Skip to main content

Chester County Press

Obituaries for the week of April 24

04/24/2023 10:25PM ● By Steven Hoffman

Mary Elizabeth Baily

Mary Elizabeth Baily, of Nottingham, passed away on April 16, 2023 at Christiana Hospice in Newark, Del. She was 94.

Born in Oxford, she was the daughter of the late Joseph Rutherford and Helen Wolf Baily.

Mary was a lifetime member of First Baptist Church Oxford.

She was employed and retired as an accountant with Bainbridge Naval Base and then, after retirement, was employed with McCullough Pharmacy in Oxford. She then worked for Rite Aid Pharmacy.

Mary was a lifelong fan of sports.  She was athletic in school and was an avid spectator for family members who played locally and she also enjoyed watching sports on TV.  Mary was always handy with jokes. She also enjoyed travel with family. 

She is survived by nine nieces and nephews, Joseph R. Baily, III of Pensacola, Fla., Richard S. Maxwell, Jr. of Lincoln University, Steven J. Maxwell of Coatesville, Jennifer Lucas of Rising Sun, Md., Kathy Ham Angelini of Mountville, Laura Baughman Kasting of Pickens, SC., Jeffrey Baily of Gordonville, Greg Baily of Strasburg and Alison Baily-Hallam of Wayne. Additionally, she is survived by many great nieces and nephews, great great nieces and nephews and even great great great nieces.

A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. on Monday, May 1 at the First Baptist Church of Oxford, which is located at 552 Market St,. The memorial service will be conducted by Pastor Luke Fenstermacher,  and family and friends may visit from 10 to 11 a.m.

Interment will be in 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.  


Thomas R. Clark

Thomas (Tom) R. Clark, a resident of West Grove and formerly of Media, Pa., died peacefully on Saturday. April 15, 2023 at Jenner’s Pond Retirement Community.  He was 80.

He was the husband of Eileen M. Hull Clark, with whom he shared 7 years of marriage. His first wife of 33 years, Judy Heyburn Clark, passed away in 2009.

Tom was born and raised in Camden, NJ to Helen Kosowski Clark and Frank Clark, and graduated from St. Joseph High School.  

Tom, and then Tom and Judy, enjoyed an extensive amount of traveling to various states and enjoyed camping and hiking. His favorite pastime was watching many of the old westerns on television.

He enjoyed the Boy Scouts and especially liked camping in the great outdoors.

He was employed by Kimberly Clark/Scott Paper for 37 years.  

Tom was a member of the ABVM Church in West Grove and attended Rosaries at the church and Jenner's Pond.  He was very devoted and truly was a great prayer warrior.  He will surely be missed by those who knew him and Tom is in a peaceful and restful place in Heaven.


In addition to his wife, he is survived by his brother, Robert Clark, who resides in Haddon Township, NJ.

A mass of Christian burial will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday,  April 26 at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, 300 State Road, West Grove. Interment will follow at Edgewood Memorial Park, 325 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, PA 19342.

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

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


Brandon Kirk Buchanan

Brandon Kirk Buchanan, 38, of Newark, Del., passed away on Thursday, April 13, 2023.

He was the husband of Christina Buchanan.

Born in West Chester, he was the son of Edward Buchanan of Oxford and Kimberly McMaster Buchanan Mulherin (Daniel) of North Carolina.

Brandon was a master mechanic.

Brandon enjoyed fast cars, good music, and a good time He enjoyed spending time on his father’s farm with family and friends. The motto he lived by was “you only live once.”

He was a dedicated father and loved his children with all his heart.

He is survived by his wife; his parents; his two sons, Jackson and Max; one brother, Morgan Buchanan of Oxford; and one sister, Kerri McLeod of Texas.

He was preceded in death by a his daughter, Riley Buchanan and a brother, Anthony Buchanan.

Funeral services were held on Wednesday, April 19 at the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, in Oxford.

Interment is private.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Make-A-Wish Foundation, 1702 E. Highland Ave., Suite 400, Phoenix, AZ 85016 in memory of his daughter, Riley.

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

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


Norman T. Newton, Jr.

Norman T. (Bud) Newton, Jr., from Oxford, passed away peacefully on April 16, 2023 after a battle with cancer. At the time of his passing he was at his daughter’s home and was surrounded by family. He was 83.

He was a caring husband and father who loved his children and family.

He was born on April 2, 1940 in West Chester to Norman T. Newton, Sr. and Opal V. Roberts Newton. 

He was married to Louise Prewitt Newton for 63 years. 

Norman was employed with Pepperidge Farms, and was in business with his father hauling and growing mushrooms. He also worked in real estate for several years. He also raised and raced horses, had an antique shop, refinished furniture and raised and sold sheep.

He loved sailing, animals of all kinds, classic cars and being with his family.

He is survived by two daughters, Donna L. Newton Brisach (Denis) of Oxford and Kelly J. Newton Sierra (Joseph) of Lincoln University; two grandchildren, Daniel A. Brisach (Alicia) of Nottingham and Donnice L. Brisach Evans (Jordan) of Oxford; two step-grandchildren, Scott Dunfee and Denay Lee; four great step-grandchildren; one sister, LindaWeigel (Skip) of Cochranville; many nieces and nephews; three grand-pups, Nasa, Camo and Dixie; and three grand-cats, Spacer, Tom Tom and Hemy.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Norman T. Newton and Opal V. Newton, and his grandparents, Hillie Roberts and Bessie Roberts Eggers and Christopher Newton and Emily K. Newton.

Funeral services were held on April 22 at the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. in Oxford.

Interment will be in Faggs Manor 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


Ian McLean

On April 17, 2023, Ian Lawrence Paul Wallace McLean, a loving husband and father of four, passed away at his home in Chadds Ford. He was 73.

Ian was born in Lanark, Scotland, and spent time as a child in Ireland before finally settling in Middlesbrough, England. That is where he attended Teesside Polytechnic and earned a B.Sc. Honours in mathematics, statistics and computing. His studies took him to the Royal Greenwich Observatory located in Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex, where he met Kathryn, his future bride of 51 years. 

Never one to shy away from hard work, Ian's long and varied career had humble beginnings. Starting on the digging crew of Dickers where he stood out as the only team member who could definitively state why a triangle couldn't have four sides, to a precious metals trader for the Bank of England, Ian embraced every opportunity he was given. One such opportunity was to work for the American company, Engelhard, founded by Charlie Engelhard, reputedly the inspiration for Ian Fleming's Gold Finger character Auric Goldfinger. This led to Ian and his family immigrating to the United States in 1987. During his years at Engelhard, Ian ran the worldwide trading operations of the company and was a COMEX board member. With the Iron Curtain firmly in place, he traveled the world for business to locations such as Siberia, Moscow, South Africa, Peru, Colombia, Japan, and China. In 1999, Ian's career took another turn, and he ran Power Team for PECO which ultimately became Exelon where he rose to the position of executive vice president. Although Ian ascended to the top of corporate America, his true joy was helping and mentoring those around him.

Ian had a passion for golf, spending many happy hours at Roxiticus Golf Club and Fieldstone Golf Club. In the years following his first pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Ian attained a lifelong dream of playing at Augusta National. When not playing golf or working on various charitable and advisory boards, Ian was happiest in the company of his grandchildren. 

He is survived by his wife Kathryn, their four children, Robert, David, Nicola and Stewart, three sisters, Sheila, Allison and Marie and five grandchildren, Emma, Anne, Andrew, Ian and Lucy. 

In lieu of giving flowers, the family asks that those who are able instead donate to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. A celebration of Ian's life will be held at Fieldstone Golf Club at 1 p.m. on Monday, May 8.

Arrangements are being handled by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. of Kennett Square (484-734-8100). To view Ian's online obituary, please visit www.griecofunerals.com.


Edward Andrew Caldwell

Edward Andrew Caldwell, of West Grove, passed away on April 18, 2023 at Jenner’s Pond Retirement Community in West Grove. He was 93.

He was the spouse of the late, Lola Mankin Caldwell, with whom he shared 71 years of marriage. 

Born in Oklahoma City, OK he was the son of the late, Frank Norman Caldwell and Gertrude Shewbart Caldwell. 

Edward spent his early days in Wilburton, Oklahoma and graduated from Wilburton High School, class of 1947.  Upon his graduation, the family moved to California where he eventually obtained a job at Libby McNeil and Libby driving a forklift at their Sunnyvale food processing plant.  He was drafted into the Army in 1952 to serve during the Korean Conflict and obtained the rank of sergeant. Upon completion of his military obligations, Edward returned to his work at Libby’s and was eventually promoted to the position of industrial engineer. He was responsible for the quality control of canned and frozen foods.

Over the years, Edward’s employment sent the family from California to Washington State, Illinois, and New York.  Eventually he and Lola retired to Brevard, North Carolina and after 20 years living in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, they relocated to West Grove to be closer to family.

When the couple encountered health issues, Edward moved to individual living at Jenner’s Pond and then on to care at the Preston Building.  While living at Jenner’s Pond, Ed volunteered as an original member of the Employee Scholarship Committee and most recently, he served as president of the Preston Building Residents Council.   

Edward is survived by his daughters, Kathryn Marie Schumacher (Greg) and Gaila Ciccarone (Carlo). He is also survived by his five grandchildren, Eric Schumacher (Yvette), Sara Field (Damon), Giancarlo Ciccarone (Lauren), Michael Ciccarone (Christine), Melina Van Brunt (Chad); and his 11 great-grandchildren, Ella Field, Ethan Schumacher, Quinn Field, Ezra Schumacher, Levi Van Brunt, Lincoln Field, Matteo Ciccarone, Samuel Van Brunt, Giuliana Ciccarone, Callie Ciccarone, and Gabriella Ciccarone.  

In addition to his parents and his wife, he was predeceased by his sister, Nadine Patterson and his brother, Edwin Arthur “Red” Caldwell.   

Services and interment will be held privately.

Remembrances in Edward Caldwell’s memory may be made to Willow Tree Hospice of Kennett Square or the Simpson Co-Worker Support Fund. https://simpsonsenior.org/foundation/simpson-co-worker-support-fund

Arrangements are being handled by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. of Kennett Square (484-734-8100). To view his online obituary, please visit www.griecofunerals.com.


Eleanor E. Butler

On March 27, 2023, Eleanor E. (Schoeller) Butler, a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away at the age of 83 at the Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, Pa. 

Eleanor was born on May 19, 1939, to Henry and Esther (Cooke) Schoeller. She grew up in Woodbury, NJ and graduated from Woodbury High School in 1958. Eleanor, a proud member of the Delta Gamma Sorority, graduated from Gettysburg College in 1962. On June 16, 1962, Eleanor married her high school sweetheart and fellow Gettysburg graduate, Lance H. Butler. Together they raised three children, Kristen, Heather, and Lance, Jr. Above all else, Eleanor took pride in and adored her three grandchildren, Nathaniel Butler, Chase Butler, and Samantha Tessier. Eleanor is also survived by her brothers, John and Ralph, their spouses, and their children as well as her many nieces and nephews. 

Eleanor brought her love of literature, Shakespeare, and nature to eighth-graders for over 40 years. She taught at Woodbury High School in Woodbury, NJ, the Hillel Academy in Fairfield, CT, and her beloved Charles F. Patton Middle School in Unionville.  

Per Eleanor’s wishes, although she loved to throw a party, she requested that there be no funeral services. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family asks you to consider a donation in her memory to the Compassionate Care Fund at Masonic Village Elizabethtown, One Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown, PA 17022.

The family wishes to thank the dedicated nursing staff, social workers, therapists, and doctors at the Masonic Village for the exceptional care both Eleanor and Lance received during their time at the Village. The family also thanks Sheetz Funeral Home for their support and guidance. To send an online condolence, please visit www.sheetzfuneralhome.com.