Obituaries

John H. Daws, Jr. 59, of Thornhurst, PA formerly of Easton, died Sunday, October 29, 2023 in St. Luke’s Hospice House. Born September 22, 1964 in Easton, he was the son of Shirley A. (Stout) Stocker and her husband, Dale of Bethlehem Township and John H. Daws, Sr. and his wife, Jackie of Nazareth. He and his wife, Marisa (Bartoli) Daws were married sixteen years. He graduated from Easton Area High School in 1982 and worked for GP Harmon Recycling, Breinigsville. Prior to that he worked for Dixie Cup for 38 years.

Surviving with his parents and wife are his son, John H. T. Daws at home; two sisters, Kathy Mazur and her husband, George of Bethlehem Township and Connie Daws-Smith and her husband, Daniel of Lopatcong Township; and a step sister, Kim Stocker and her husband, Mark of Seabrook, TX.

Services will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, November 3, 2023 in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton. Visitations will be held from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm on Thursday in the funeral home and from 10:00 am until service time on Friday in the funeral home. Interment will be in Easton Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Autism Speaks, www.autismspeaks.org. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Sandra Jean Roskilly, 82 of Palmer Twp., PA died Thursday, October 26, 2023 at Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest. Born November 12, 1940, she was a daughter of the late John and Evelyn (Brewer) Bickel. Her husband, John J. Roskilly died in 1974. Sandra was employed by Knoll’s in E. Greenville, PA for many years before retiring. She was a member of Palmer Moravian Church and the “Amazing Women’s” Bowling League.

She is survived by her son: John W. Roskilly (wife Beth Ann) of New Tripoli, PA; 3 grandchildren: Crystal, Johnathan and Christopher; 3 great-grandchildren: Richie, Chayton and Dean; brother: Wayne Woolever; and sister: Margaret Walliser. A sister Barbara Beers died earlier.

A Memorial Service will be held 11AM Saturday, Nov. 11th at Palmer Moravian Church, 2901 John St., Easton, PA 18045 with a calling period from 10 to 11 AM in the church. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements. Memorial Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or Palmer Moravian Church. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Earle R. McIlroy, 87, formerly of Easton, died Wednesday, October 25, 2023 in Gracedale. Born December 29, 1935 in Easton, he was the son of the late Earle Raymond and Gertrude (Rapp) McIlroy. His wife, Ruth Mary (Yob) McIlroy died in 2019. Earle graduated from Easton High School in 1953 and worked for Binney & Smith/Crayola for over 30 years until retiring in 1997. He was a member of the former Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (United Fellowship Lutheran Church), Wilson Borough and had been a Master Mason of Dallas Lodge #396, F&AM. He was a member of the United States Bowling Congress and was inducted into the Bowling Hall of Fame.

Surviving are three daughters, Deborah Glovas and her husband, Joe of Williams Township, Annie Fretz and her husband, Joe of Williams Township, and Virginia Altemose and her husband, Jeff of Stroudsburg; nine grandchildren; and five great grandchildren. His brother, Robert McIlroy and his sister, Virginia McIlroy died earlier.

Services will be held at 10:30 am on Thursday, November 2, 2023 in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton. A visitation will be held from 9:30 am until service time on Thursday in the funeral home. Interment will be in Northampton Memorial Shrine. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Kenneth R. Duncan, Sr., 80, of Bath, PA, formerly of Saylorsburg, PA, Sparta, NJ, Somerville, NJ, and Plainfield, NJ, died Saturday, October 21, 2023 in his home. Born April 8, 1943 in Upper Darby, PA, he was a son of the late James and Lucile (Martin) Duncan. He was a self-employed accountant in the Northern New Jersey region for over 40 years. He graduated from Plainfield High School in 1961 and received his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University. Kenneth was a proud member and mentor for Alcoholics Anonymous.

Surviving are two sons, Kenneth Duncan, Jr. and his wife, Teresa, of Parrish, FL, and Andrew Duncan and his wife, Mary, of Meredith, NH; two daughters, Susan Martin and her husband, Randall, of Stroudsburg, PA, and Amy Carson and her husband, Ronnie, of Easton, PA; a brother, Robert Duncan; a sister, Nancy Heydt; four grandchildren, Anthony, Emily, Ryan, and Lucy; and a great grandson, Brycen.

Service will be private. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton, PA is handling the arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, www.heart.org. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

John Calvin Kennedy, 80 of Easton, PA died Monday, October 16, 2023. Born February 9, 1943 in Lumberton, NC, he was the son of the late Harold and Burnis (McKinstry) Kennedy. He was a graduate of Cullowhee High School, Ohio Northern University and the University of Illinois. John joined the Peace Corps in 1965 where his primary job was to teach mathematics at a
secondary school in Peki, Ghana. While there, he met his future wife in Kumasi, Ghana. They frequently traveled 10+ hours to see one another before and after they married in Peki, Ghana in 1968.

They then traveled through Europe on their way home to meet one another’s in-laws and to teach in Washington, DC. Two years later they moved to Charlotte, North Carolina where John taught math at a junior high, the first year Mecklenburg County integrated. John then obtained his masters at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana before moving to Puerto Rico in 1975 to teach math at Antilles High School. He was an educator for the U.S Dept. of Defense at the ACSS for more than 25 years.  John and Fran returned to Ghana three times since 2004, meeting former colleagues and students and volunteering for Global Mamas. John is the author of the novel Last Lorry to Mbordo which takes place in a fictional West African country based on Ghana, Sierra Leone and Nigeria during the Biafran war.

Twenty years ago, John and Fran moved to the Lehigh Valley to be near their children and grandchildren. John was especially known for his kind and thoughtful nature, and his love and dedication to his family, friends and students. He was always quick to share a dry, witty joke or story. John was passionate about helping people, both locally and worldwide. Some of his activities included tutoring local high school students in math, assisting local refugee action groups, and funding a solar project to promote green energy. Locally, he was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lehigh Valley; the AAUW Easton Branch; a past president of the Easton Kiwanis Club; and the Village on College Hill group’s drumming circle. John was also an avid pickleball player for over 10 years.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Frances (Healing) Kennedy; his daughter: Christina Angela Kennedy (husband Jeffrey Allan Porter); his son: Michael Kwame Kennedy (fiancé Sherry Lynn Hartman); 4 grandchildren: Calvin Fox Kennedy, Jacob Kennedy Porter, Timothy Dante Kennedy and Skye Kennedy Porter. He was predeceased by his sister: Janet (Kennedy)
Bixel.

Memorial contributions may be made to AAUW Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1464, Easton, PA 18044 or UUCLV (note Social Action in memory of John Kennedy), 1633 West Elm St., Allentown, PA 18102, or a charity of your choice. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.