William Andrew Richmond, 88, formerly of Allentown, PA
Lake Wales, FL – William Andrew Richmond, 88, formerly of Allentown, passed away on Sunday, October 13, 2024. He was born August 10, 1936, in Wellsville, the son of the late E.O. and Lulu (Quick) Richmond. He married Dolores Halsey, who survives.
Bill was raised in Allentown and was a 1953 graduate of Scio High School. From there he went onto Alfred State College, graduating with an associate degree in Mechanical Technology. He volunteered for the draft and was inducted into the Army in October 1955 and served until October 1957. After his honorable discharge he found his career at Air Preheater, first working as Supervisor of Tool Design and Die Makers, being promoted in 1980 to Manager of Maintenance and Facilities. After 41 years, he retired in 1998. Outside of his employment, he was an avid golfer, he and Dolores were members of several country clubs and liked to golf daily. They also enjoyed traveling, drama, and musicals. While living in Allegany County, Bill was a member of the Wellsville Moose Lodge, and the American Legion Post 702.
K9S VISIT PORT ALLEGANY ELEMENTARY WITH DISTRICT ATTORNEY
(PORT ALLEGANY, October 25, 2024) K9s “LG”, “Nico” and “Coal” accompanied District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer and K9 handlers Bob and Vicki Rinfrette during a program about the dangers of drugs and that “police officers are your friend.”
“Our fifth graders had an exciting visit from the McKean County’s Detective K9 Unit .They learned about the incredible work these K9 teams do to keep our community safe, from tracking to protection. The students had the chance to ask questions, see some skills in action, and even got a little time to meet our special guest. Thank you to our District Attorney, Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer and Rob and Vicki Rinfrette for this engaging experience that brought real-world learning to life for our students!” – Port Allegany Elementary. Thank you Port Allegany Elementary for inviting us! McKean County has K9s that help law enforcement and also visit local schools and attend events with the District Attorney with a message to “say no to drugs.” As part of the presentation, the children are left with pledge cards with a picture of a K9 that they can sign as their oath to “say no to drugs.” The program also reminds children that police officers are their friend and they can call 911 if they need help. The students, K9s, K9 handlers, teachers and District Attorney enjoyed the visit.
Travis Whipple, 39, of Clarendon, PA
Travis Whipple, 39, of Clarendon, passed away Wednesday (Oct. 23) at his residence. Born March 3, 1985 in St. Marys, he is the son of Arthur Whipple and the late Theresa Pennington Whipple.
Travis had worked several jobs, the last being employed by Cummins Engine.
Skye Keyes, 41, of Guyton, GA
Skye Keyes, 41, of Guyton, GA, passed away Wednesday (Oct. 23) at the home of her brother. Born Feb. 14, 1983 in Dubois, she is the daughter of the late Theresa Pennington.
Skye was a member of the Kane Revival Center. Skye was a fun loving mother to her children and good to all children she met. She enjoyed taking her children on vacations and loved spending time with her Pocket Bully Louis. She enjoyed being around family and friends and spent a lot of time with her brother and best friend, Travis Whipple. She also enjoyed playing Scratch off tickets.
She is survived by her husband Brian Keyes; three sons, Colton, Caiden and Jaxton Keyes; four aunts: Patti Beane, Nicole (Paul Kimes) Causer, Peggy (Jim) Bailey, who raised Skye like a daughter; an uncle Nick Pennington; fourteen cousins, Cheyenne Bailey, Jamie Bailey, Megan Bailey, Sofia Bailey, Tia Bailey, Akira Bailey, Jake (Brittany) Bailey, Shauna Bailey, Tanner Bailey, Tyler Bailey, Elliana Bailey, Ember Bobeck, Muriel Whipple and Joey Couch; two nieces, Mindey Foster and McKenna Collins.
In addition to her mother, she was preceded in death by a brother, Travis Whipple, three daughters, Raelynn, Payton and Taylin Keyes four uncles, Kevin Causer, Randy, Russell and Scott Pennington; three aunts, Judy Dunkle , Cathy Pennington and Lois Carlson and her maternal grandparents, Thomas and Derma Pennington.
Friends are invited to attend a viewing at the Cummings Funeral Home on Thursday (Oct. 31) from 2:00-4:00 p.m. A funeral service will be conducted at the funeral home on Friday at 11:00 a.m. with Tomas Eastman officiating.
Memorial donations may be made to the McKean County SPCA, 80 Glenwood Ave. Bradford, PA 16701.
Online condolences can be expressed at www.cummingsfh.com.
Calvin A. Simonds, age 74, of Wellsboro, PA
Calvin A. Simonds, age 74, of Wellsboro, PA, died on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
He was born on October 1, 1950 in Tioga, PA a son of the late Oscar and Mildred (Cole) Simonds and was married to Barbara A. (Abel) Simonds for 53 years. Cal was the property manager for UPMC Wellsboro for 41 years and had a saw sharpening business for many years. He was a member of the Tioga Lodge # 373 F&AM, the Coudersport Consistory, and enjoyed hunting, and riding motorcycles.
He is survived by his wife: Barb Simonds of Wellsboro, PA, sons: Dave (Lisa) Abel of Middlebury Center, PA, Preston Simonds of Wellsboro, PA, brothers: Cliff Simonds of Wellsboro, PA, Karl (Cheri Wheatley) Simonds of Tioga, PA, Clayton (Theresa Owens) Simonds of Addison, NY, sister: Donna (Eric) Packard of Mansfield, PA, brother-in-law: Davis Cosey of NC, 5 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
He was predeceased by 4 sisters: Alice Cosey, Irene Simonds, Joyce Sly and Loretta Simonds.
Visitation and a Masonic Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, November 2, 2024 from 2 to 5 pm at the Carleton Funeral Home, Inc. www.carletonfh.com Wellsboro, PA.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Wellsboro Firemen’s Ambulance Association, 21 Pearl St., Wellsboro, PA.
Sizerville State Park Environmental Education Program for Halloween
Program Title: Sizerville’s Spooktacular Skele-bration
Date: Thursday, October 31st
Time: 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Location: Environmental Learning Center
Description: Happy Halloween! Come out and join the park educator for a night filled with spooky fun and games! Some of the topics for this program may include owls, spiders, bats, and ghosts. There will also be a pumpkin-themed game and crafts to make. Costumes are encouraged, so stop by for a ghostly good time!
Janice E. Woodkirk, 90, of Shinglehouse, PA
Janice E. Woodkirk “faithful in Christ”
Janice E. Woodkirk, 90, of Shinglehouse, passed from the loving care of her family into the arms of her Lord and Savior, on Friday, October 25, 2024, in the Olean General Hospital, Olean, NY.
Born on Thursday, July 26, 1934 in Myrtle, she was a daughter of Howard J. and Doris L. Haynes Gustin. On August 9, 1953 in Shinglehouse, she married Charles L. Woodkirk, who passed away on August 3, 1998. On June 10, 2006, she married Randall “Jack” Pease, who passed away on June 30, 2022.
DCI offers training to prison staff
Recently, Justin Bauer from Dickinson Center, Inc. (DCI) facilitated a Trauma-Informed Care training for the Elk County Corrections staff. As a county-contracted provider of forensic services, DCI greatly appreciates the support of Elk County and the prison in offering facility-based assessments, psychiatric services and ongoing treatment for incarcerated individuals. DCI is the sole provider responsible for conducting lethality assessments and suicide risk screenings within the prison. Additionally, DCI coordinates closely with Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services (ADAS) and Elk County Probation through weekly meetings, enhancing its integrated approach to inmate care.
For more information about services at DCI, please visit www.dickinsoncenter.org .
NAT GEO EXPLORER AT LARGE TO TAKE AUDIENCE ON JUNGLE CANOPY JOURNEY
BRADFORD, Pa. – Nalini Nadkarni, a tree canopy ecologist and National Geographic Explorer at Large, will present the program “From Roots to Canopy” at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on Nov. 1.
Nadkarni will take the audience into the mysterious worlds of the forest canopy beginning at 7 p.m. in Bromeley Family Theater in Blaisdell Hall. Nadkarni also is presenting a matinee program earlier in the day for schoolchildren in the region.
Robert D. Hand, 66, of 11 North Street, Friendship, NY
Robert D. Hand
Robert D. Hand, 66, of 11 North Street, Friendship, passed away Friday, October 25, 2024 at home with family at his side after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Born on August 11, 1958, in Wellsville he was a son of Audrey McNamara. In 1981, he met his lifelong companion Sandi Rogers who survives.
PennDOT Lifts Weight Restriction on Route 4017 Bridge
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) alerted drivers that it lifted a posted weight restriction on a Route 4017 (Shay Town Road) bridge spanning Bell Run five miles south of Shinglehouse Borough in Sharon Township. Effective Thursday, October 24, the 28-ton weight restriction for single vehicles and 36-tons for combination vehicles in place since 2019 is lifted.
PennDOT lifted this weight restriction following the completion of a bridge preservation work earlier this construction season.
This 42-foot structure, originally built in 1953, carries an average of 250 vehicles daily. The preservation work completed earlier this year improved the bridge’s overall condition rating from poor to satisfactory.