Obituaries

Robert F. Thomas, 88, of Forks Township, died Wednesday, November 25, 2020 in Lehigh Valley Hospital.

Born August 1, 1932 in Bethlehem, he was a son of the late Sylvester and Margaret (Zettlemoyer) Thomas. His wife, Dolores J. “Snooky” (Tinsman) Thomas died last year.

Robert was a vocational-technical instructor of mechanical design and CAD for 30 years in the Easton Area School District. He was a former member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Easton and enjoyed going to the Wind Creek Casino.

Surviving are his children, Scott Thomas and his wife, Joanne, and Gayle Groff; a brother, Ronald Thomas; three grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, a memorial service will be held later. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org.

Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Ruth S. Gafford, 95, formerly of Easton, PA died Wednesday, November 25, 2020 at her residence at Westminster Village, Allentown, PA. Born December 30, 1924 in Palmer Twp., PA she was a daughter of the late Emily Mae (Paul) and Howard D. Siegfried, Sr. She graduated from Easton High School in 1943, Easton Hospital School of Nursing in 1947 and received her bachelor’s degree from East Stroudsburg State College. She was a School Nurse for the Easton Area School District for 25 years before retiring in 1987. Prior to that she was employed by Easton Hospital and as a private duty nurse. 

Ruth was a member of the former Olivet Presbyterian Church, Easton where she served as an Elder, Trustee, in Mary’s circle and Church Women United. She was member of the Cadet Nursing Corps at Easton Hospital; the PA Assoc. of State Retirees;  and she volunteered at The Easton Home and Food Bank. She was also very active at Westminster Village where she served on the Resident Council and in the Kazoo Band.

She is survived by sons: Scott H. Gafford (wife Irene) of Bath, PA, Neal A. Gafford (wife Sue) of Bethlehem, PA; 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren She was predeceased by her husband T. Harold Gafford in 2010, her son Roger H. Gafford in 1992 and 5 brothers and sisters.

Services will be held at a later date due to COVID restrictions. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements. Interment is in Arndts Cemetery, Forks Twp., PA. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Joseph M. Lane, 70, Easton, PA, died peacefully on November 22, 2020. Born in Boston, MA, he was the son of the late Joseph H. and Julia (Flaherty) Lane. Joe was also lovingly raised throughout his teen and young adult years by a second set of parents, the late Sam and Ellie Meyer of Plymouth, MA, becoming part of a family with seven children whom he considered his brothers and sisters. Joe was a graduate of North Quincy High School where he played football as an outstanding “strong safety”. He went on to play defensive back for Lafayette College from 1969 – 1973. Joe received a BA in economics from Lafayette College and an MBA from Lehigh University. In the early part of his career he negotiated contracts worldwide for the Turbo Division of Ingersoll Rand. He then served as Vice President for Enterprise Development at Ben Franklin Technology Partners, retiring in 2016. While there, he also mentored many Lafayette College students interested in entrepreneurship. Joe will be remembered for his love for telling stories, his sense of humor, an obsession for being current with news events, and as a friend to neighbors on College Hill where he resided. He maintained a passion for all things Lafayette College and football. You may have seen him cycling up and down the hills training for his overseas biking excursions, or walking through the neighborhood, a dog always by his side.

Joe was preceded in death by his brother Tom Lane of Montgomery, TX. He is survived by a niece, Courtney Lane Grube of Montgomery, TX, and a nephew, Ryan Lane of Houston, TX. 

Memorials may be directed to Safe Harbor, Lafayette College Friends of Football Annual Scholarship Fund, or the Easton Area Neighborhood Center.  The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

William Harry Fifield, 95 of Palmer Twp., PA died Saturday, November 21, 2020 at home. Born February 14, 1925 in Denton, MD he was the son of the late Charles and Hilda (Ritchie) Fifield. He was a graduate of Nazareth High School and Temple University where he was a past-president and active member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. He was a WWII Army veteran, 3^rd Division and recipient of two purple hearts. Bill joined the Easton Publishing newspaper, now the Express-Times, in 1951, retiring as the advertising manager after 39 years of employment. He was a member of Palmer Moravian Church, Pomfret Club, Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society, VFW, past-president of Kiwanis Club of Easton and a Meals on Wheels volunteer. He loved to travel and played golf in most of the places he visited. He’s likely now playing with Jim, Harry, Clate, Wally, and Bernie.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Nancy (Preisig) Fifield; sons: Scott Fifield of Greenbelt, MD, Mark Fifield of Palmer Twp.; sisters: Lorraine Sevi of Nazareth, PA, Mildred Keck of Bath, PA; and grandchildren: Cayden, Sam and Kobe. A sister: Barbara died earlier.

Graveside services with military honors are 11:30 AM Friday (Nov. 27) at Greenwich Cemetery, 15 Greenwich Church Rd., Stewartsville, NJ. A viewing will be held 9 to 10 AM Friday in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton. 

Memorial contributions may be made to the Kiwanis Foundation of Easton, c/o J. Cappellano, 130 Locke Heights Rd., Bangor, PA 18013-9618.  Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

The family would like to extend a special Thank You to Bayada Hospice and Stephanie Barkley of Home Instead for their compassionate care during his illness.

Fay L. “Cookie” Smith, 77, of Easton, died Wednesday, November 18, 2020 in her home. Born October 28, 1943 in Easton, she was a daughter of the late Louis A. and Mary (Geiger) Kummer. She and her husband, A. Richard Smith were married 57 years.
Cookie worked at the Tatamy Fire Social Club for 15 years and also Laneco, Palmer Township for 15 years. She was a Past Worthy Matron of William Parsons Chapter, O.E.S.

Surviving with her husband, Richard, are her children, Deirdre Allen and her husband, Chuck and Jeff Smith; two brothers, Ronald Kummer, Sr. and Louis Kummer, Jr.; two grandsons, Brian and Cory; four great grandchildren, Logan, Charlee, Raven and Deacon; and her lifelong friend, Darlene Kranich. Her brother, William Kummer, Sr., died earlier.

A graveside service will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, November 24, 2020 in Northampton Memorial Shrine, Palmer Township. A visitation will be held from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm on Monday in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton.

Memorial contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org or Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Charity Akua Yeboah, 85 of Bethlehem, PA died Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at ManorCare, Bethlehem. Born December 25, 1934 in Ghana, she was a daughter of the late Opanin Yaw Yeboah and Yaa Adomakoa.  She was of the Pentecostal faith.

She is survived by 4 children: John Sagoe-Brock of Somerset, NJ, Joanna Sagoe-Brock in Germany, Joyce Danquah-Aminu of Bethlehem, Joshua Danquah in Ghana; 14 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

Services for the family will be held at the Ashton Funeral Home in Easton. Interment is in Forks Cemetery.  Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

James Richard Halvorsen, 74 of Bethlehem Twp., PA formerly of Connecticut died Monday, November 16, 2020 at home. Born May 28, 1946 in Madison, WI he was a son of the late John and Mary (Peterson) Halvorsen. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater and served in the Army Reserves. He had been employed by the IBM and Lexmark Companies for many years before retiring. A member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, he was an avid golfer, sports enthusiast and skier. Jim also loved time spent with his family, especially his grandson.

He is survived by his children: Peder Halvorsen (wife Elizabeth) of Palmer Twp., PA, Annie Copperthwaite (husband Jay) of Bethlehem, PA; sisters: Carol Pechauer, Jane Hinkel, Julie Keesey and his grandson: Jackson. A sister, Mary Jo Parker died earlier.

Services will be held at a later date. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.