Ashton Funeral Home

Obituaries

Carrie M. Geffert

April 7, 2017

Carrie M. Geffert, 94, of Moore Township, formerly of Palmer Township, died Friday, April 7, 2017 in Lehigh Valley Hospital, Muhlenberg.

Born June 21, 1922 in Marion Heights, PA, she was a daughter of the late Walter and Carrie (Matter) Mosloskie.  Her husband, Michael A. Geffert died in 1998.

Carrie was a member of William Parsons Chapter #185, OES.

Surviving are her daughter, Carol M. Ricks and her husband, Tom with whom she resided; five grandchildren; eleven great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren.  A grandson and a great granddaughter died earlier.

Services will be private.  The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements.

Contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, www.stjude.org.  Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Kate Roberta Pavel

April 5, 2017

Kate Roberta “Robbie” Pavel, 98, of Allentown, died Wednesday, April 5, 2017 in St. Luke’s Hospice House.

Born June 28, 1918 in Wentworth, England, she was a daughter of the late Bennett and Ethel (Holden) Roberts.  Her husband, Emil Pavel died in 2000.

During WWII she was a nurse in England with the Red Cross and was a member of the Civil Nursing Reserve during the London Blitz.

Robbie was a member of Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church, Allentown.  She was a 50 year member of Beta Sigma Phi, a founding director of the Red Cross volunteers at Sacred Heart Hospital, Allentown and a volunteer for the Lehigh Valley Braille Guild.  She was an avid bridge player and loved to travel.

Surviving are her son, Alex R. Pavel of Allentown and her sister, Ethel Agnes Atkinson.  Her daughter, Elizabeth S. Pavel died in 2008.

Services will be private.  The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements.

Contributions may be made to the American Red Cross, www.redcross.org or the VFW, www.vfw.org.  Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

George D. Lutz

April 4, 2017

George D. Lutz, 63, of Marysville, Michigan, formerly of Forks Township, died Tuesday, April 4, 2017 in Michigan.

Born December 11, 1953 in Easton, he was a son of the late George R. and Mary Jane (Reich) Lutz.  He and his wife, Charleen (Sterling) Lutz were married 25 years.

George worked for Akzo/Cargill Salt Co. for over 25 years.

He graduated from Easton Area High School in 1971 where he lettered in three sports and graduated from Moravian College in 1975 where he was a two-time All-American third baseman.  George was a little league coach and soccer coach and was an avid outdoorsman.

Surviving with his wife, Charleen, are a son, George Lutz; a step-daughter, Katie Katrinic; three brothers, Kurt Lutz, Brian Lutz and Mark Lutz and a sister, Susan Vicario.

A visitation will be held from 6 – 7:30 pm on Thursday, May 4, 2017 in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton.  Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Carolyn E. Rice

April 2, 2017

Carolyn E. Rice, 77, of Effort, formerly of Easton, died Sunday, April 2, 2017 in her home.

Born July 26, 1939 in Easton, she was a daughter of the late George O. Spence, Sr. and Pauline (Keller) Grube.  Her husband, Larry G. Rice, Sr. died in 1983.  Carolyn was a graduate of Easton High School.

Surviving are two sons, Larry Rice, Jr. and his wife, Angela of East Bangor and Robert Rice and his companion, Kimberly James of Northampton; a daughter, Karen Lynn Rice and her fiancé, Bertram Berk; two brothers, LeRoy Spence and George Spence, Jr.; a close friend of sixty years, Lorraine Frey; nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Services will be 10:30 am Wednesday, April 5, 2017 in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton.  A visitation will be held from 9:30 am until service time Wednesday in the funeral home.  Interment in Northampton Memorial Shrine.

Contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org.

Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

George Cedric Watson

April 2, 2017

George Cedric Watson, 79, of Palmer Township, died Sunday, April 2, 2017 in ManorCare, Bethlehem.

Born April 5, 1937 in Staten Island, NY, he was a son of the late George W. and Isabelle (Nolan) Watson.  He and his wife, Donna (Kaltenbaugh) Goldthorp Watson were married 42 years.

George worked in the Office of Admissions and the Office of Alumni Relations at Lafayette College for thirty years.  After that he was the Director of Annual Giving at Moravian College for five years until retiring in 1994.

He was a graduate of Curtis High School, Staten Island.  He graduated from Lafayette College in 1958 and earned his master’s degree from Lehigh University.  He served in the Coast Guard during the Vietnam War.

George was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, Easton.  He was a former president of the Easton Lions Club, an active member of the Maroon Club at Lafayette College and a volunteer at Easton Hospital.

Surviving with his wife, Donna are two sons, Brian Watson and his wife, Jennifer of Nazareth and Greg Goldthorp and his wife, Lori of Harrisburg; four grandchildren, Brittny, Jordan, Eric and Kennedy; three step-grandchildren, Justin, Stephen and Christian; three great grandchildren and a cousin, Roy Douglas Watson.  His son, John Gregory Watson died earlier.

A memorial service will be held 6:00 pm Saturday, April 8, 2017 in Trinity Episcopal Church, 234 Spring Garden Street, Easton.  The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements.

Contributions may be made to the Easton Lions Club, 33 S. 4th St., Easton, PA 18042.  Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com

Ervin J. “E J” Decker

March 30, 2017

Ervin J. “E J” Decker, 89, of Palmer Township, died Thursday, March 30, 2017 in Gracedale.

Born June 8, 1927 in New Milford, NY, he was a son of the late John H. and Isabel (Malory) Decker.

He owned and operated E J Decker & Son, Easton for over 50 years and served in the Navy during WWII and Korea.

Surviving are a son, Randy J. Decker and his wife, Tee of Albuquerque, NM; a daughter, Holly Kociolek and her husband, Tony of Bethlehem; seven grandchildren; three great grandchildren and his dog, Mangie.  His daughter, Gail Gebhardt; his companion, Jean (Wieghorst) Hay; two brothers, Albert Decker and William Decker; a sister, Lela Fehr and his dog, Bogart all died earlier.

Services will be private.

Contributions may be made to Gracedale, 2 Gracedale Ave., Nazareth, PA 18064.  Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Gary E. McLaughlin

March 29, 2017

Gary Edward McLaughlin, 62 of Forks Twp., PA died Wednesday, March 29, 2017 after being stricken at home. Born October 20, 1954 in Tamaqua, PA he was a son of the late Edward and Dorothy McLaughlin. He served in the Marines during the Vietnam War and was a member of the American Legion and VFW.

He is survived by his wife of 17 years: Catherine; children: Jason and Jennifer; brother: David and 5 grandchildren.

Services are private. Interment will be in Skyview Memorial Park, Tamaqua. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements.

Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Janet G. Charney

March 27, 2017

Janet G. Charney, 78, of Danielsville, PA died Monday, March 27, 2017 in Lehigh Valley Hospital, Muhlenberg.

Born February 13, 1939 in Kingston, PA, she was a daughter of the late Dr. Ray and Dorothy (Gray) Goulstone.  She and her husband, Daniel F. Charney, were married 55 years.

While some people have a passion for collecting stamps or art, Janet’s passion was helping people.  She did this through the church and the community. For more than 20 years she served as the parish administrator for Trinity Episcopal Church.  She was also an active member of the church where she sang in the choir, worked with the Altar Guild, and served as a Lay Eucharistic Minister taking communion to sick and home bound parishioners.  She felt strongly about the importance of stewardship and served as a member of the Diocesan Stewardship Commission.  Jan was also a member of Diocesan Council.

Janet’s efforts weren’t just focused on church activities.  For more than 40 years she volunteered with Meals On Wheels, delivering meals throughout Northampton County. At Easton hospital she served on the Women’s Board and was a volunteer chaplain. One of Jan’s biggest projects was serving as the volunteer coordinator for the ARK Soup Kitchen.  She read for the visually impaired and even translated books into braille.  As a recovering alcoholic, Jan helped many people find sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous.

Janet found her greatest joy in staying connected with family and friends.  She was the Class Agent for the Class of 1961 and stayed in contact with many of her classmates from Cedar Crest College. She and Dan made many trips to see their grandsons, Austin and Kyle, play baseball.   They travelled to England, Wales and Australia while visiting with family members. Holidays and summers were filled with get-togethers with extended family, college roommates and high school friends.  Janet made the world a better place and her caring and comfort will be missed by the many lives she has touched.

Surviving with her husband, Daniel, are two daughters, Beth Lawson and her husband, Tim of York, PA and Kira French and her husband, Rick of South River, NJ; a son, David Charney and his wife, Lorry Mooney of Lakewood, CO; two brothers, Ted Goulstone and his wife, Cindy, and Robert Stone; and two grandchildren, Austin and Kyle French.

A Celebration of Life will be held 2:00 pm Saturday, April 22, 2017 in Trinity Church, 234 Spring Garden St., Easton.

Contributions may be made to Meals on Wheels of Northampton County, 4240 Fritch Dr., Bethlehem, PA 18020 or Trinity Church, 234 Spring Garden St., Easton, PA 18042.  Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.