David R. Gwinn

David R. Gwinn, of Nottingham, passed away while at home on May 14, 2025. He was 62.

He was the husband of Jennifer Gwinn.

Born in West Chester, he was the son of Carolyn Dishman Dixon of Quarryville and the late David A. Gwinn.

He was employed as a truck driver with Tipton Trucking Company, Inc. in Oxford for 43 years.

David was a loving husband, father and friend.  He was a generous man who helped anyone in need.

He enjoyed riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle and traveling.

He is survived by his wife; six children, D. Scott Gwinn of Quarryville, Steve R. Gwinn of Paradise, Tiffani D. Axe (Jason) of Quarryville, M. Ryan Gwinn (Becca) of Manheim, Jonathan W. Gwinn of Lancaster and Andrew J. Gwinn (McKenzie) of Brownstown, and one stepdaughter, Cassie Sosenko (Joe) of Baldwinsville, NY. Also surviving are 16 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, one sister, Loretta Lynn Gwinn of Tenn., a half-brother, Keith Gwinn, also of Tenn., and a step-brother, Carroll Chappell of Tenn.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Donald C. Gwinn, his stepfather, Harry “Dickie” Dixon, and maternal grandparents, Charles and Raye Lloyd.

Funeral services were held on May 21 at the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. in Oxford.

Interment will be held in Friends Meeting Cemetery in Hockessin, Del.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the funeral home to offset funeral costs. 

Arrangements are being handled by the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. (www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com) in Oxford.

Walter Ray Carter

Walter Ray Carter, 68, of Oxford, passed away at home on May 16, 2025.

Born in West Chester, he was the son of the late Ralph and Mary Quinn Carter.

He was employed as a technician with Agilent Technologies in Wilmington, Del. and retired after 30 years of service. 

Walter was an avid reader and history buff. He enjoyed fine dining with family and friends.

He is survived by three brothers, Scott G. Carter of Oxford, Barry A. Carter of Oxford and Bruce B. Carter of West Grove; one nephew, Sean Carter (Tiffany) of Avondale; two great-nephews, Noah Carter and Oliver Bennett Carter; and one great-niece, Henley Carter.

A memorial service was held on May 23 at the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. in Oxford.

Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Disabled American Veterans at https://www.dav.org.

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

Anthony Edward Umlah

Anthony Edward Umlah, of Landenberg, passed away at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia on May 16, 2025. He was 70.

He was the husband of Kathy (Manista) Umlah, with whom he shared 41 years of marriage. Born in Wilkes Barre, Pa., he was the son of the late Edward Umlah and Gertrude (Wojciechowski) Umlah.

He graduated from Bishop Hoban High School in Wilkes Barre in the class of 1972. He then went on to earn his mechanical engineering degree from Pennsylvania State University and Widener University.

Tony spent much of his career working for the DuPont Company as a senior development engineer. After that, he went in to packaging with Bemis and Mann-Pak for the remainder of his career.

In his spare time, Tony was a very community-minded person and volunteered his time in a number of ways throughout his life. He was a volunteer coach for his daughters’ softball and basketball teams, never missed a field trip as a chaperone when they were younger, and was an active member of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in West Grove. Tony was a member of the Knights of Columbus at Assumption, serving as the Grand Knight for four years. He sang in the church choir, among other things.

In addition to his volunteer activities, Tony was an incredible musician and played the guitar and sang. He loved to perform when given the opportunity. He had a lifelong passion for racing and cars, and he never missed a chance to watch the races on Sundays or to attend a local hill climb. He also loved to travel and made it to 58 countries and all 50 states. He took his family to dozens of National Parks and many islands, sharing his love of travel with his family.

The most important thing in Tony’s life was his family. He adored his daughters and grandchildren and will be dearly missed by all of them.

Tony will be remembered as a person who “never met a stranger.”

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughters, Kate Risher (John) and Julie Menseck (Kennedy); his grandchildren, Harrison, Grant, Joanna, Liliana, and Grace; his sisters, Jean Page (Walt) and Nina Evans (Ed); his brother-in-law, Tom Manista; and a number of nieces and nephews.

A funeral mass took place on May 24 at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in West Grove.  

Interment will be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Tony’s memory can be made to Tunnels to Towers Foundation https://t2t.org/ or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital https://www.stjude.org.

Arrangements are being handled by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory (484-734-8100) of Kennett Square. 

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

Bonnie Best

Bonnie Lou Best, a resident of West Chester, passed away at her sister Connie’s home in Landenberg on May 15, 2025. She was 72.

Born in West Chester, she was a daughter of John Best and Jessie Kline Best.

Bonnie worked for several different businesses during her life. She spent many years at B&B Mushrooms, at Allistar Garage Doors, and at the Pocopson Home.

Bonnie was a lifelong resident of West Chester and, in fact, lived in the same house that she grew up in her whole life. She was a well-known figure around town, and could often be seen walking one of her beloved dachshunds or working in her flower gardens outside her house.

Bonnie will be missed by her neighbors on South Wayne Street. She formed many close relationships with them. She was also a bit of a celebrity with the university students. They would recognize her and even seek her out to say hello.

Bonnie is survived by her sister, Connie Hughes, her niece, Melinda Hughes (Kevin) and numerous cousins. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brother-in-law, George Hughes.

A funeral service took place on May 23 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Chester. Interment followed at Philadelphia Memorial Park in Frazer, Pa.

Contributions in her memory may be made to Bayada Nurses, 11 Campus Blvd, Suite 190, Newtown Square, PA 19073 or online at www.bayada.com/support or the Lucky Dawg Animal Rescue, 489 Church Road, Avondale, PA 19311 or online at www.luckydawganimalrescue.com/donate.

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

To view Bonnie’s online obituary and leave condolences for the family, please visit www.griecofunerals.com.

Richard Feree Lamb

Dr. Richard Feree Lamb, 95, of Kennett Square, passed away after a brief illness on May 2, 2025.

Richard was born in Palisade, NE, a small community, on July 13, 1929. His father, Ivan Lamb, was the town doctor, serving a population of under 1,000. Richard’s primary education was in a small school with multiple grades in each classroom.

When he was growing up, Richard spent summers working on the family farm in Queen City, Missouri. Following in his father’s footsteps, he was educated at Kirksville College of Osteopathy and Surgery.

While in Kirksville Richard met his wife, Carole Couch. Married in June 1953, they later moved to Denver, Colorado. Once in Denver, Richard studied to become an osteopathic physician with a specialty in anesthesiology. With children born in 1954 (David), 1957 (Julia), and 1962 (Brian), Richard and Carole were busy with their family and a burgeoning interest in antiques. They made their first pilgrimage to New England in 1964. Tying Winsor chairs to the top of the station wagon and trekking home must have been sight to see.

In 1974, the family moved to the Kennett Square area and purchased the Woodchuck Way property in 1975. Installing a large vegetable garden and cut flower gardens, the property soon became a breeding ground for trees, flowers and assorted plantings.The house, built in 1963, is a reproduction Pennsylvania stone farmhouse, sitting on a hill surrounded by trees. Richard and Carole fell in love with the property at first sight, purchasing it in August of 1975. With such esteemed organizations as Longwood Gardens, Winterthur Museum and Brandywine River Museum for inspiration, it’s easy to see where their ideas came from to furnish their home—inside and out. While taking in lectures at Winterthur became routine, Carole became a fixture at the Brandywine River Museum. She served as a tour guide for over 40 years. She is a Thursday Girl, marking George “Frolic” Weymouth’s influence at the museum as inspirational.

In the last few years, Richard loved when the daily mail was delivered. Pouring over the newspapers and periodicals was the highlight of his day. After the mail, his novels were constantly open. Also at his side was his pocket edition of the U.S. Constitution.

Richard and Carole had been married 72 years. They marked four seasons of 50 years at the Woodchuck Way property.

Dr. Lamb is survived by his wife, Carole, his three children, David Lamb, of Fort Collins, Colo., Julia and spouse Jay Maier, of Knoxville, Tenn., and Brian Lamb and spouse Lori, of Hockessin, Del. In addition, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren survive.

A small memorial was held on the property on May 15. White peonies and ferns were prominent, while the sun shone through the trees as the family bid farewell and Godspeed.

Arrangements are being handled by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory (484-734-8100) of Kennett Square. 

To share a memory with Richard's family, please visit www.griecofunerals.com.