Robert E. “Bob” Neil, 78, of Brockport, passed away at his home on Monday, November 18, 2025, following a lengthy illness.
He was born on March 1, 1947, in DuBois, PA, a son of the late Herbert and June Lockwood Neil.
On February 25, 1984, in St. Marys, he married Teri M. Meyer, with whom he shared a beautiful life for more than 41 years.
Patricia A. Esterbrook, 73, of Warren, PA., died Tuesday afternoon, November 18, 2025, at John & Orpha Blair Hospice Home, Warren, PA. She was born September 14, 1952, in Warren, PA. She was the daughter of Wayne and Nellie Schatzle Barhight. Patricia was a life-long Warren area resident. She was a 1970 graduate of Warren Area High School. Patricia was employed with the former P.D.M. for 5 years, when they built the St. Louis Arch. She also was employed for 44 years, at Betts Industries as an executive assistant to Richard Betts and was an export coordinator of foreign sales, retiring in 2019. She was an active member at Grace United Methodist Church. She enjoyed golfing, playing the piano and cello.
Montoursville, PA – Motorists are advised that the Columbia County Rest Areas on Interstate 80 eastbound and westbound, located at mile marker 246, are opened to traffic.
The rest areas were closed on Thursday, February 20, 2025, to accommodate renovation and construction efforts. Work on the project included updating utilities and bathroom fixtures, installation of a new generator, and the construction of a new sewage treatment plant and buildings. Work on the project was completed under four contracts totaling $6.7 million.
Mildred “Kathy” MATRONE, 82, of Port Allegany, PA, died Monday, November 17, 2025 in her home. Born March 19, 1943, in Port Allegany, she was the daughter of Frank W. and Mildred B. Clark Roller. On June 5, 1959, in Port Allegany, she married Louis J. “Nick” Matrone, who predeceased her on July 24, 2014. Surviving are: a daughter, Louann M. (Jim) Barr of Port Allegany; a granddaughter, Jamie Payne of Port Allegany; her caregiver who was like a granddaughter to her, Jennifer Welder of Port Allegany; a sister, Lois M. Payne of Turtlepoint; nieces and nephews.
William H. Grandin “services slated”
Family and friends are invited to attend a celebration of life for William H. “Bill” Grandin, 87, a lifelong resident of Roulette, on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at the Riverside United Methodist Church, 30 River Street, Roulette. A Masonic service will be held at 11 AM immediately followed by members of the Potter County Guard who will accord military honors. A memorial service will then be held with Pastor Jim Cannistraci, officiating. Lunch will follow at the church. Burial will be at Hill Cemetery, Roulette, with members of the Roulette Fire Department according Bill’s last call to service.
Bill’s family has entrusted his care and cremation arrangements to Kevin J. Dusenbury, funeral director/owner of the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home, Shinglehouse.
For further information please visit www.virgillhowardfuneralhome.com
Montoursville, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is advising motorists in Sullivan County that the entire length of Ellis Road (Route 4006) in Fox and Elkland townships will be posted with a permanent, year-round, 10-ton weight restriction.
The posting is being made based on a traffic-and-engineering study indicating that this highway may be damaged by vehicles that exceed the restriction. School buses, emergency vehicles, and local-delivery trucks are exempted from the postings.
The restriction will be in effect once the required signs are erected by a PennDOT maintenance crew in the upcoming weeks.
We’re pleased to announce that our Citizens of Tomorrow program in which students from Coudersport High School join us for lunch and tell us about themselves and their future plans has resumed.
At our November 17, 2025, meeting, our first group of students joined us at a special luncheon coordinated by Rotarian Julie Jeffers at Sweden Valley Manor. Past Rotary President, Walter Baker, resides at the Manor and was happily able to join us.
Students Alex Duell, Aidan Sandersen and Landin Pekarski, joined us for a pizza and wings lunch and told us about their current activities and future plans.
We look forward to meeting more Citizens of Tomorrow at our future meetings!
(Pictured: Citizens of Tomorrow [not in order] Alex Duell, Aidan Sandersen and Landin Pekarski)
Carman J. Drake
Carman J. Drake, 82, of Shinglehouse, passed away on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, in Sweden Valley Manor, Coudersport.
Funeral arrangements, entrusted to the care of Kevin J. Dusenbury, funeral director/owner of the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home, Shinglehouse, are incomplete and will be announced with a full obituary.
To express condolences, light a candle or share a fond memory of Carman, please visit www.virgillhowardfuneralhome.com or the Virgil L. Howard Funeral Home Facebook page.
Robert L. “Bobby” Lindsey, 65, of Johnsonburg, PA, formerly of Emporium, passed away Tuesday morning (November 18, 2025) at DuBois Nursing Home in DuBois, PA. He was born November 27, 1959, in Cuba, New York, a son of the late Raymond and Velma Mosier Lindsey, Jr.
Bobby enjoyed tinkering, fixing things, and working on cars, and he especially loved taking on a challenging jigsaw puzzle. Years ago, he worked in maintenance, where his mechanical ability and willingness to help others were well appreciated.
Montoursville, PA – Motorists are advised that Route 61 is closed in both directions between Eighth Street and Coal Street in the city of Shamokin, Northumberland County, due to a vehicle crash with downed utilities.
A detour using local roads is in place. The roadway is expected to be closed for several hours. Motorists are urged to drive with caution in the area.
Patricia Esterbrook, 73, of Warren, PA., died peacefully, Tuesday afternoon, November 18, 2025, at the John & Orpha Blair Hospice Home, Warren, PA. A complete obituary will be announced when available through the Donald E. Lewis Funeral Home, Inc. Warren, PA.
Robert E. “Bob” Neil, 78, of Rattlesnake Road, Brockport, passed away at his home on Monday, November 17, 2025. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the Lynch-Green Funeral Home, St. Marys.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is giving an inside look at how it keeps one of its most unique fisheries going strong year after year. Today, volunteers helped to collect hundreds of steelhead (a large form of Rainbow Trout) from the PFBC’s Trout Run nursery water along Lake Erie in Fairview Township. The stream is protected from fishing, but it’s filled with huge steelhead trying to get upstream to spawn. Once netted, male and female fish are separated and sedated so that eggs and milt can be collected. The adult fish are unharmed in the process and are returned to Lake Erie, while the eggs will be taken to the nearby Fairview State Fish Hatchery, where they will hatch. After about a year, the small steelhead, known as smolts, are then stocked into the many tributary streams along Lake Erie, where they will imprint on the water as if they were born there naturally. They will then swim out to Lake Erie to grow into adults, and after about 2 to 3 years, the large steelhead will follow their natural instinct to return to their home stream to spawn, which is what creates the world-class steelhead run each fall and winter. The PFBC aims to produce about one million steelhead annually to sustain the fishery and ensure good numbers of fish return to the tributaries each year. It is estimated that steelhead fishing generates about $11 million dollars in economic impact annually for Erie County.
More information on Pennsylvania’s steelhead program is available on the PFBC website.
Change is a constant in everyone’s life. Although we might not like the change we’re currently experiencing, it is still with us. Some change happens because of our own actions or those of others. Sadly, we can find ourselves victims of others’ choices and behaviors. Whether it involves our own actions, the choices and behaviors of others, or even our pets, our lives are always shifting to adapt to what is happening around us. Because of this, I wonder if we all might be better off with anchor points in our lives.
Anchor points are things that keep us centered. You’ll find them in many areas of life. If you’re building any kind of structure, you’ll have anchor points. These points keep the building square and also provide structural stability and strength. Without them, a strong gust of wind can cause the structure to crumble. Perhaps you’ve read about buildings and bridges collapsing because their foundational anchor points were not secure. Often, it’s because they were not anchored into the bedrock. When change causes our lives to crash or our emotions to crumble, it’s because our anchor points are not solidly attached to bedrock.
On November 17, 2025, at approximately 2156 hours, City of Bradford Police responded to a reported assault at 41 Main Street, Apartment 207. Upon arrival, officers located an adult female victim with a bleeding injury to her face.
The investigation revealed that the victim’s boyfriend, James E. White had been giving the victim a haircut when a verbal altercation ensued. The victim made a comment about the haircut, which led to the boyfriend punching her in the face, causing the injury. The suspect, who was found to be intoxicated at the time of the incident, was taken into custody and charged with misdemeanor assault and summary harassment.
The suspect was arraigned by Magistrate Luther and remanded to jail on $20,000 cash bail. All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The City of Bradford Police Department is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all members of our community. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please reach out to local resources for support.
Youngsters ages 3 to 12, their parents and grandparents are invited to participate in a free Deane Little Beans event at noon next Saturday, Nov. 29 in the lobby at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro. Featured will be Ron Bianco, who has lived in Wellsboro for the past 18 years as well as in Greenville, South Carolina.
“From 1968 to 1975, The Band was one of the most popular and influential rock groups in the world,” wrote Bruce Eder in an article published in the “All-Music Guide.” “Their music was embraced by critics as seriously as the music of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones,” Eder continued
Next Friday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Coolidge Theatre at the Deane Center for the Performing Arts at 104 Main Street in Wellsboro, 14 musicians will recreate The Last Waltz, the 1976 Farewell Concert of The Band, a Canadian-American roots rock group formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1968.
One of the most spectacular events in rock history, their concert was on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 1976 in the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California. The Band’s show began at 9 p.m. and ended at 2 a.m. It was not only a celebration but also the last time they would ever all perform together live.
The Seneca Highlands Career and Technical Center is offering a Pennsylvania State-approved motor vehicle inspection course for passenger cars, light trucks, motorcycles, medium/heavy trucks, and buses. This program includes classroom and hands-on instruction. Participants must provide a valid driver’s license to register for this program. This course will be held on December 3, 4, 8, 9, and 11, 2025, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. The Tactile Exam is scheduled for Saturday, December 13, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information or to register, call the Education Council at (814) 274-4877.
Ella Mae HAXTON, 91, of Wellsville, NY, died Friday, November 14, 2025, in Wellsville Manor Care Center. Born March 10, 1934, in Coudersport, PA, she was the daughter of Richard William and Eva Mae Rogers Smith. She was married to Lawrence C. Haxton, who predeceased her on November 11, 2006. Ella Mae was a homemaker, raising her children and grandchildren.
Surviving are: her children, Lawerence Haxton Jr. of Wellsville, Alysia Gardner of Belmont, Donna Gapa of SC, Ralph Haxton of Wellsville, and Ron Weeks of PA; a daughter-in-law, Alice Haxton of Gainesville; a granddaughter she raised as a child, Grace (Jeremiah) Burnell of Belmont; several other grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Joyce M. CAVANAUGH, 79, of Whitesville, NY, died Saturday, November 15, 2025 in UR Jones Memorial Hospital, Wellsville. Born May 22, 1946, in Philadelphia, PA, she was the daughter of Henry and Laura Danks. Joyce was a graduate of Lincoln High School in Philadelphia. On August 11, 1965, in Bucks County, PA, she married Patrick J. Cavanaugh, who survives.
She was employed by Tastykake in Philadelphia, drove school bus in Bucks County, and managed a horse farm in Tyler State Park. In 1985, she and her husband moved to Whitesville and operated Cavanaugh Farms.
Hunters Have Opportunity for Popular Buck and Doe Raffle
Bradford, Pa.: The Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative (KQDC) announces that they will once again offer their popular buck and antlerless deer raffle at their TWO DEER CHECK STATIONS this year on SR 59 and SR 346. All deer will be weighed, measured, and aged for FREE for hunters. Each hunter bringing in a deer for checking will also receive a ticket on a cash raffle. Hunters bringing in antlerless deer will be eligible for a $500 raffle. Hunters bringing in an antlered deer will be eligible for a $250 raffle.
Coudersport — The Coudersport Rotary Club geared up for the Rotary District Conference and Foundation Dinner, set for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, November 14th to 16th, at Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Alvin C. Bush Campus Center, 200 College Avenue, Williamsport.
Coudersport Rotary members Deb and Brad Rinehart attended the conference and delivered the club’s maple syrup themed basket. Rotarian Mike Rigas brought the basket to Monday’s meeting for members to preview before it headed to Williamsport. The basket was featured in the evening auction at the Foundation Dinner, helping raise funds to support Rotary’s ongoing service projects.
Coudersport Rotary is proud to contribute to the district-wide effort celebrating service, fellowship, and community impact.
