Obituaries

Marjorie M. West, 83, of Harmony Twp., NJ died Monday, January 2, 2012 in Warren Hospital.

Born: July 5, 1928 in Wilson Borough she was the daughter of the late Stanley and Hannah Doll Miller. She and her husband J. Brooks West have been married for 62 years.

Personal: A 1946 graduate of Wilson High School she had been employed by Bethlehem Steel and was a Meals on Wheels volunteer.

Memberships: She was a member of Harmony Presbyterian Church, Phillipsburg and had been the drummer in the Earl Held All Girl’s Band.  She was a Brownie and Junior Girl Scout Leader; a life member of PTA;  Past-President of the Harmony Twp. PTA and member of the Warren County Juvenile Conference Committee.

Survivors: Her husband: Brooks; 3 daughters: Jann Woodburn and her husband David of Cudjoe Key, FL; Randa Barabas and her husband Joseph of Plainfield Twp., PA; Karen “Becky” Brandt and her husband David of Harmony, NJ; a son Reed West of Cape Coral, FL; 9 grandchildren: Sarah, Emily and Adrienne; Corinne and Bryan;  Jennifer, Derek, Kevin and Allison; and 5 great-grandchildren: Chandler, Caleigh, Catharine, Evelyn and Cole.

Services: 11 a.m. Saturday in Harmony Presbyterian Church, 2727 Belvidere Road., with a calling period from 10 to 11 in the church; the Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements. Interment will be in St. James Lutheran (Straw) Church Cemetery, Phillipsburg.

Memorial Contributions: may be made to Harmony Presbyterian Church, 2727 Belvidere Rd., Phillipsburg, NJ 08865.

Harold L. Vasvari, 92 of Palmer Twp. died Sunday, December 25, 2011 in ManorCare Health Services, Old Orchard.

Born: August 9, 1919 in Bethlehem, he was the son of the late Daniel and Julia Pierz Vasvari. He and his wife Helen Powell Vasvari celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this past Sept.

Personal: He was a veteran of WWII, serving in the Marine Corps in the Pacific Theatre. He worked for Luria Steel Supply Co. of Bethlehem for almost 40 years before retiring in 1986. He and his wife also owned and operated Webster’s restaurant in the Palmer Park Mall in the early 1980’s. One of his favorite pastimes was as a high school football official in the Lehigh Valley for over 40 years.  One of his proudest moments was being inducted into the Lehigh Valley National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 2002.

Memberships: He was a member of St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic Church, Palmer Twp.

Survivors: wife: Helen; sons: Hal and his wife Colette of Nazareth; Richard and his wife Verdi of Whitehall; grandsons: Todd, Chris, Sean, Brett, Jon and Jan and great-grandchildren: Bryce, Brady, Cade and Liam.

Services: Prayer Service will be held 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the Ashton Funeral Home, 14th and Northampton Sts., Easton with visitation from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.  Interment will be in Northampton Memorial Shrine.

Memorial Contributions: may be made to St. Jane Frances de Chantal, 4049 Hartley Ave., Easton, PA 18045.

Esther M. Aicher, 94, formerly of Palmer Twp., died Sunday, December 25, 2011 in Gracedale.

Born: September 11, 1917 in Bethlehem, PA she was a daughter of the late Herbert and Anna Sandt Musselman. Her husband, Florian S. Aicher, Sr. died in 1986.

Memberships: She was a member of Fellowship Church of Phillipsburg and a Charter Member of the Bethel Memorial Baptist Church, Palmer Twp.

Survivors: Her daughter: Gloria A. Robison and her husband Paul of Lower Nazareth Twp., PA; her son: Florian S. Aicher, Jr. and his wife D’Ann of San Antonio, TX; 6 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandsons. She was predeceased by her husband, Florian and sisters: Pearl Haas, Margaret Weidenbach and Frances Sharkey.

Services: 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton, with a calling period from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday in the funeral home. Interment will be in Forks Cemetery.

Francis J. Frye, 95 of Palmer Twp. died Monday, December 19, 2011 in his home.

Born: January 8, 1916 in Phillipsburg, NJ he was a son of the late William and Mary Bahr Frye. His wife, the former Doris M. Kleppinger died in Dec. of 2001.

Personal: He was employed by the Dixie Cup Company for 44 years before retiring as a Supervisor. A 1934 graduate of St. Philip’s and St. James Catholic High School he was an Army Tech. Sgt. during WWII serving in the European Theatre and Battle of the Bulge. He had also been a Meals on Wheels volunteer.

Memberships:  He was a member of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, Easton.

Survivors: A cousin. A brother William and sister Margaret died earlier.

Services: Graveside 10 a.m. Tuesday at Easton Heights Cemetery. The Ashton Funeral Home, 14th and Northampton Sts., Easton is handling the arrangements.

Memorial Contributions: May be made to the Church, 132 S. 5th St., Easton, PA 18042 or Meals on Wheels, 4240 Fritch Dr., Bethlehem, PA 18020 .

Paul H. Whipple, 75, of Easton, PA died December 16, 2011 in the VNA Hospice of St. Lukes.

Born: March 9, 1936 in Kent City, MO he was the son of the late Benjamin and Mabel VanGundy Whipple. His wife of 49 years, the former Laura Biery died in August of 2011.

Personal: After graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in Electrical Engineering he began work with Bell Labs in New Jersey. In the early 1960’s he was assigned to Hawaii to work on laying the first transpacific communications cable under the ocean from the US to Hawaii. During this time he earned a Masters in Electrical Engineering from NYU and transferred to Washington DC. In Washington, he worked as a NASA contractor on the Saturn rockets that powered the Apollo space missions. In his later career, he managed projects to lay the groundwork for FIOS fiber optic cable networks, which connect our communities today. 
He will be best remembered for being a devoted husband and father. He and his wife Laura traveled to many places across Europe and the US, always looking forward to their next destination. They loved music and the arts. He was devoted to Laura, and took loving care of her through her illness and death earlier in 2011. April 2012 would have been their 50th wedding anniversary. As a father, Paul created many meaningful memories for his children and grandchildren.  He knew how to find the fun in everyday living, and share it with his kids. His children and grandchildren will miss his stories and ideas.

Memberships: Paul was a member of College Hill Presbyterian Church, Easton and served as treasurer for Christ Presbyterian Church in Martinsville, NJ for many years. He was committed to volunteer work and in retirement managed a charitable trust for a friend.

Survivors:  Sons: Brian of N. Andover, MA; Steven and his wife Laura of Takoma Park, MD; daughter: Jennifer of Bexley, OH; and 6 grandchildren.

Services: A Memorial Service will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, January 21, 2012 in the College Hill Presbyterian Church, 501 Brodhead St., Easton, PA; the Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements.

Memorials: may be made to ProJeCt of Easton, 320 Ferry St., Easton, PA 18042.