Shelley Roberts Jones

Shelley Roberts Jones, a resident of West Grove, passed away on Jan. 7.  She was 83.

She was the loving wife of Donald Raymond Jones, with whom she shared 43 years of marriage.

Born in 1937 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she was the daughter of the late Kenneth S. Roberts and the late Grace Chardy Roberts.

At the age of 13, Shelley and family returned to Pennsylvania, moving from West Chester to Kennett Square.

She married Richard W. Taylor in 1957 and eventually settled in Kennett Square. She had two children.  She was very active in the Kennett Square community and was a member of the United States Tennis Association as a coach and ranked player.

After a divorce in 1978, she moved to Raleigh, N.C. In 1979, she married Donald R. Jones. They lived in Wilmington, Del. and then they moved to Pocopson Township in Chester County.

In 1994, Don and Shelley moved to Nokomis, FL to enjoy the warm climate and be the go-to person for dog watching in the neighborhood.  They returned to West Grove in 2017 and resided at Jenner’s Pond.

In addition to her husband Donald, she is survived by her two children, Bryan Taylor (and his wife Diana) of York Pa. and Stacy Botkin of Landenberg; Don’s three children, Judith (Jones) Harlin (and her husband James) of Berlin, Md., Cynthia Jones-Taddei (and her husband Leonard) of Newark, Del. and Douglas Jones (and his wife Karen) of Milton, FL; two brothers, Kenneth Roberts of Kennett Square and Henry “Rique” Roberts of West Chester; and 12 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Due to pandemic restrictions, services will be private.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Brandywine Valley SPCA by using the link, bvspca.org/donate/ or by calling 610-482-4289.

To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit http://www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.

Arrangements are being handled by the Foulk Funeral Home of West Grove.

George Y. Thomson, III

George “Scott” Y. Thomson, III passed away peacefully at home on Jan. 11. He was a 58-year-old resident of Oxford.

Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of George Y. Thomson, Jr. of Oxford and Barbara T. Metz Blevins of Oxford.

Scott enjoyed working on any type of engines, his favorite being the Hemi engine.

He is survived by his father; mother; two brothers, Robert S. Thomson of OH and Paul Thomson of FL; one sister, Kimberly Conner of Oxford; one uncle, George W. Metz of Newtown Square; and two nieces, April Dawson and Andrea Dawson.

Services are 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.

J. Everett Donache, II

J. Everett Donache, II, 75, of Nottingham, passed away on Jan. 12 at Hospice and Community Care in Mount Joy, Pa. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and a friend to many.
He was the husband of Donna Wimer Donache, with whom he shared over 55 years of marriage.
Born in West Grove, he was the son of the late John Everett (Jim) and Emily L. Berrell Donache and brother of the late Helen M. Stewart.
Everett graduated from Oxford High School Class of 1963 and retired from General Motors in Wilmington, Del. after 31 years.
He served as Past Sachem for the Improved Order of Redmen, Tribe #212, Oxford. He was a past member of Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 2666, Oxford, Ancient Order of the Croaking Frogs, Quarryville, and Christiana American Legion Post 865, Christiana, Pa.
He was an honorary active member of the Union Fire Company No. 1 Fire and Ambulance Divisions, Oxford since May 1964, serving as assistant chief, lieutenant, chief engineer, ambulance director, driver and attendant, and served as captain and lieutenant of the rescue squad.
Everett loved working on trucks and cars and enjoyed his 1936 Chevy Street Rod, restoring his 1978 El Camino, shopping at flea markets, and reading. And if you ever needed to find out who someone was or what happened years ago, he was the one to ask. He also enjoyed going to the family cabin in Huntingdon County.
Everett always had a deep love for all of his fur buddies: Remington, Ralph and current dog, Molly, along with his grand dogs, Aleu and Arsen.
He is survived by his wife; two daughters, Lee Ann Donache of Nottingham and Jill K. Donache-Sheets (Jeffrey) of Peach Bottom; three grandchildren, Kalli J. Sheets, Emma N. Sheets and Hunter E. Sheets, all of Peach Bottom.
Services were held at the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home and the Oxford Cemetery on Jan. 16.

Donations may be made in Everett’s memory to the Union Fire Co. No. 1 and Ambulance Division, 315 Market St., Oxford, PA 19363 or Hospice and Community Care, P.O. Box 4125, Lancaster, PA 17604.
Arrangements are being handled by the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. in Oxford.
Online condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com.

E. Lorine Ragon

E. Lorine Ragon, of Kennett Square, was called home to our Lord on Jan. 12 with her children by her side. She was 84.

Lorine married the late Jimmy Ragon in 1951.  He was the love of her life and they shared 53 years of marriage before he passed unexpectedly in 2005. Besides Texas, they made homes in Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Italy, Louisiana, and California. They traveled the world extensively, visiting six of the seven continents.

Born and raised in Marshall, Texas, Lorine met Jimmy on a blind date, and they married 6 weeks later.  Her adventurous spirit was the perfect complement to Jimmy’s nomadic career as a civil engineer.  While raising three children in those early years, Lorine completed college.  She made sure that her studies never interfered with the time that she gave her children by attending evening classes. She graduated from the University of Delaware in 1970 with a degree in education and taught 5th grade math and science in Wilmington, Del. until the family moved to Italy in 1973 so that Jimmy could manage the construction of an Astra-Zeneca chemical plant outside of Milan. 

Moving to Italy with three children was a challenge, but Lorine met it with the courage and grace she demonstrated throughout her life and turned that challenge into an opportunity for adventure. Besides traveling large parts of Europe with the whole family jammed into a small station wagon, other highlights included negotiating the purchase of a whole turkey (including the head) from a local butcher for an American-style Thanksgiving dinner, racing home across the Swiss Alps in record time to meet the Sunday driving curfew due to the oil shortages of the 1970s, and savoring all the varieties of Italian red wine.

Upon return to the United States, Lorine pursued her real estate license and was a successful realtor for B. Gary Scott Realty. In her free time, Lorine was an avid gardener who fought, and most-often won, the constant battles with the local deer.  She was an extremely competitive bridge player and continued to travel across the world.

Whenever Jimmy and Lorine visited far flung places they always returned home with a small cache of local mementos and interesting stories of the different cultures that they shared with the family.  After Jimmy passed, Lorine continued her worldwide travel with friends from Pennsylvania and family from Longview, Texas creating new memories and experiences.

More than anything, Lorine was a devoted grandmother to her six grandchildren who she adored and doted on from the moment they were born:  Caitlin Graney, Erin Graney, Daniel Graney, Sam Obaditch, Emily Obaditch and William Obaditch.  She passed on her love of games to her grandchildren by regularly beating them in poker, Mexican Train, dominoes, rummy and pinochle. She made costumes, traveled with two Flat Stephanies and one Flat Steven, and dug worms for fishing trips.  Her grandchildren will forever remember all the themed Christmas Eves at her house including Hula Hoop Christmas, Harmonica Christmas, and Paper Plane Christmas, just to name a few.

Lorine was a strong woman of faith and never doubted that after this life she would join her beloved Jimmy in Heaven singing in perfect key to honor her savior.

Lorine is survived by her three children:  Cheryl R. Graney (and her husband, Daniel) of Glen Mills, Pa.; Jon C. Ragon (and his wife, Angela, of Kennett Square); and Susan Obaditch (and her husband, Jeremy of Montclair, NJ).  She is also survived by her brother, Richard Brown of Marshall, TX and her beloved aunt, Jean Keasler of Longview, TX.

Due to pandemic restrictions, services will be private.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675 or online at  https://www.woundedwarriorproject.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.

Roy Francis Hughes, Sr.

Roy Francis “Buddy” Hughes, Sr., passed away on Jan. 16 at his residence.  

He was the husband of the late RoseMary (Gormley) Hughes, who passed away in 2011.  

Born on Nov. 13, 1944 he was the son of the late Donald J. and Francas K. (Rhodes) Hughes.

He was a plumber for over 30 years, working at Longwood Gardens.  He was a member of the VFW for years.  

In his free time, he enjoyed spending time in Wildwood, the Docks at the Lobster House, good friends and music.  

His favorite song was “1000 Stars in the Sky.”  

He had a heart of gold, a handsome smile, perfect hair and he loved his children.

He is survived by his children, Holly and Alex Vargas, Beth and Denny Bird, and Roy Hughes, Jr., as well as by 12 grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. He is also survived by his sister, Sandy (and her husband Bob) Hickey, a brother, Kevin (and his wife Linda) Hughes, and sister Barbara Hughes. He will also be remembered by his girlfriend Christine Wilson.

All services will be private.  

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

Samuel F. Mattson

Samuel F. Mattson peacefully passed on Jan. 16, at Sanatoga Nursing Home after a lengthy illness. He was 72.

Sam was the beloved son of the late Fred Mattson and Sara J. Mattson. He was born in West Chester and spent his life in Kennett Square. 

He was a 1966 graduate of Kennett High School.  He was a longtime member of the Kennett YMCA and enjoyed going there each day to see his many friends.  

Sam was most proud of his service as a combat medic in the Vietnam War where he was awarded a Purple Heart Medal.  

He also loved to talk about his job with Delta Airlines, where he also had many friends.  

Sam spent many hours in service to military veterans, and will be missed by all. 

There will be a visitation at Kuzo Funeral Home at 250 W. State Street. Kennett Square from 10 to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday Jan. 21, followed by mass at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church at 212 Meredith Street, Kennett Square. 

Burial will be at St. Patrick Cemetery following the mass. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Sam’s name should be made to either, the YMCA of Greater Brandywine, 101 Race Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348 or the Disabled American Veterans, of Cold Spring, Kentucky, mailing address: P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301.  Arrangements are being handled by the Kuzo Funeral Home in Kennett Square.  Please view his online memorial by going to www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com.