Obituaries

Rosemary H. Davis, 90, of Moravian Hall Square, Nazareth, died Friday, December 4, 2020. Born July 29, 1930 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, she was a daughter of the late Lloyd E. and Helen (Thomas) Young. Her husband, Jack M. Davis died in 1983. She graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School, attended Kalamazoo College, and graduated from Western Michigan University. Rosemary worked for the Northern Province of the Moravian Church Center, Bethlehem for 6 years until retiring in 1995. Prior to that she worked at Martin Guitar for 18 years. She was a member of Palmer Moravian Church where she sang in the choir and was a soloist. She was a delegate for the Northern Province of the Moravian Synod where she was an advocate for gay rights in the church. She also volunteered for Meals on Wheels and was a volunteer and board member of Moravian Hall Square for eight years.

Surviving are her children, Linda Davis-Wallen and her husband, Cleon “Skip”, Curtis Davis and his wife, Gwenn, and James Davis and his wife, Linda; eight grandchildren; five great grandchildren; and a great great grandson. Her siblings, Daniel Young, Dorothy Troutman Kusmack, and Phyllis Slocum died earlier.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, October 2, 2021 in Palmer Moravian Church, 2901 John St., Easton. Masks are required in the church. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to Palmer Moravian Church or the Good Samaritan Fund at Moravian Hall Square. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Lester B. Hulsizer, 99, of Gracedale, formerly of Palmer Twp., PA died Thursday, December 3, 2020 at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Muhlenberg. Born March 7, 1921 in Easton, PA he was a son of the late Mabel (Myers) and Johnson B. Hulsizer. A 1938 graduate of Phillipsburg High School, he was a Staff Sergeant in the Army Air Corps during WWII, serving with the 397th Bomb Squadron. His wife of 77 years,  Jane (Salzman) Hulsizer died in April. Lester was a truck driver for E.B. Libe, Inc. for 46 years before retiring and a member of First Presbyterian Church, Easton.

He is survived by his children: Barry Hulsizer and Valerie Frederickson both of Palmer Twp., PA; a grandson: Chris Kindt and his wife Kelley; and great-grandchildren: Abby and Ryan Kindt and their mother Jennifer Cooprider.

Services are private with interment in Easton Cemetery. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to any Veteran’s Organization. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Muriel W. Hartline of Easton, PA, passed away Monday, November 30, 2020 at the age of 106. Born in Camden, NJ she was the daughter of the late Lillian (Oakes) and Andrew C. Weyland, Sr. She was a graduate of Collingswood High School in NJ and Banks Business College, Philadelphia. Upon graduation she was employed by the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co. at the home office in Philadelphia. She was the wife of Rev. Paul W. Hartline, former pastor of First Lutheran Church, Stewartsville, NJ. They enjoyed 74 years of marriage prior to his passing in 2009. As a minister’s wife, she led adult and children’s’ choirs and is still remembered for directing the Christmas and Easter pageants.

Her special interest was teaching piano. She studied at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music and at the Manhattan School of Music, majoring in piano pedagogy. For many years she entered her pupils in the National Guild of Piano Teacher’s auditions and was a certified teacher for that group. Upon retirement, she and her husband traveled and square danced with The Eastonaires, even performing at the White House. They were members of the Southside Senior Center and Stewartsville Lutheran Church.

She is survived by her daughter: Muriel Folk and her husband David F. Folk of Easton; a grandson: Tim T. Folk; nieces and nephews. A son Charles Andrew Hartline and a brother Andrew C. Weyland, Jr. preceded her in death.

Services will be held at a later date due to COVID restrictions. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements. Interment will be private in Washingtonville Lutheran Cemetery, Washingtonville, PA.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to First Lutheran Church, PO Box 86, Stewartsville, NJ 08886. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Robert F. Thomas, 88, of Forks Township, died Wednesday, November 25, 2020 in Lehigh Valley Hospital.

Born August 1, 1932 in Bethlehem, he was a son of the late Sylvester and Margaret (Zettlemoyer) Thomas. His wife, Dolores J. “Snooky” (Tinsman) Thomas died last year.

Robert was a vocational-technical instructor of mechanical design and CAD for 30 years in the Easton Area School District. He was a former member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Easton and enjoyed going to the Wind Creek Casino.

Surviving are his children, Scott Thomas and his wife, Joanne, and Gayle Groff; a brother, Ronald Thomas; three grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, a memorial service will be held later. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org.

Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Ruth S. Gafford, 95, formerly of Easton, PA died Wednesday, November 25, 2020 at her residence at Westminster Village, Allentown, PA. Born December 30, 1924 in Palmer Twp., PA she was a daughter of the late Emily Mae (Paul) and Howard D. Siegfried, Sr. She graduated from Easton High School in 1943, Easton Hospital School of Nursing in 1947 and received her bachelor’s degree from East Stroudsburg State College. She was a School Nurse for the Easton Area School District for 25 years before retiring in 1987. Prior to that she was employed by Easton Hospital and as a private duty nurse. 

Ruth was a member of the former Olivet Presbyterian Church, Easton where she served as an Elder, Trustee, in Mary’s circle and Church Women United. She was member of the Cadet Nursing Corps at Easton Hospital; the PA Assoc. of State Retirees;  and she volunteered at The Easton Home and Food Bank. She was also very active at Westminster Village where she served on the Resident Council and in the Kazoo Band.

She is survived by sons: Scott H. Gafford (wife Irene) of Bath, PA, Neal A. Gafford (wife Sue) of Bethlehem, PA; 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren She was predeceased by her husband T. Harold Gafford in 2010, her son Roger H. Gafford in 1992 and 5 brothers and sisters.

Services will be held at a later date due to COVID restrictions. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements. Interment is in Arndts Cemetery, Forks Twp., PA. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Joseph M. Lane, 70, Easton, PA, died peacefully on November 22, 2020. Born in Boston, MA, he was the son of the late Joseph H. and Julia (Flaherty) Lane. Joe was also lovingly raised throughout his teen and young adult years by a second set of parents, the late Sam and Ellie Meyer of Plymouth, MA, becoming part of a family with seven children whom he considered his brothers and sisters. Joe was a graduate of North Quincy High School where he played football as an outstanding “strong safety”. He went on to play defensive back for Lafayette College from 1969 – 1973. Joe received a BA in economics from Lafayette College and an MBA from Lehigh University. In the early part of his career he negotiated contracts worldwide for the Turbo Division of Ingersoll Rand. He then served as Vice President for Enterprise Development at Ben Franklin Technology Partners, retiring in 2016. While there, he also mentored many Lafayette College students interested in entrepreneurship. Joe will be remembered for his love for telling stories, his sense of humor, an obsession for being current with news events, and as a friend to neighbors on College Hill where he resided. He maintained a passion for all things Lafayette College and football. You may have seen him cycling up and down the hills training for his overseas biking excursions, or walking through the neighborhood, a dog always by his side.

Joe was preceded in death by his brother Tom Lane of Montgomery, TX. He is survived by a niece, Courtney Lane Grube of Montgomery, TX, and a nephew, Ryan Lane of Houston, TX. 

Memorials may be directed to Safe Harbor, Lafayette College Friends of Football Annual Scholarship Fund, or the Easton Area Neighborhood Center.  The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.