Obituaries

Carolyn Albert, 93, of Bethlehem, PA, and formerly of Pembroke Pines, FL and Riverhead, NY, passed away on January 12, 2023.   Carolyn was the youngest of 7 children of Abraham and Helen Fraint of Burlington, VT. Her parents had emigrated to the United States from Russia (now Ukraine). Growing up, besides going to school in Burlington, she worked at her father’s grocery store called Fraint’s Creamery. At 18, she left Vermont for New York City and entered nursing school at Mt. Sinai Hospital. She soon realized that nursing involved taking care of sick people and that was not her calling. At her exit interview, she said that she wanted to pursue a career as a secretary. The interviewer was looking for a secretary and hired her for the role. She later worked at non-profit agencies such as Twentieth Century Fund and the Ford Foundation in New York City.

In 1957, she met Eugene Albert at a dude ranch singles weekend in New Jersey and they were married 5 months later. The newlyweds soon moved to Riverhead, New York (on Long Island). Carolyn began working as an administrative assistant at Brookhaven National Laboratories and continued there for many years until her retirement.  Carolyn and Gene became the proud parents to one son, Andrew Albert, and one daughter, Jill Nathanson. Carolyn was very active in her local synagogue, Temple Israel in Riverhead, including serving as treasurer and with the sisterhood. She was a lifelong member of Hadassah.  After retirement, Carolyn and Gene moved to sunny Florida and enjoyed many happy years there. Carolyn especially enjoyed regular mah jongg games, going to the movies, reading books, and eating out with her friends. She also took many trips, especially cruises, often with friends or family.  After Eugene’s passing, Carolyn moved to Bethlehem PA to be near her daughter, and they enjoyed many fun activities together. She spent her Bethlehem years living at Country Meadows where she was active in the community and made many friends among the residents and staff. She is best known there for her love of shoes.  Carolyn was a kind person with a quick wit and a beautiful laugh. She was always dressed well, put on makeup and jewelry every day, and got her hair done every week when she was able. She was loved no matter where she went. 

Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband, Eugene Albert, her brothers Aaron Fraint, Saul Fraint and Herman Fraint and her sisters Gertrude Goldberg, Ruth Steirn, and Shirley Levin. She is survived by her children, Andrew Albert (Ilene) and Jill Nathanson (Howard), her beloved granddaughter; Rebecca Nathanson and two step-granddaughters, Cydney Wolchock and Rachel Wolchock.  Carolyn was laid to rest in Hollywood, Florida next to her husband, Eugene.  Memorial donations may be made to The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley (702 N 22nd St, Allentown, PA 18104) or the Prostate Cancer Foundation (1250 Fourth Street Santa Monica, CA 90401).

Yetta Goldstein Ziolkowski, beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away on the morning of January 10 in Kirkland Village, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Her husband of almost seventy years, Theodore Ziolkowski, born 1932, had died there on December 5, 2020. In their life together they had previously resided in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Innsbruck, Austria; New Haven, Connecticut; Cologne, Germany; Hastings, New York; and, for the longest stretch, Princeton, New Jersey, from 1964 to 2019. For fifteen years, toward the end of their lives, they made extended annual visits to Berlin, Germany.

Yetta Ziolkowski was born on August 5, 1929, in Cedartown, Georgia. She was the oldest of four children of Margaret Goldstein, née Embry, originally from Anniston, Alabama, and Samuel Jacob Goldstein, né Olewnik, who had immigrated to the United States in 1903 from Ciechanów, in the Russian Partition of what is now Poland. She took great pride in being the daughter and sister of veterans: her father had served in France in World War I as a volunteer in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and her brother, Jimmy Alden Goldstein, was a U.S. soldier stationed in South Korea in the late 1950s.

A conventional resume would record that Yetta Ziolkowski was high-school valedictorian in Lincoln, Alabama, an undergraduate at what is now the University of Montevallo, Alabama, and a graduate student who earned an M.A. in comparative literature at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Later she taught Latin at a girls’ school in New Haven, Connecticut. In midlife—the long Princeton phase—she made many meaningful contributions as a volunteer at Princeton Hospital, docent at the University Art Museum, and coordinator of host families for Saudi Arabian engineering students studying English on the Princeton campus in the summers of 1976 and 1977. She worked alongside her husband during his thirteen years of service as Dean of the Graduate School.

Yetta also did numerous co-translations with her husband, notably of Herman Meyer’s The Poetics of Quotation in the European Novel, and took photographs to accompany her husband’s works. In her sixties and seventies, she increased her community work, especially with the local welfare board, and applied to her own garden her sophisticated landscape and horticultural knowledge, gained in part from promoting the restoration of the garden designed by Beatrix Farrand at the Graduate School.

Though accurate, the accounting given fails to capture much about Yetta Ziolkowski that was most extraordinary. To the end, she retained an enduring imprint from her upbringing in rural Alabama during the Great Depression and World War II. Her father and mother brought together lasting roots, his in the Jewish communities in Ciechanów and Mława in what is now north-central Poland, and hers in and around a place called Embry’s Bend, alongside the Coosa River, outside the small town of Lincoln, Alabama.

To the last, she also commanded a formidable historical knowledge, an awe-inspiring memory of people—their faces, names, families, stories, and more—and places, and a deep and broad erudition in literature, art, history, and religion. To these she added perspectives gained from travels with her husband, not only across North America, but also throughout Europe, as well as to South Korea and Japan.

Yetta retained close ties both with those she had known from childhood and with those she had befriended in adulthood. Her husband may have published numerous books of literary and cultural history, but he and everyone else in the family recognized without hesitation that Yetta had read seemingly everything. That reading was not confined to English, since she shared with her spouse a profound commitment to German and Latin. Family members also knew how her nature would lead her from casual encounters into extended conversations that would elicit exceptional recollections and connections. Long before AI, she could transcend almost instantaneously the six degrees of separation.

From the very start, the relationship between Yetta and Theodore Ziolkowski—a fellow Alabamian, from Montevallo—was one of unbounded and unfailing love. Their marriage on March 26, 1951, proved magically successful, uniting two people whose fathers immigrated to the United States from utterly different backgrounds in eastern Europe. As a matriarch and person, Yetta was formidable in shaping and guiding those around her. She conveyed her strong insights, convictions, visions, and ambitions to everyone, not the least her three children and seven grandchildren. Her descendants will hear for generations to come about her mind, character, and, above all, love. She will never be forgotten.

She is survived by her younger sister Sarah Avisar Lichtman, of Bnei Dror, Israel; younger brother Jimmy Alden Goldstein, of Lincoln, Alabama; and youngest sister Barbara Bonfield, of Birmingham, Alabama; and daughter Margaret Ziolkowski and her husband Robert Thurston, of Oxford, Ohio; elder son Jan and his wife Elizabeth Ziolkowski, of Newton, Massachusetts; and younger son Eric Ziolkowski and his wife Lee Upton, of Easton, Pennsylvania. Also grieving her loss are a grandson and six granddaughters, along with two great-granddaughters and three great-grandsons.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish to memorialize Yetta Ziolkowski may make a donation in her name to either the World Jewish Congress (WJC: https://support.worldjewishcongress.org/) or the Anti-Defamation League (ADL: https://www.adl.org/).

Cody Michael Rodenbough was born June 15th, 1988 in Easton Pa. He died at home on January 10th, 2023. Cody attended Easton Area High school and was a rover for life.

He is survived by his parents Claire/Joe Cerino and Donald Rodenbough, sister: Megan, brothers: Garrick, Colton and Josh. Uncle Cody leaves behind Hannah, Brayden, Maddox, Jemmah, Brea Cammillah and (Cahrynn who is predeceased). Cody was a lover of life and the life of most parties. His family, and innumerable friends were most important to him. Cody loved to eat and you’d see him often at his favorite lunch spots. Just no red sauce. Cody was met by his grandparents and many friends when his eyes closed. His smile will last forever in our hearts.

Contributions can be made to his GoFundMe or to a charity of your choice. Cremation is being handled by Ashton Funeral Home. A celebration of life is in the works.

Joseph A. Schiller, 91, of Williams Township died peacefully Monday, January 9, 2023 in his home. Born April 5, 1931 in Pittsburgh, he was the son of the late Joseph and Ann (Sauers) Schiller. He his wife, Jan (Covington) Schiller, were married 40 years. He served as a corporal in the Army during the Korean War and he owned and operated his own business called Ramcorp for over 40 years. Joseph was a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, served on the Williams Township Planning Commission, was a member of the First Baptist Church, Phillipsburg, the Pomfret Club, Grasshoppers in Legacy, Morgan Hill and was a volunteer for the State Theatre.

He is survived by his wife, Jan, and their children, Cathy Kaplan (Steve), Jeff Schiller (Sandy), Lisa Schiller, Sandra Matuska (Joe), Tim Sharkey (Kristen) and his brother Alan (Kathy). A son, Steven, passed away five years earlier. He was an amazing Poppy Joe to his 13 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. 

The family will receive visitors at Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton Street, Easton on Friday, January 13, 2023 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The funeral will be held at the First Baptist Church, Red School Lane, in Phillipsburg on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 10 a.m. 

Memorial contributions may be made to the State Theatre (www.statetheatre.org) or the First Baptist Church (www.fbcpburg.org). Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Gladys Winifred Caskey, 90 of Forks Twp., PA died Monday, January 9, 2023 at home. Born March 20, 1932 in Rome, NY she was a daughter of the late Theresa (McKee) and Franklin Zimmerman. Her husband Francis Caskey died in 2019. Gladys was a graduate of St. Mary High School in Rutherford, NJ and was employed by Allstate Insurance in Berkeley Heights, NJ for more than 20 years before retiring. Gladys was a member of St. Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic Church, Easton and Past-President of the Friends of Easton Library. She also volunteered at the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society.

She is survived by her children: Karen Maron of Durham, NC, Alice Stolarz of Lynchburg, VA, F. Elaine Foote of Smallwood, NY, Paul Caskey of Springfield, NJ, Beth Caskey of Easton, PA and Kathryn DiBerardino of Belgrade Lakes, ME; a sister: Jeanann Cimino; 17 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Francis; a daughter: Theresa Garrison; a sister: Ethel Ellefson; brothers: Albert and Robert Zimmerman and 4 grandchildren .

Mass will be celebrated 10:30 AM Tuesday (Jan. 17) at St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church, 4049 Hartley Ave., Easton with visitation 6 to 7:30 PM Monday in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton. Interment will be in St. Teresa’s Cemetery, Summit, NJ.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com

Kenneth Wayne Franco, 66 of Easton, PA died Saturday, January 7, 2023 at the Lehigh Valley Hospice, Allentown. Born December 10, 1956 in Easton, he was a son of the late Josephine (Mereo) and Armando Franco. He was a 1974 graduate of Easton High School and member of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. Ken was an iron worker and forklift operator at various establishments before working part-time at Boscov’s. He was also a member of Liberty Hose, American Legion, Brown and Lynch Post and life member of the Fleas.

He is survived by his wife of nine years, Melissa (Hancock) Franco; his children: Kristina Franco (fiancé Robert Costa) of Palmer Twp., Dustin Franco of Easton; stepsons: Mark Stelma (Simona) of Nazareth, Cody Stelma of Bethlehem; a brother: Monte Franco (Michelle) of Williams Twp., sister: Carol Guida (John) of Bethlehem, 4 grandchildren: Arron, Alana, Dmitry, Maksim; his lifelong chosen brothers: John Pysher, Craig Dorsey, Dennis Andrews and his beloved puppy Zia. He was predeceased by a sister Darlene Jones.

A memorial service will be held 10:30 AM Friday, Jan. 13, in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton, PA with a calling period from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. Interment will be in St. Anthony’s Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the family in care of the funeral home to help defray expenses. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.