Obituaries

Janice K. Hamilton, of 28 Bedford Street, passed away Saturday, November 23, 2024, peacefully at her residence. 

Born in Bradford, she was a daughter of the late Max M. and Virginia (Haynes) Cross. Jan was a graduate of Bradford High School.

On June 14, 1997 at their residence she married Roy Hamilton who survives.
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Jan was formerly employed at PennDOT, and Internal Revenue Service. In 1975, she became the Executive Director of the Bradford Housing Authority. She retired after 25 years. The park at the corner of Barbour Street and Campus Drive was dedicated and named Janice Hamilton Park upon her retirement in her honor. 

She was a former member of the East End Presbyterian Church. She enjoyed crocheting, cooking, painting, traveling, gardening and her grandchildren. She was affectionately called “Grammy B.” and “Gramcracker” by her grandchildren.

Freya Rose Lopus, 45, of Bradford passed away Oct. 21, 2024, at her home.

She was born May 8, 1979, in Bradford, a daughter of Cheryl R. Lopus and Terry D. Lopus. On Sept. 13, 2008, she married her childhood friend and the love of her life, Jordan Cercone. The couple were married on Prospect Hill in Smethport.

Freya graduated from Bradford High School in June 1997. Following many years of participation in youth softball and the YMCA Barracuda swim team where she set records in the butterfly and individual medley, she went on to earn Varsity Letters at Bradford High School in swimming and cross country. As a member of the outstanding Bradford High girls swim team of the mid- to late 1990s she was a member of accomplished team then referenced as the “Fabulous Freshman Four” and later “Fab Four.” She was a member of the school-record-setting Medley Relay team swimming the butterfly leg as well as the 400 Free Relay team achieving first team All-District for their relay team as well as earning second team All-District for the 100-yard butterfly.

Freya attended Clarion University and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in April 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. As Freya loved to write; she once received an award for her short story entry in Bailey’s Beads.

Karen J. (Karns) Blackwell, age 69, of Morris, PA, died on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. 

She was born on April 8, 1955 in Geneva, NY, a daughter of the late Joseph and Rachael (English) Karns and was married to Norman W. Blackwell.  Karen was a loving wife, mother and homemaker who enjoyed camping, riding horses and doing crafts. 

She is survived by her husband: Norman Blackwell of Morris, PA, son: Anthony (Sarah) Blackwell of Montgomery, PA, daughters: Desaray O’Conners and Aliaray Blackwell, both of Morris, PA, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren. 

Services will be private and are entrusted to the Carleton Funeral Home, Inc. www.carletonfh.com Wellsboro, PA.

Stuart Joseph Myers, 80, of Hazel Hurst, passed away Monday (November 25, 2024) at his residence.

He was born September 26, 1944 in Port Allegany, the son of Claude and Winifred (Campbell) Myers. On February 12, 1966, in Hazel Hurst, PA, he married Sally E. Peterson, who died July 10, 2019.

Stuart was a graduate of Smethport High School and worked as a self employed truck driver for his career.

He enjoyed his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, riding his side-by-side, and thoroughly loved his mini Dobermans “Sam” and “Moe”.

Judith A. Rifle, 81, of Emporium, PA passed away at Guy & Mary Felt Manor, Emporium, PA on Wednesday morning (November 27, 2024). She was born October 4, 1943, in Montpelier, Vermont a daughter of the late Reginald A. and Doris Clark Merrifield. On October 9, 1976,  she married William Rifle, who survives. Judy was a nurse’s aide for over 35 years working at Seana-Kean Manor, Guy and Mary Felt Manor and also with the Community Nurses.

Richard “Dick” Zimmerman, 84, of Russell, PA., died peacefully, Tuesday morning, November 26, 2024, at the John & Orpha Blair Hospice Home, Warren, PA, following a brief illness and a long and courageous battle with dementia.  Dick was born November 16, 1940, in Battle Creek, MI.  His family moved to Titusville in 1945. He was the son of Frank Porter and Ethel Mae Vaughan Zimmerman Bennett.

Dick has resided in the Warren area since 1967. He moved here after completing his training as an agent for All State Insurance Company and was then assigned to Sears, Roebuck and Co., Market Steet Plaza, Warren.  His next job was at Northwest Savings.  He started the final employment of his life at Blair Corporation in 1971, working his way up the ladder from salesman in the clothing store to the Payroll Department to the Vice President of Personnel. He worked for Blair Corp. for 26 years, retiring in 1997, at the age of 57, to pursue his love of hunting.

He was a graduate of Titusville High School Class of 1959.

Donald L. Serkleski                     “Dad, Grandpa, and PaPa”

Donald L. “Don, Dad, Grandpa, and Pa Pa” Serkleski, 80, of Shinglehouse, went to with the Lord, with his loving family by his side on Monday, November 25, 2024, in Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, NY.

Born on Thursday, April 13, 1944, in Coudersport, he was a son of Frank “Sox” and Violet Quimby Serkleski of Coudersport.  On June 12, 1963, he married Mary Ann Wheeler who predeceased him on December 26, 2009.

Don graduated from Coudersport High School.  In 1963, he joined the US Coast Guard serving until 1967.  He was employed by Pittsburgh Corning Glass Company in Port Allegany until his retirement.

He enjoyed his Ham and CB radios, listening to old country music, Elvis and the 50’s music.  He loved any electronic gadgets and his vacations across the United States taking months at a time, taking some amazing photos.  Don loved their St. Bernards and was known as the cat whisperer when the stray cats would find their way to the front porch.

Mark Farrell, 70 of Limestone died Sunday November 17, 2024 after living a life he’d describe as “finer than a frog hair.”

Born July 1, 1954, he was the son of the late George R and Patricia L (Clark) Farrell JR.  Mark loved all things outdoors, gardening, hunting, fishing, gathering mushrooms, and picking leeks to make Farrell’s famous leek sausage.

A 1972 Graduate of Otto-Eldred High School, Mark spent time as an accomplished drummer, even sitting in with Ronnie James Dio before beginning a career as an electrician with Hull Electric.

Shirley C. Foster, 89, of West Washington Street, Bradford, passed away Saturday, November 23, 2024, at the Bradford Ecumenical Home.

Born March 1, 1935, in DuBois, she was a daughter of the late Carl M. and Martha E. (Calhoun) Carlson.

Shirley had been employed as a Library Assistant at Penfield High School in Penfield NY, retiring in 1994. 

On June 29, 1974, she married Stephen A. Foster, who preceded her in death on April 21, 2020. 

Elmer Gatecloux, 87, formerly of Bradford and Smethport, passed away Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at Snyder Memorial Health Care, in Marienville.

Born July 21, 1937, in Belmont NY, he was a son of the late Naomi (Dickerson) Gatecloux and Francis Gatecloux. He attended schools in Oil City.

Elmer worked as an independent house painter throughout McKean County.

Joseph Patrick Price, Sr., 81, of West Winfield, NY, died on November 21, 2024.

Joe was born on March 4, 1943, in Olean, NY. He graduated from the Port Allegany Union High School in 1961. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico. He received his master’s degree in Secondary Education from the University of New Mexico in Alburquerque, New Mexico.

He worked for the Oneida County Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) for 34 years. He served as the Director of Information and Technology Services until his retirement in 2001. He was also Head Coach for the Northern Community Golden Knights Pop Warner football team in Holland Patent, NY from 1973-1986.

Lynn K. Greenawalt, 74, of Ridgway passed away on Friday, November 22, 2024 at her home surrounded by her family.

She was born on October 14, 1950 in Sandusky, Ohio, a daughter of the late Andrew and Betty Henry Reigle.

Lynn worked at St. Marys Carbon and then worked at Motion Control in Ridgway for many years until its closure. She enjoyed collecting Fenton glassware and going antiquing. Lynn also enjoyed spending time at the Hazen Fleamarket. More than anything she enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her beloved grandchildren.

Krista Chiaravalloti, 46, of Bradford passed away Friday, November 22, 2024, at Bradford Regional Medical Center.

Born on April 9, 1978, in Warren, to Elizabeth (Rodgers) Woodward and the late John Chiaravalloti.

Krista graduated High School in 1996 from Poteet High School in Mesquite, Texas where she played violin and enjoyed spending time with her friends and family. She loved spending time with her nephew (DJ) and her niece (Kelsey) and was so excited when her great nephew was born and could not wait to spoil him.

Krista showed compassion and love to everyone she met. Her smile and laugh were contagious, as her one goal each day was to make people smile. To know her was to love her, as she truly had a heart of gold and she will be deeply missed by many.

Robert A. Curcio, 71, of 21 Kloss Lane, Bradford, passed away Saturday, November 23, 2024, at Bradford Manor.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the Hollenbeck-Cahill Funeral Homes Inc.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.hollenbeckcahill.com

Richard “Dick” Zimmerman, 84, of Russell, Pa, died on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, in the John and Orpha Blair Hospice House, after an extended illness.

Family will receive friends on Friday, November 29, 2024, from 2:00 to 4:00 and 6:00 to 8:00 pm, at the Donald E. Lewis Funeral Home Inc., 304 East St, Warren, Pa.

A complete obituary will be published when it’s available.

Stuart Joseph Myers, 80, of Hazel Hurst, passed away Monday (November 25, 2024) at his residence.

A full obituary will be announced by the Hartle-Tarbox Funeral Homes, Inc., Smethport.

Shirley A. McDowell

Port Allegany — Shirley A. McDowell, 88, of Port Allegany passed away Monday (November 25, 2024) at Sweden Valley Manor, following a brief illness.

She was born April 16, 1936, in Port Allegany, a daughter of Clifford and Neva McNeil Grimes. She was married to Llewellyn “Pick” McDowell, who died in 1991.

Mrs. McDowell attended Port Allegany schools. She was a member of the Class of 1954.

Throughout her life she was employed at several area manufacturing facilities, including Viko Furniture in Eldred, Jaguar Manufacturing in Smethport, and Ball Foster (Ardagh) Glass in Port Allegany, retiring in 1997 after 12 years of service. She was a skilled seamstress, sewing doll clothes for the Cameo Doll Company when it operated in Port Allegany. She operated her own fabric store for a time. She was also employed by the Market Basket, Kantar’s Department Store, and Georgie’s Fabric Center of Port Allegany.

Anthony P. Magnetti, 81, formerly of Gates Hollow passed away Wednesday November 20, 2024 at the Bradford Ecumenical Home.

Born December 2, 1942 in Berkley, CA he was a son of the late Anthony L. Magnetti and Helen (Allen) Fairbanks.

Tony was a 1961 graduate of Bradford High School and later graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford with a bachelor’s degree in public relations.

On January 9, 1961 Tony enlisted in the United States Air Force. He served until his honorable discharge on January 8, 1965.

Tony worked at Corning Glass Works, as an auto mechanic at Bell Telephone and Star Garage and at the Oil Production Department at Bradford High School. He was an accomplished taxidermist who worked out of his home. He retired to Florida and worked as a Sales Associate at Home Depot and a handyman in his community

Deborah L. Ryan, 76, of Coudersport, PA, was surrounded by love when she transitioned to eternal life on Thursday, November 21, at UPMC-Cole Memorial Hospital, after a heroic 6-year battle with Frontal Temporal Dementia.

Debbie was born September 3, 1948, in St. Marys, PA., to the late Patrick and Dorothy Lewis of Emporium, PA. She enjoyed childhood adventures in Cameron County with her bestie, Judy Boyer. As a teenager, Debbie worked at her family’s store (Pat’s Grocery), led children’s activities at the recreational park, and was a highly-sought-after babysitter. She was on the cheerleading squad, the gymnastics club, and proudly accepted the title of “Class Clown” of 1966. She attended Clarion State Teachers College, where she was a resident assistant and honed her Canasta skills while earning a B.S. degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Physical Education. On June 27, 1970, one day after taking her final college exams, she married her high school sweetheart, best friend, and love of her life, Pete Ryan, at St. Mark’s Catholic Church, Emporium. Their marriage of 54 years was an example of resiliency, as they showed each other grace, love and support, even in the most difficult times.  Debbie found great joy in being the mother of three children, whom she adored.

Tranquil M. “Tranny” TIMPONE, 98, of Belfast, NY, died Friday, November 22, 2024 in Olean General Hospital. 

Born April 23, 1926, in Hartford, CT, she was the daughter of John and Mildred Galliachio Martell.  In 1948, in New York City, she married Robert N. Timpone, who predeceased her on July 26, 1987.  A graduate of Queens Forest Hills High School, she was employed as an office administrator by Belfast Central School.  Tranny was a member of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Belfast.  

David S. “Steve” Wilson, Jr., of Arkport, NY, died peacefully at Houghton Rehabilitation and Nursing Center after a 12-year battle with dementia. 

Born October 16, 1953, in Geneva, he was the son of Dave and E. Marguerite Hudson Wilson.  On August 21, 1976, in Fayette, he married Lisa Beard, who survives.  Steve graduated from Romulus Central School in 1973.  He retired from Ontario County Solid Waste Management after 21 years.  Steve was a lifelong athlete.  After retirement, he enjoyed years of golfing and fishing. 

Carolyn Kay Dille, 93, of Smethport, passed away Saturday (November 23, 2024) at Lakeview Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Smethport.

A full obituary will be announced by the Hartle-Tarbox Funeral Homes, Inc., Smethport.

Gerald A. Pirrung, Jerry, age 82 died peacefully on September 22, 2024 at his daughter Cathy’s home in Avon Park, Florida. He fought a short but determined struggle against metastatic cancer. 

Jerry was born in Bath, NY on June 6, 1942 to his parents Victor and Bertha Pirrung. 

Jerry is survived by his wife, Connie, the love of his life of 59 years. He had 4 adult children; Victoria, David, Jeffrey and Catherine. He is also survived by his sister Linda and her husband, Robert Odum, and his brother James and wife, Sharyl. 

He was incredibly proud of his 12 grandchildren; Sommer Elizabeth, Alex Kathryn, Renee Sommer, Lilly Leone, Elizabeth Mary, Tyler Morrison, Connor Francis, Cole Joseph, Luke Andrew , Caroline Denise, John Joseph & Francis Michael. His 6 great grandchildren are Luciana, Michael, Eli, James, Kai and Maya. 

Jerry was a man of faith who loved his family. He had an incredible work ethic and throughout his life he was a teacher, fuel distributor, auctioneer and farmer. Through his love of sports, he cultivated many friendships while supporting athletes and coaches. Jerry loved to travel experiencing new adventures with his wife, Connie, and especially enjoyed bringing family and friends together for epic beach celebrations. We were fortunate to celebrate “Pop-Popalooza” to honor his 80th birthday at Carolina Beach.

Richard B. “Dick” Straub, 86, of Grandview Road, St. Marys, passed away on Sunday, November 24, 2024, at Penn Highlands Jefferson Manor, following a brief illness.

He was born on July 6, 1938 in St. Marys, a son of the late Frank and Marguerite Bender Straub.

On September 9, 1961, at Queen of the World Church, he married the late Catherine “Kitty” Conroy Straub, who preceded him in death on August 11, 2016. Together they were blessed with more than 54 years of love and marriage.

William R “Bill” Barnett, 83, of Port Allegany, passed away on Sunday (November 24, 2024) at his home surrounded by his family

He was born March 10, 1941 in Coudersport, the son of Robert and Edith (Rumiano) Barnett. On November 23, 1963 in St. Gabriel’s Church In Port Allegany, he married Norma “Sue” G. Manning, who survives.

Mr. Barnett was a graduate of Port Allegany High School class of 1959. After graduation he went to work for Ball Incon where he was a member of the job change crew and machine repair crew. Bill retired in 2001 after 42 years of service.

Carolyn Kay Dille, 93, of Smethport, passed away Saturday (November 23, 2024) at Lakeview Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Smethport, surrounded by her loving family.

She was born September 16, 1931 in East Smethport, the daughter of Howard A. and Margaret A. (Penn) Wright. On April 19, 1974, in the United Methodist Church of Smethport, she married Garvin A. Dille, who died April 25, 2018.

Kay was a graduate of Smethport High School and attended West Brook Academy. She was employed at the Smethport Highway Sheds/Barns, the McKean County Courthouse, and lastly as a book keeper at the Guidance Center in Smethport, PA.

She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary of Bucktail Post #138 of Smethport. Kay enjoyed spending time with her family. She will always be remembered as a loving wife, mother, step mother, aunt, grandmother and great grandmother.

Maxine Ruth McFall, 87, of Turtlepoint, passed away peacefully on Saturday (November 23, 2024) at her home in Turtlepoint, with her family by her side.

 She was born September 4, 1937 in Smethport, the daughter of Gerald and Leilla (Daily) Slade. She married Gerald A. McFall, who preceded her in death.

 Maxine attended Smethport Area High School. She had been employed by Ethan Allen, Canoe Place Inn, the Robins Nest, & retired from the Daily Bread Cafe in 2013.