Obituaries

Gloria J. Tito, 94, of Easton, died Wednesday, October 6, 2021 in her home. Born July 24, 1927 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she was a daughter of the late Virgil and Glenna (Stipes) Bunch. Her first husband, William Dean and her second husband, Patsy Tito died earlier. She was a waitress at DelRoys Diner, Palmer Township and Piccadilly Restaurant in the Palmer Mall. She most recently was a greeter at Walmart, Easton until retiring in 2007. Gloria was a member of Central Assembly of God, Bethlehem and the Optimist Club. She was an avid bowler and was runner-up in the Easton Mrs. America Contest.

Surviving are two daughters, Carol Harman Silfies and her husband, Bill, and Deborah Brumbaugh and her husband, Mark; a son, William Dean; eight grandchildren; eight great grandchildren; and a great great grandson. Her daughter, Cynthia Reagle and two sisters died earlier.

Services will be held at 10:00 am on Monday, October 11, 2021 in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton. A visitation will be held from 9:00 am until service time on Monday in the funeral home. Interment will be in Northampton Memorial Shrine. Memorial contributions may be made to Central Assembly of God, 1300 Eaton Ave., Bethlehem, PA 18018. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Lloyd C. Welken, 73 , of Easton PA passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by loving family on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. He was the husband of Joyce Mitman Welken with whom he shared 49 1/2 terrific years of marriage. Born January 18,1948 in Flushing, New York he was the son of the late Miriam (Nelson) and Lloyd O. Welken. Lloyd grew up in Glen Head, L.I., New York, sharing good times with his best friend John Condit. He graduated from North Shore High School in 1965, then attended Colby College in Waterville Maine, earning a BA degree in Economics in 1969.

As an ROTC Cadet at Colby, Lloyd was commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the Air Force in 1969. After completing pilot training he was assigned to Nakom Phenom Thailand, flying the A-1 Skyraider in 1971- 1972. While in theater he logged over 315 combat hours and flew 100 missions as a commander of search and rescue forces.  After assignments in Georgia and New Mexico, Lloyd left active duty in 1978 and joined the AF reserves. He was a member of the 732 MAS,  McGuire AFB, New Jersey and served as commander of the 732 Airlift Squadron from Jan. 1994 thru Aug 1995, flying the C-141. Lloyd was activated for Operation Desert Shield/Storm from August 1990 to July 1991, where he flew as a C141B Aircraft Commander in Southwest Asia, and completed 16 airlift missions. Lloyd’s military decorations include The Silver Star, The Distinguished Flying Cross with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal with 8 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Meritorious Service Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters.

In 1997, Lloyd was honored by being selected to be part of an Air Force crew of fellow Vietnam Veterans for a special mission to fly to Hanoi to repatriate the recently found remains of two service members who died while serving in Vietnam. This was an historic occasion to bring back fallen comrades. It was the “Number One” trip of his 30 year flying career in the military. His last assignment was as Commander of the 927th Support Group at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, MI from 1997 until his retirement in June 2000.

Lloyd was a Flight Engineer and First Officer for Pan American Airlines, flying the B727, B747 and A -310. He was a DC-10 Captain for World Airways from 1993-2006. He was a Command Pilot with over 9400 hours including 1600 hours of instructor time in the T-38-A and C-141.

He was a member of The Pomfret Club of Easton where he served on the Board of Directors for 9 Years.

In addition to his wife, Joyce, Lloyd is survived by his sister Mary Jo Weisbach and her husband Phil, brother-in-law Phil Mitman and his wife Linda; 8 nieces and nephews: Cody Weisbach (Cara), Kristin Weisbach, Brooke Mitman, Christian Mitman (Edward Kubow), Alexander Mitman (Meghan), Abigail Harris (Chris), and Zach and Zoe Walden; 11 great nieces and nephews: Sophia, Olivia, Nathanael and Benjamin Rivera, Parker and Chloe Weisbach, Aria Weisbach, Elise and Ellery Harris, Clara and Hannah Mitman; his devoted and loving canine buddy, Nelson along with many beloved cousins and dear friends.

Services are 10:30 AM Tuesday, October 12 at the Brown & Lynch Post #9, American Legion, 2260 Corriere Dr., Easton followed by interment with military honors at Northampton Memorial Shrine. A calling period will be held from 4 PM to 6 PM Monday in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Tunnel to Towers at https:// t2t.org or The Children’s Home of Easton at www.thechildrenshome.org or a charity of one’s choice. Offer online condolences at www.ashtonfuneralhome.com

Nicholas Balaskas, 95, of Palmer Township, died Saturday, October 2, 2021 in St. Luke’s Hospital.
Born May 2, 1926 in Easton, he was a son of the late William and Katina((Hagedikes) Balaskas. His wife, Fotini (Doganis) Balaskas died in 2019. He served in the Navy during WWII and worked for Bethlehem Steel for over 35 years and retired in 1986. He was a member of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. He was a life member of American Legion, Brown and Lynch Post 9; VFW Post 1290; and Amvets Post 17.

Surviving are a niece, Kallirroi Parashos and her husband, Hariton; great nephews, Nicholas Parashos and his wife, Megan, Demetrios Parashos, and Christos Parashos and his wife, Althea; and a sister, Jean Karaliotis and her husband, Gus. His brothers, John Balaskas and James Balaskas and his sister, Georgia Balaskas died earlier.

Services will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, October 6, 2021 in Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 319 S. 20th St., Easton. A visitation will be held from 10:00 am until service time on Wednesday in the church. Interment will be in Gethsemane Cemetery, Palmer Township. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 319 S. 20th St., Easton, PA 18042. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Audrey Martha Sullivan age 94 of Palmer Township passed away on Tuesday, September 28, 2021. Born in Easton, PA, on December 20, 1926, she was the daughter of the late Edgar R. and Martha (Thoma) Mertz. Audrey was married to her late husband, John W. Sullivan, who passed away in 2015 at which time they had shared 67 years of marriage. After graduation from Easton High School, Class of 1944, she was employed by a local company as a secretary. Audrey and her husband spent many summers at their lakeside cottage in New Hampshire where they had many enjoyable times with their family and friends. They also spent time on tours traveling throughout Europe, Canada, and the U.S. Audrey was one of the original members of St. Andrews Lutheran Church where she was quite active.

She is survived by a son, John W. “Jack” Sullivan and his wife Marguerite of Bethlehem, two daughters, Jill L. Hegedus and her husband James of Phillipsburg, NJ, and Jan L. Heim and her husband Scott of Moore Township. She has nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

There will be a private family service with interment in Easton Cemetery. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children, www.lovetotherescue.org. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Chauncey Delphin Howell passed away on Monday, September 20, 2021 after a long illness at the age of 86, in Easton Pennsylvania.

Chauncey was born on July 15,1935 in Easton Pennsylvania to Kathryn Shirer and Chauncey Delphin Howell. He was their first child. Chauncey attended Easton Public Schools and graduated from Amherst College with a degree in Classics. After college, he served in the U.S. Army at Fort Jackson and Fort Gordon. He started his career in journalism at Women’s Wear Daily in 1959, where he was a theater, movie and restaurant critic. He also wrote pieces for The New York Times and Playboy. He wrote fondly and humorously about the New York scene and that led to his becoming a reporter for TV : WABC-TV, WNBC and NewYork1, covering events throughout Manhattan and the Boroughs. He had a flair for bringing out the best in people in a light-hearted affectionate way. Every day at 5:00 pm on TV in the New York area, he reported on events and people from Manhattan and the Boroughs engaging the hidden talents of bystanders. Before his pieces aired, Chauncey loved editing them adding music and interjections. For all his hard work on TV, Chauncey earned five Emmys.

Later in his career he worked on radio and TV on Long Island. He retired to his beloved home town of Easton PA where he continued writing and performing in video sketches of neighbors and friends. He also studied acting and voice. Throughout his life, he loved reading and collecting books. He treasured opera and vocal music from the past. He also studied languages and dialects including how to schmooze in Yiddish and Italian. He also loved traveling to Europe with his mother, Kathryn and sister, Sally. He was a generous caregiver to his mother on weekends and holidays, treating her to fancy restaurants and fun social gatherings.

He is predeceased by his parents Chauncey and Kathryn (Shirer) Howell, his brother-in-law Jack Gundy and nephew, Benjamin Gundy. He is survived by his sister Sally (Howell) Gundy and brother, Charles David Howell and sister-in-law, Reta L. Wells-Howell. He is also survived by his nephew Charles Gundy, and nieces, Jennifer Gundy, Caryn Pelegrino and Joanna (Josie) Gundy. His great nephews: Charles Rustau Gundy, Johannes Gundy, and Leo Pelegrino, and his great-niece Anna Pelegrino.

A graveside service will be held at 10:00 am on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at Forks Cemetery, 4500 Sullivan Trail, Stockertown. A visitation will be held from 7:00 to 8:30 pm on Monday in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton. Memorial contributions may be made to Ascend Hospice, 1120 Welsh Rd., Suite 220, North Wales, PA 18454. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.