Obituaries

Lorraine M. McBride, 73, of Saylorsburg, died Wednesday, June 16, 2021 in New Eastwood Healthcare Center. Born November 10, 1947 in Easton, she was a daughter of the late Raymond and Hazel (Stem) Sargent. She worked at Weiss Markets in Bangor and Brodheadsville.

Surviving are her children, Kelly Borger and her husband, Rodney of Stroudsburg and Darren McBride and his wife, Peggy of Bath; her companion, William Ponnett; four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Her daughter, Terry Ann McBride died in 1979.

Services will be private. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Elisabeth M. Schaefer, 90 of Quakertown, PA died Wednesday, June 16, 2021, at Meadow Glen of Phoebe Richland. Born June 20, 1930 in Lancaster, PA, she was a daughter of the late Edna (Turner) and the Reverend William Lewis MacDonald. Her husband Donald W. Schaefer died in 1979. She was a 1948 graduate of Roxborough High School and then later graduated from Women’s Hospital School of Nursing in Philadelphia. She was a nurse at St Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia and Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol for many years before working at Dr. Nicholas J. Ferry’s office in Levittown, PA. Elisabeth has been a loyal and dedicated member of The United Methodist Church her entire life, having been a member of Quakertown UMC; Green Pond UMC in Easton and Emilie UMC in Levittown where she was active in the Free Spirits Group where she excelled in the game “Hand ‘n’ Foot”. She was also a member of the United Methodist Women and Middletown Seniors where she was lucky in BINGO. She loved her family and enjoyed baking cookies at Christmas and other delicious desserts, making meaningful counter cross-stitch projects for family and friends, and was an avid fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, the 76ers, and the Eagles.

She is survived by her children: Susan Cook (Gary) of The Villages, FL, the Hon. Judge Donald W. Schaefer, Jr. (Alicia) of Roswell, GA, Nancy Gust (Peter) of Langhorne, PA, Jane Robinson (Rev. Dr. Thomas) of Quakertown, PA, Elisabeth Muska (Michael) of Langhorne, PA; a sister: Ruth Rosvold (Robert) of Medford, NJ; and 9 grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will be held Friday, July 2 at 1 PM in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton. Interment will be private in Emilie UM Church Cemetery, Levittown. Memorial contributions may be made to Meadow Glen at Phoebe Richland, Office of Philanthropy, 1925 W. Turner St., Allentown, PA 18104. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

William W. “Bill” Burd, 96, of Palmer Township, died Thursday, June 10, 2021 in his home. Born March 29, 1925 in Port Colden, NJ, he was a son of the late William Burd and Julia (Mowder) Hill. His wife, Gloria (Unangst) Burd died last year.

Bill graduated from Washington High School, Washington, NJ and served in the Navy during WWII. He worked at Ingersoll-Rand for 43 years and retired in 1989. He was a member of the American Legion and the VFW and was an avid golfer and bowler.

Surviving are his children, Nancy Stoelzl and her husband, Pete; Karen Gasda and her husband, Jerry, and George Bertolet and his wife, Maureen; eight grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

Services will be private. Interment will be in Forks Cemetery. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to BAYADA Home Health Care, www.bayada.com.
Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Nancy S. Wilson, 87 of Easton, PA died Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at Saucon Valley Manor, Hellertown, PA. Born April 2, 1934, in Easton, she was the daughter of the late Harold W. and Helen (Mack) Streeter. She was a 1948 graduate of March Elementary School and 1951 graduate of Easton High School. She attended Cedar Crest College and graduated from the Easton Hospital School of Nursing. She was employed by the Spring Garden Children’s Center for many years before retiring and served on their Board of Directors. Nancy was a lifelong member of First Presbyterian Church, Easton where she was a Sunday School teacher, Deacon and member of the Memorial Bell Choir. She was also a 30-year volunteer for Meals on Wheels and she proudly continued the family tradition of rescuing and caring for unwanted animals.

She is survived by her husband of 65 years, John W. Wilson, Jr.; her children: Michael and Timothy Wilson, Melinda Reighard and Amy Hilliard; and 2 granddaughters: Erica and Adrienne Reighard. She was predeceased by a son Jeffrey.

Graveside services will be held 12 PM, Saturday, June 19, at the Easton Cemetery Chapel, N. 7th St., Easton, with an opportunity to greet the family prior to the service. The Ashton Funeral Home Easton is handling arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 333 Spring Garden St., Easton 18042, or the Center for Animal Health and Welfare, 1165 Island Park Rd., Easton 18042. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Anna E. “Ann” Bodder, 77, of Palmer Township, died Monday, June 7, 2021 in Lehigh Valley Hospital. Born July 22, 1943 in Brooklyn, NY, she was a daughter of the late Frank O. and Elizabeth M. (Stevenson) Wallin. She and her husband, Samuel S. Bodder were married 16 years. Her first husband, Rev. Joel H. Panté died in 1995.

Ann graduated from Erasmus Hall High School, Brooklyn and was a customer service representative for Aetna Insurance Company for over 24 years until retiring in 2003. She was a devoted Christian and very active and dedicated to her church, Bethel Memorial Baptist Church, Palmer Township, where she served as a deacon and was a leader of the JOY Club. She was also a volunteer for Meals on Wheels.

Surviving with her husband, Samuel, are two daughters, Donna McGibbon and her husband, Frank of Macungie and Valerie Bowls and her husband, Derek of Richland, WA; a son, Jonathan Panté and his wife, Jill of Newark, DE; a step-daughter, Jennifer Liberta; and eight grandchildren.

Services will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, June 11, 2021 in Bethel Memorial Baptist Church, 715, Chestnut Lane, Palmer Township. A visitation will be held from 10:00 am until service time on Friday in the church. Interment will be private in Pinelawn Memorial Park, Farmingdale, NY. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to Bethel Memorial Baptist Church, www.bmbceaston.com. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

William F. Brown, 75 of Mt. Bethel, PA died June 6, 2021 at St. Luke’s Hospital, Anderson Campus. Born October 24, 1945, he was a son of William Brown and Jessica Dickerson Hummel and stepson of James Hummel. He had been employed by the Steelworkers Union, Philadelphia and TA Centers of America in Columbia, NJ. Bill was an avid Philadelphia sports fan and loved listening and singing Elvis music. He also enjoyed impersonating Elvis at family parties. He was a funny guy in a quiet way with a funny one liner here and there.

He is survived by his wife: Linda; his daughter: Bethann; sisters: Florence Anderson and Evelyn Martin. He was the brother-in-law of: Lillian Schembs, Lorraine Titlow (Fred), Jack Titlow (Lisa), Lisa Kucher (Steven); and an uncle to many nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of his Life will be held 11 AM, Saturday, July 3 in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton, PA with a calling period from 10 to 11 AM. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Claudia Lucia DePamphilis Morrison, 56 of Williams Twp., PA died Wednesday, June 2, 2021, from complications of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a rare neurological disease. She was surrounded by her loving family and friends. Born December 1, 1964, in Easton, PA, she was a daughter of the late Lucia (Caporaso) and Raffaele DePamphilis. She was a 1982 graduate of Notre Dame High School and received a degree in Early Childhood Education from the College of Staten Island. Claudia graduated from the NYPD Police Academy in 1994 and was a dedicated officer from 1994 to 2008. She served in the 120 and 123 Precincts on Staten Island, including extensive work during the aftermath of 9/11. In her early years she was an accomplished gymnast and cheerleader. She was also a gifted piano player, with a constantly growing repertoire of classical arrangements and Broadway hits. Claudia enjoyed staying active outdoors and was in constant motion except when relaxing at the beach on family vacations with her children. Her family will remember her laughter, outgoing personality, and glowing smile.

She is survived by her loving partner: Samuel Lobb with whom she resided; 3 daughters: Carly Jean Anderson Briggs (husband Ben) of Albany, NY, Cynthia Lucia Morrison and Alicia Faith Morrison both of Staten Island, NY; 3 sisters: Caroline Eppinger (husband Chuck) of Saylorsburg, PA, Violetta DePamphilis of Martins Creek, PA, Anne Schultheis (husband Eric) of Nags Head, NC; and many nieces and nephews.

A calling period will be held 10 to 11 AM Tuesday (June 8) in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton, PA followed by a memorial service at 11 AM.  Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to Donate To Us | Defeat MSA Alliance or Make A Donation Donate | North Carolina Aquarium Society (ncaquariumsociety.com) . 

Earl C. Stocker passed away peacefully on May 27, 2021 at his home in Easton, PA. Earl was a giver – through his kindness, through his creativity, and through his guitar playing. He helped many people in many ways and left every moment better than he found it. He spent his life in Easton and was proud of his home. As a boy, he would hike the trails of the nearby hillsides, drink from the waters of the Second Spring, and generally get up to no good with his eight siblings. As an adult, “Mr. Easton” couldn’t go more than one block downtown in his trademark overalls and newsboy cap without having three conversations and making four future commitments, leading us to coin the phrase, “he’s on Earl Time.”

Earl saw the world in a different way, and captured his world in art. His work spanned many mediums and styles, and his work was displayed in galleries from eastern Pennsylvania to Central Europe. Each time you look at his art, you discover a new face, a new meaning, a new way of looking at things. From brilliant collages years in the making, to poignant pieces about the Environmental Crisis, to garlic head caricatures for Garlic Fest and shad people sketches for the Shad Festival, each piece of Earl’s work brought great joy to many people.

He dedicated his life to helping others and spent decades as an Activities Director at ENC and Recreational Aide at Gracedale. His “peeps” loved him because he made them feel seen. He learned their favorite song on the guitar to bring back fond memories. He planned a private fishing trip when he found out you loved fishing. He saw you, learned what made you smile, and made it happen.

He is survived by his high school prom date turned loving wife, Sondi; his children, Allison, Chris, Heather, and Jessica, of whom he was “endless proud”; his grandchildren, Lillian and Isabella; his siblings, Calvin, Helen Mae, Louis, and Susan; and many, many more loved ones and friends. He was predeceased by his first wife, Beth, and his siblings, Barbara, George, Jack, and Nancy.

Earl was selfless, a giver of light and laughter, and a friend to all. The world is a better place from his kindness, his thoughtfulness, and his creativity. He will live on forever through his art and through the people he touched.

A visitation will be held 10 to 11:30 AM Saturday, June 5 in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton, PA. Memorial contributions may be made to Nurture Nature Center, 518 Northampton St., Easton, PA 18042 or the Arts Community of Easton (A.C.E.), P.O. Box 465, Easton, PA 18044. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.