed away on Nov. 4. She was 95.

Beatrice was born on Dec. 20, 1924 in Stoughton, WI to Arthur and Stella Everson. At the height of the Great Depression, her father abandoned the family on Christmas Day. She was 12 at the time. Beatrice grew up with her Norwegian grandparents before moving to Wausau, WI to be with her mother and attend high school.

She went on to take correspondence classes at the University of Wisconsin and worked in an arms factory during World War II to save money to enroll in the University of Chicago where she received bachelors and masters degrees in English literature and began work on her Ph.D. She taught English at Valparaiso University, the University of Chicago, Ohio State University and the University of Delaware before joining the faculty at Sanford School in Hockessin, Del., where she worked for over twenty years. There she was the delight of her students who developed a lifelong love of Shakespeare and the world of literature thanks to having Mrs. Cope as their teacher and mentor. She found that sharing her joy in learning and love of literature with her Sanford students the high point of her career.

Her play, “The Magic Horse,” was produced in 1960 in Chicago, complete with a live horse on stage during performances. In recent years, living in Kennett Square with her daughter, she authored and edited children's books.  

Beatrice will be remembered for her empathy and compassion as well as her brilliance and humor.  Her life was defined by love. Her passions in life included her family and friends, animals — especially her dogs, gardening, Italy (where she lived for several years), music (everything from Beethoven to the Beatles), art, murder mysteries, Bogart films, literature, and black coffee. But most of all she loved helping others, especially through teaching.  While working at The Sanford School she had the yearbook dedicated to her multiple times.  Afterward, she kept in contact with many of her former students and enjoyed sharing stories of their progress with her family

She is survived by her two children: Thomas and Cynthia; four grandchildren, Alexander, Elizabeth, Jacqueline, and Jeremy; her niece, Barbara Everson, her nephew John Everson, and her beloved friends. 

She was preceded in death by her brother Arthur J. Everson, who passed away in April 2017.

Funeral and burial services are tentatively planned for late spring 2021 at the Little Point Sable Church in Little Point Sable, Michigan.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made in her name to Sanford School 6900 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, DE 19707 or The American Humane Association 1400 16th Street NW, Suite 360 Washington, DC 20036.

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


Timothy Todd McFalls

Timothy Todd McFalls passed away at home on November 11, 2020 , at age 57 as a result of a cancer diagnosis he received just 6 months ago. He was 57.

He is survived by his wife, Theresa;  children Morgan (Amanda), Devin (Randi), Anthony, Daniel, and Kristin. He also leaves sisters Jenny, Heather (Tom), Kristyn (Pat), and a brother, Jack (Pauline).  

Tim was a man who gave his all to whatever he was doing. He loved his family and friends truly and unconditionally, he enjoyed his job very much, indulged in good music, good wine, and good company.  His wife will remember him as a partner who worked to make this life count, make it memorable, and make it full of happiness. 

 Tim left us with some thoughts for living our very best life:

Spend time, not money. Time with family and friends is always well spent and means much more than things that can be purchased.

Give of your time and talents to others and know that it will come back to you tenfold.

Be a good human: take emotional care of those you love, do good deeds, and optimistically  know that with a little effort everything will always work out in the end. 

Lastly, esophageal cancer is quiet but aggressive. A history of chronic acid reflux is often a precursor to this disease and regular endoscopies can save your life. 

 

There will be no formal funeral service. Tim, along with family and friends, celebrated his life with a last hurrah party. Everyone got to share memories and say goodbyes to the man, help him to enjoy his last Saturday afternoon, and soothed their own hearts with a day well spent. Take a seat on the porch, turn on some Beatles, Tom Petty, or Neil Young and raise a glass to him. 

Please consider making a donation in his name to the West Grove-Avondale Rotary Club, P.O Box 280 West Grove, PA 19390. Their service and financial support to the immediate community is invaluable. Tim enjoyed the camaraderie of service work with the Club. 

Abraham Lincoln once said, “In the end it’s not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years”

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.

 

Patricia Nilan Konitzer

Patricia Nilan Konitzer , of Kennett Square, died on Nov. 4 at the age of 80 of complications of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis that was unrelated to COVID-19. 

She was surrounded by her loving family who gently escorted her into eternal life. For the last year of her life, she had been living with her son, Patrick, in Ringtown, Pa., two hours north of Kennett Square.

Born Nov. 7, 1939 in Kennett Square on South Broad Street in the same house she would later raise her four sons, she was the only daughter among four children of the late James A Nilan Sr. and Miriam E. Broomhall. 

She was a proud graduate of the class of 1957 at Kennett High School. After high school, she would marry the late Paul A. Konitzer, move to Florida, and become a full-time mother to four boys: Paul Jr., Patrick, Kevin and the late David Konitzer. 

However, she would ultimately divorce and return to her birth home in Kennett Square where she quickly entered the workforce as an administrative assistant, known then as secretaries, while she and her mother, Miriam, together raised her four boys. She excelled at her job working over 30 years at only two different companies. She also worked and loved her second job as a waitress at the old Unionville Inn in Unionville. She worked every Tuesday and Saturday night without complaint for decades at the well-known restaurant. Later in life, after retiring as a secretary, she would be employed as a companion to elderly persons with physical and cognitive disabilities, endearing herself to many families of her clients. 

Despite this diligent work ethic to provide for her sons, she managed to attend many of their athletic events and activities over the years and never missed any of their major life events. She was proud that they would go on to become a doctor, two teachers and a small businessman and entrepreneur. 

Work was not her entire life though. Despite her commitment to her sons, she loved to travel with friends and family and managed to travel far and wide. She visited most countries in Western Europe as well as Greenland, Iceland, Canada, even the Arctic Circle as well several nations in the Caribbean. She traveled through practically all the states in the U.S.,  including Alaska and Hawaii. If there was a casino in any of these locations, she would find herself there late into the evening, frequently emptying the contents of her pocketbook but occasionally taking home a reasonably sized jackpot. Her favorite place on earth was likely Las Vegas, NV. She even enjoyed the going to the casinos of Pennsylvania with her son up until just weeks before her death. Her second to last trip resulted in her winning a small jackpot while playing her favorite slot machine (Tarzan). 

Devoted to her sons, she was struck by tragedy in 1995 when her youngest beloved son, David, was killed in a traffic accident. She worked hard to quickly establish a scholarship in his memory to provide support for financially needy students from Chester County to assist them in attending West Chester University, David’s honorary alma mater. The memorial fund continues to award an annual scholarship to a student up to this day.

In the end, she was loved by family and friends, especially her sons, beyond what she could ever imagined and beyond what they could ever have expressed to her. She will be sorely missed but the memory of her diligent work ethic, devotion to her family and friends, especially her sons, will be forever remembered and celebrated.

Patricia was preceded in death by her parents James A. Sr and Miriam Nilan, her brother James A. Nilan Jr and her son David S. Konitzer. 

She is survived by her sons, Paul Konitzer of Millsboro, Del., Patrick Konitzer of Ringtown, Pa., and Kevin Konitzer of Wilmington, Del., along with her brothers David Nilan of Kennett Square, and Thomas Nilan of Newark, Del. 

She is also survived by her beloved grandchildren: Joshua Konitzer, Natalia Konitzer, David, and Daniel Konitzer along with multiple nieces and nephews.

Friends will be received on Saturday, Nov. 28 from 8 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. at the Kuzo Funeral Home, 250 W. State St., Kennett Square, PA 19348.  

A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick Church, 212 Meredith St., Kennett Square, PA 19348 with inurnment to follow at St. Patrick Cemetery in Kennett Square.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, Patricia asked donations be made to the West Chester University Foundation for the David S. Konitzer Scholarship. Please make donations payable to the West Chester University Foundation, and in the memo line write David S Konitzer Scholarship and mail to 202 Carter Drive, West Chester, PA 19382.  

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