Jean E. Antes Probst

Jean E. Antes Probst, 58, of Quarryville, received her angel wings and departed this earthly life at her home on Aug. 28, 2022.  She and her husband, Harold S. Probst, Jr. celebrated 30 years of marriage in April.  

Born in Media, Pa., she was the daughter of Dorothy M. Rodgers Antes, of Oxford, and the late Earl L. Antes.

Jean graduated from Oxford Area High School where she participated in field hockey, basketball and track.  She continued her education at Slippery Rock University and earned her master’s degree from the University of Alabama.  She had been employed as a counselor for Keystone Human Services for 27 years.

She attended Wesley Church in Quarryville. Jean lived her life giving her all to others. She was a fan of the Eagles, Phillies, and a very avid fan of “Roll Tide” Alabama.  She enjoyed the beach, seafood, frozen yogurt, popcorn and trips to her winter home in Clearwater. She loved animals and will be missed by her German Shepherd Jax and feline companions Cassius and Anika. She was an avid runner and very health conscious.

In her spare time, Jean enjoyed word puzzles and sudoku, crime shows and naps.  She was meticulous while decorating for holidays and tending her flowers. She spent many hours enjoying the yard and neighborhood from her front porch rocker. There was a special sparkle in her eyes when she spent time with her cherished grand-nieces London and Eden Dyson.

Surviving her are her husband and her mother as well as her two children, Philip E. Probst and Kathrine E. Probst, both of Quarryville.

She is also survived by three siblings, her twin sister Joan (John) Dyson of Quarryville, Mike (Sherry) Antes of Oxford, and Margaret (James) Stevenson of Oxford and her nieces and nephews, Kenneth and Ben Dyson, Devin Dreyer, Ashley and Kyle Antes, Matthew Stevenson, Michelle Freund, James Stevenson, Jr. and Jessica Kelleher.

Funeral services were held at Colerain Church in Kirkwood, Pa. on Sept. 1, 2022. Pastor R. Blake Deibler officiated. 

Interment will be private.  Those who desire may make contributions in Jean’s memory to Wesley Church, 1104 Kirkwood Pike, Quarryville, PA 17566. An online obituary can be viewed at reynoldsandshivery.com.

Kenneth Stephan Roberts

Kenneth Stephan Roberts passed away on his 82nd birthday on Aug. 30, 2022 while surrounded by his loving wife and daughters at his beloved home in Kennett Square.

Ken was born on Aug. 30, 1940, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Kenneth Shelley and Grace Chardy Roberts.  Ken’s father had been transferred from Kennett Square to Argentina and the family was living in Buenos Aires at the time of his birth.  When he was 8 years old, the Roberts family moved back to Kennett Square, and Ken ultimately became a 74-year resident and 24-year civil servant of the Borough of Kennett Square.  

He was a 1959 graduate of Kennett High School, where he and his twin brother were stand-out athletes in baseball, basketball, and soccer.  Ken’s athletic accomplishments led him to Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, where he played three sports at the collegiate level.  It was at Hartwick College where Ken met the love of his life, Priscilla Reece Roberts of Long Island, NY.  

Ken and Prissy were married in 1965 and enjoyed 57 years of marriage. Just prior to their marriage, Ken served in the National Guard, where he played on the baseball team representing the U.S. Army.

Ken was the third-generation owner of Chardy Memorials in Kennett Square, and he ran the business for 45 years until his recent retirement.  He was very proud of his family business and always strove to provide his customers with the highest quality and very personal and timely service.  Because of Ken’s dedication, Chardy Memorials will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, making it one of the longest running businesses in the Borough.

Ken loved Kennett Square and gave much back to the community.  He served for 24 years on the Kennett Square Borough Council and served as council president for 14 of those years.  During his tenure, he was recognized for many innovative initiatives that revitalized the town.  He helped bring Genesis Healthcare and the parking garage to Kennett.  He suggested the Borough lease the land to the YMCA at a rate of $1 for 99 years, which resulted in the current Kennett Area YMCA.  He and council also worked with Kennett Township to form the Kennett Area Park Authority (KAPA) to oversee the creation of the Anson B. Nixon Park, preserving open space and providing passive recreation for the community.  In addition, he helped facilitate the preservation of land for what would become the Legacy Fields for Kennett Consolidated School District.  As a parent in Kennett Square in the 1970s and 1980s, Ken realized there were very few organized recreational sports for children in the community.  He co-founded the Kennett Area Park and Recreation Board Basketball League, providing competitive basketball for hundreds of boys and girls ages 10-16 each winter.  Ken served as commissioner, coach, umpire, and/or referee, for many local sports to ensure leagues and teams thrived.  He especially enjoyed co-coaching the high school girls’ traveling softball team each summer.  Ken will long be remembered for his dedication and service to Kennett Square.

Ken is survived by his wife, Prissy, his daughter and son-in-law, Kelly and Bart Kaericher, daughter Elizabeth Chardy Roberts, and granddaughter Kendra Grace Kaericher.  He is also survived by his twin brother and best friend, Rick Roberts (“Coach”).  Ken enjoyed all holidays with his extended family and is survived by his nieces and nephews and their children, whom he loved very much.  Ken was also grateful for his close friends at the Kennett Square Golf and Country Club. Ken was predeceased by his sister, Shelley Jones.

Interment for the family will be at Union Hill Cemetery on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 11 a.m.  Friends of Kenny are invited to a Service of Remembrance at the Kennett Square Golf and Country Club, 100 E. Locust Lane in Kennett Square on Saturday, September, 17 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.  

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Avon Grove Lions Foundation, Inc. 600 N. Baker Station Rd., West Grove, PA 19390 in memory of Ken Roberts, to support their medical equipment program.  

Arrangements are being provided by Matthew Grieco of Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. (484-734-8100) of Kennett Square. 

To share a memory with his family, please visit www.griecofunerals.com.

Grace Marie Smith

Grace Marie Smith, of Kennett Square,  passed away on Aug. 29, 2022 at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del. She was 80.  

She was the wife of Ralph F. Smith, with whom she shared 59 years of marriage.  Born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts, she was a daughter of the late Angelo Pappalardo and the late Mary Reitano Pappalardo.

Grace graduated from Merrimack College with a degree in business education.

Grace was a longtime, active member of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Kennett Square where she participated in various ministries, in particular, teaching CCD classes and volunteering with Family Promise.

Grace taught for one year at Methuen High School in Massachusetts. For the next three years she followed her husband to Italy where he was stationed. That journey to Italy and Europe was the beginning of many wonderful travel adventures she and Ralph took through the years.  Grace was a student of the Italian language and enjoyed happy hours with her Italian-speaking classmates.  Grace was also well known for her wonderful Italian cooking, especially her chicken cutlet and sausages.

Grace used her business acumen while employed at Bank of The Brandywine for a number of years and later in her career Grace was assistant to the director of the Willowdale Steeplechase. During her 10 years at Willowdale, Grace enjoyed interacting with community members while planning the annual event.

Grace’s greatest love, however, was for her two children, Kathleen and Brian. Grace was a loving, involved mother and she was always there to help with homework and to drive Kathleen and Brian to their many sports and activities. 

In 1995, Brian became paralyzed from the neck down as a result of a car accident.  For the next 20 years, Grace devoted herself to Brian’s care until his passing in 2015.

In addition to her husband, Ralph, and daughter, Kathleen Kolanko, Grace is survived by Kathleen’s husband, Frank, and her beloved and cherished grandchildren, Mary Paige, Erin, Frankie, Nolan, Jamie, and Crosby.  She is also survived by her brother, Joseph Pappalardo of South Yarmouth, Mass. and many nieces and nephews as well as many close friends.

Her memorial Mass of Christian Burial took place on Sept. 6 in Kennett Square. Interment was at St. Patrick Cemetery.  Contributions in her memory may be made to Kennett Area Community Service online at https://www.kacsonline.net.  Please mention the donation is in memory of Grace Smith.  Arrangements are being made by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory Inc. (484-734-8100).  

To view her online obituary, please visit www.griecofunerals.com.

Nancy Lee Powers Fite

Nancy Lee Powers Fite, 78, of Lincoln University, passed away peacefully at home in the early hours of Aug. 31, 2022.

She was born in Lynchburg, VA on February 1, 1944 to the late Sgt. Roy S. Powers, Sr. and Cossie Lee Wilson Powers. 

On May 29, 1965, she married her high school sweetheart, the late James W. Fite, Sr, with whom she shared her life’s journey for nearly 44 years.  They worked side by side for several years in Jim’s accounting office in Oxford.  She was a member of Nottingham Greenstone Presbyterian Church and attended regularly Andrew’s Bridge Christian Fellowship in Christiana with her family.  Nancy was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. 

Nancy will be deeply missed by her family and many friends.  Most especially she will be missed by her forever friends, Jack and Holly Baughman of Oxford.

Nancy leaves behind one sister, Donna P. Kauffman of Chatham.

In addition to her sister she is survived by her children, Rebecca (Mark Conner) of Lincoln University, her sons, James W. Fite, Jr (Karen) of Dallas, GA and Bruce A. (Devon) of Nottingham, her ten grandchildren, twelve great grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren, as well as several nieces and nephews, all of whom she adored.

She is predeceased by her husband Jim, son, Roy B. (Rebecca), her brother, Sgt. Roy S. Powers, Jr. and her sister, Patricia G. Powers.

Nancy’s services will be a viewing at Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc., 86 Pine St., Oxford, on Thursday, Sept. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m., with an Eastern Star service held at 7:30 p.m. The funeral will be held on Friday, Sept. 9 at Nottingham Greenstone Presbyterian Church, 497 W. Christine Rd., in Nottingham with visitation at 10 a.m. followed by the funeral service at 11 a.m.  Directly following the service, Nancy will be laid to rest beside her husband at Little Britain Presbyterian Church Cemetery to complete their journeys shared on this side of eternity.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in her memory to Nottingham Greenstone Presbyterian Church and/or Andrews Bridge Christian Fellowship Church, 1873 Georgetown Rd., Christiana, PA 17509.

Funeral arrangements by the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. in Oxford.