Obituaries

Ronald E. “Pop” Hughes, Sr., 82, of Wind Gap, died Friday, November 4, 2022 in ProMedica, Easton. Born January 23, 1940 in Old Forge, he was the son of the late Evan and Mabel (Carey) Hughes. He and his wife, Carol A. (Lutes) Hughes were married 57 years. Pop served in the Army during the Korean War and was a self-employed general contractor in the Lehigh Valley. He founded the H. & S. Construction softball team and was the coach for over 30 years. Pop was the epitome of what a family man should be. His happiest moments were spent with his wife, children, grandchildren, and extended family. His grandchildren were his world, he never missed a function involving them and was always there to show his love and support. His face would light up every time he talked about them. He was “pop” to many and will be deeply missed by those who were lucky enough to meet him.

Surviving with his wife, Carol, are two sons, Ronald E. Hughes, Jr. and his wife, Kitti-Jo and Scott A. Hughes and his wife, Jenn; a daughter, Yvonne P. Beers and her husband, Christopher; eight grandchildren, Jared, Jessica, Kelsey, Alyson, Abygayle, Madysen, Emalie, and Sara; three great grandchildren, Kensleigh, Eliana, and Theodore; a great grandson Owen on the way; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death along with his parents by his five brothers, William, George, Teddy, Jack, and Bob and two sisters, Betty and Dorothy.

Services will be held at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton. A visitation will be held from 5:00 to 6:00 pm on Wednesday in the funeral home. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Maria C. Teresi, 77 of Jacksonville, FL died Tuesday, November 1, 2022 at ProMedica-Bethlehem. Born April 7, 1945 in Palermo, Italy, she was a daughter of the late Rosalia (Minchonce) and Modesto Salimeni. Her beloved husband of 57 years, Vincenzo “Vincent” Teresi died in 2021. Maria loved going on cruises with her husband and cherished time spent with her children and grandchildren. She was a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Jacksonville.

She is survived by her four children: Phillip Teresi (wife Leslie) of Wilson Borough, PA, Rose Iachini (husband Alan) of Palmer Twp., PA, Tonya Sutton (husband Ron) of Palmer Twp., PA, Modesto Teresi of Jacksonville, FL; grandchildren: Samantha (Jason), Vinny, Erika (Dustin), Christopher, Ricky, Modesto, Jr., Julianna, Leona, Marissa, Massimo, Adrina, Gina, Isabella; great-grandson: Leonardo; and brothers: Angelo and Giovanni Salimeni in Italy.

Mass will be celebrated at 11 AM, Wednesday, January 4, 2023 in St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 601 Airport Center Drive East, Jacksonville, FL. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Rochelle “Shelly” Pritz, 65 of Bethlehem Twp., PA died suddenly, Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at St. Luke’s Hospital-Anderson Campus. Born September 25, 1957 in Easton, PA she was the daughter of Mabel (Horvath) Metzger of Palmer Twp., PA and the late James Metzger. She was a graduate of Easton High School and Bauder College. She had been employed by Macy’s for many years. Shelly was a wonderful and beloved daughter and mother.

She will be missed by her mother, Mabel, her son, Jason with whom she resided and her cherished chocolate lab, Emma. She was predeceased by her father, her brother James and her aunt Matilda Malan.

Mass will be held 11 AM Thursday at Holy Family Catholic Church, 410 W. Center St., Nazareth, PA with interment in Northampton Memorial Shrine, Palmer. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Center for Animal Health and Welfare, 1165 Island Park Rd., Easton, PA 18042. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Evelyn K. Melick of Southlake, Texas passed away at the remarkable age of 98 on October 26, 2022. Evelyn was born to Hannah Wainwright and Charles F. Kennedy on July 8th, 1924. She married Donald W. Melick, from Oldwick, New Jersey who predeceased her on March 20th, 1992. Together, they had 2 children: Warren Melick of Ottsville, PA and Betsy Birmingham of Southlake, TX; 5 grandchildren: Megan Weldon of Kent, Washington, Zachary Melick of Portland, Oregon, Laurel Ansbro of Kintnersville, PA, James Birmingham II, of Denton, TX and Melissa Barnard of Justin, Texas; and 5 great grandchildren: Aiden Weldon, Evie Melick, Asher Weldon, Lily Melick and Sylas Barnard. She is also survived by James Birmingham, son-in-law, MaryAnn Melick, daughter-in-law, Alex Weldon, grandson-in-law, Meghan Melick, grand daughter-in-law, Colton Ansbro, grandson-in-law, and Dylan Barnard, grandson-in-law.

Evelyn and Don traveled the world together visiting exotic places like Japan, the Philippines, England, and South America. They were also big fans of ocean cruises, with Bermuda being their favorite destination. Evelyn had a zest for life and offered a warm welcome to people she encountered every day. She loved spending time in the kitchen, creating delicious meals for her family, golfing with friends and volunteer work; however, her greatest joys came from being a caring wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.

Evelyn also had two children from a previous marriage to the late Frank Lentini. Together they had two children and many more grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.

The funeral ceremony will be held in Texas. A private burial service will be held 2 PM, Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Northampton Memorial Shrine, where she will be laid to rest next to her late husband, Donald. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling local arrangements. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to either the MD Anderson Cancer Center at https://www.mdanderson.org or the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at https://www.bcrf.org.

Robert V. Kutzler, Sr., 87, of Palmer Township, died Tuesday, October 25, 2022 in Bethlehem Manor. Born August 7, 1935 in Easton, he was the son of the late W. Donald and Margaret A. (Bartholomew) Kutzler. His wife, Joyce L. (Bakros) Kutzler died in 2019. Robert served in the Air Force during the Korean War and was the owner/operator of Kutzler Trucking. He enjoyed traveling with his wife and was an avid private pilot. He was a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and was a life member of the Bushkill Valley Motorcycle Club.

Surviving are a son, Robert V. Kutzler, Jr. and his wife, Susan; a sister, Florence E. Flory; four grandchildren; and four great grandchildren. His twin brother, Roger W. Kutzler; his brother, Donald B. Kutzler; and two sisters, Shirlee J. Warren, and Linda J. Erk died earlier.

Services will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton. A visitation will be held from 10:00 am until service time on Tuesday in the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Jeffrey A. Kline, 62, of Forks Township, died peacefully in his home on Sunday, October 23, 2022 after a courageous battle with cancer. Born August 27, 1960 in Phillipsburg, he was the son of Vilma A. (Mannicci) Kline and the late Stanley R. Kline, Jr.  Jeff  was a supervisor for the New Jersey Department of Children and Families for over 35 years until retiring earlier this year.  He was a graduate of West Chester University and for 40 years he was the organist and Director of Music at Arndt’s Lutheran Church.

Surviving with his mother, Vilma, are his partner, Tom Mantoni; two brothers, Stanley Kline and his wife, Jeanne, and Gary Kline and his wife, Missy; and a sister, Michelle Buonfiglio.

Services will be held at 10:30 am on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 in Arndt’s Lutheran Church, Easton. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to Arndt’s Lutheran Church, 1851 Arndt Rd., Easton, PA 18040; Lehigh Valley Health Network Hospice, www.lvhn.org/giving; or Peaceable Kingdom, www.lvpeaceablekingdom.info/donate. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.