Obituaries from Gazette.net, May 1998: Montgomery Co., MD Permission has generously been granted by Gazette.net to include these obituaries in the MDGenWeb Archives. This publication is available on-line at http://www.gazette.net. *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** *****May. 6, 1998***** Lucille M. Cockrell Lucille M. Cockrell, 87, of Mount Airy died April 18, 1998, at Montgomery General Hospital, Olney. She worked for several federal government agencies, including the National Institute of Mental Health, where she worked as a grants assistant until her retirement in 1974. Born Nov. 3, 1910, in Watertown, S.D., she was the third of 13 children of W.J. and Jennie Meyers. Mrs. Cockrell came to the Washington area in 1942 and worked at the Department of War. Subsequently she worked at the Naval Research Laboratory, the National Security Agency, the Office of the Army Surgeon General, the Department of State and the National Institute of Mental Health. She was preceded in death by her husband, Claiborn John Cockrell. Mrs. Cockrell is survived by a son, Joel Cockrell of Damascus; a grandson, Bryan Cockrell of Damascus; three sisters, Maxiene Rice of Bethesda, Phyllis J. Meyers of Sarasota, Fla., and Beverley Bonwit, also of Sarasota; and three brothers, Lyle Meyers of Fargo, N.D., Wayne Meyers of Sun City, Ariz. and Charles Meyers of Greeley, Colo. The family received friends April 22 at Pumphrey Funeral Home, Rockville. Burial took place April 23 at Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Damascus Senior Center, 9701 Main St., Damascus, Md. 20872. Helen B. Baker Helen B. Baker, 67, of Clarksburg died April 30, 1998, at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Rockville. She was a member and Sunday school teacher at Greenridge Baptist Church, Clarksburg. Born Oct. 13, 1930, in Leesburg, Va., she was a daughter of the late Paul and Rosie Morris Beach. She was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond Harvey Baker Sr. Survivors include seven children, Kenneth and Rose Baker of Clarksburg, Raymond Baker Jr. of Ijamsville, Paul Baker of Dickerson, Douglas Baker of Smithsburg, Mary Lance of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Delores Adcock of New Canton, Va.; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and one sister, Bertha McIntosh of Booneville, Miss. The family received friends Sunday at Molesworth Funeral Home, Damascus. Services were held Monday at Greenridge Baptist Church, Clarksburg, with the Rev. David Kinderdine officiating. Burial followed in Monocacy Cemetery, Beallsville. William F. Kidd Jr. William F. Kidd Jr., 45, of Germantown died April 30, 1998. He owned and operated his own trucking company and served in the U.S. Army. Born Oct. 4, 1952 in Washington, D.C., he was a son of William F. Kidd Sr. of Florida and the late Nellie Atkins Kidd. In addition to his father, he is survived by his wife, Shirley N. Kidd; three children, Steven Kidd of Gaithersburg, Christopher Kidd Sr. of Germantown and Dawn Kidd of Germantown; three sisters, Patricia Kenney of Boyds, Susan Sullivan of Dickerson and Pearl Richardson of Derwood; a brother, Kenneth Kidd of Gaithersburg; and two grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a brother, Walter Emanuel Kidd. Services were held Monday at Mt. Tabor United Methodist Church, Etchison. Interment followed in Seals Farm Cemetery, Etchison. Arrangements were provided by Muriel H. Barber Funeral Home, Laytonsville. E. Wheeler Watkins E. Wheeler Watkins, 77, of Gaithersburg died May 2, 1998, at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Rockville. He farmed for many years and later worked for the Montgomery County school system, retiring after 20 years. He was a member of Upper Seneca Baptist Church, Cedar Grove. Born Feb. 21, 1921, in Cedar Grove, he was a son of the late Maynard D. Watkins Sr. and Laura J. Soper Watkins. He is survived by his wife, M. Phyllis Watkins; two daughters, Diana Wides of Gaithersburg and Gail Steiding of Gaithersburg; four grandchildren; two step- grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and one brother, Maynard D. Watkins Jr. of Gaithersburg. The family will receive friends 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. today at the Molesworth Funeral Home, 26401 Ridge Road, Damascus, where services will be held 11 a.m. Thursday. Burial will follow in Upper Seneca Baptist Cemetery, Cedar Grove. Eileen S. Eberly Eileen Slemp Eberly, 72, of Gaithersburg and formerly of Richmond, Va., died April 24 at her home. Born in Dayton, Ohio, she was the daughter of the late Homer and Alice Simpson Slemp. She also was the wife of the late Howard C. Eberly Jr. Mrs. Eberly is survived by two daughters, Janet Thieman and her husband William, and Diane Wilson and her husband Palmer; two sons, David Nugent and his wife Victoria, and Thomas Nugent and his wife Karen; one brother, William Slemp; and seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held May 1 at Boyds Presbyterian Church in Boyds. Burial was in the church cemetery. Hilton Funeral Home in Barnesville handled the arrangements. Memorial contributions can be made to Montgomery Hospice, 1450 Research Blvd., Suite 310, Rockville, Md. 20850; or Hospice Caring, 707 Conservation Lane, Suite 100, Gaithersburg, Md. 20878. Frederick W. Neubaum Jr. Frederick William Neubaum Jr., 71, of Crofton died April 30 at his home of cancer. Born in Millersberg, Pa., Mr. Neubaum had retired in 1966 as a CWO3 in the U.S. Army after more than 20 years of service. While in the Army, he served in World War II and the Korean War. Following his military career, he worked in defense contracting. Mr. Neubaum was a member of the American Legion and the Retired Officers Association. Also, he enjoyed working on automobiles. He was the husband of the late June Neubaum. He is survived by two sons, Terry Neubaum of Crofton and Gary Neubaum of Gaithersburg; sister, Pauline "Bunny" Ward of Utah; and six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 9 a.m. May 21 at the Fort Meyer Chapel in Fort Meyer, Va. Inurnment will be at the Colombarium at Arlington National Cemetery. Hardesty Funeral Home in Gambrills is handling the arrangements. Memorial contributions can be made to the National Cancer Institute. Lucille M. Py Lucille M. Py, 61, of Frederick died at her home April 29. She had cancer. Born in East Chicago, Ind., she was the daughter of Marjorie Mathews and the late LaVern H. Mathews of Dayton, Pa. Mrs. Py graduated in 1957 from the degree nursing program at Allegheny Valley General near Pittsburgh, Pa. Her 35-year nursing career included critical care, care of the elderly, management and mentoring of young professionals. For the next two decades Mrs. Py worked for the Heart Institute at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda; Lackland Air Force Base Hospital in San Antonio, Texas; St. Francis Hospital in Milwaukee; Appleton Memorial in Appleton, Wis.; Suburban Hospital in Bethesda; and Britthaven Nursing Home in Nags Head, N.C., where she was the director of nursing. She spent the last decade of her career at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville. She retired in 1994. An avid gardener, Mrs. Py found great solace in crafting and creating a backyard sanctuary where unique blooms and greenery grew about an assortment of architectural oddities and found treasures. Together with her husband, Raymond L. Py Sr., she combined a love for the past by collecting antiques and other vintage memorabilia. The pair operated a number of antiques booths in the historic district of Frederick. They had lived in Gaithersburg and Bethesda. In addition to her husband, she is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Beth Py-Lieberman and Jim Lieberman of Silver Spring; son, Raymond L. "Chip" Py Jr. also of Silver Spring; daughter and son-in-law, Stacey and Jay Flynn of Germantown; sister and brother-in-law, Karen and Bob Fredericks of Alexandria, Va.; and mother, Marjorie Mathews of Dayton, Pa. She also is survived by three grandchildren, Claire Lieberman, Patsy Lieberman and Matthew Flynn. A private graveside ceremony will be held in Dayton, Pa. A memorial service will be held at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital; the date and time will be announced. Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Lucille Py for nurse training and advanced education at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, 9901 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Md. 20850. Barbara J. Silsby Barbara Joan Rowell Silsby, 68, of Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg died April 16. Born in Fall River, Mass., she attended the University of Massachusetts and did her graduate studies at Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, Mass. She had worked as a teacher. Mrs. Silsby is survived by her husband Earl C. Silsby of Gaithersburg; daughter Joan R. Silsby of Los Angeles; son Jonathan E. Silsby of Rochester, N.Y.; sister Muriel L. Sherman of West Hartford, Conn. Funeral services were held April 20 at Messiah Lutheran Church in Germantown. Burial was in Parklawn Memorial Park in Rockville. DeVol Funeral Home in Gaithersburg handled the arrangements. Memorial contributions can be made to Messiah Lutheran Church, 13901 Clopper Road, Germantown, Md. 20874; or the American Cancer Society, 1131 Amherst Ave., Silver Spring, Md. 20902. *****May. 13, 1998***** Nancy C. Chapwick Nancy Carol Chapwick, 56, died at her Germantown home on May 8 after a four- year battle with ovarian cancer. Born Nancy Emerick in St. Clairsville, Pa., she attended Medical Secretarial School in Hagerstown. Upon graduation she was offered a job with what was then the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Over the next decade she worked at the Department of the Navy and the National Naval Medical Center before taking a seven-year leave in 1970 to stay home with her two daughters. During that time she was an active volunteer at Grosvenor Elementary School in Bethesda. In 1975 she moved her family to Laytonsville and became active at Laytonsville Elementary School. In 1977 she returned to the federal government as a secretary at the National Bureau of Standards, now the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg. Over the next 20 years, she worked in the Office of Weights and Measures, the Polymers Department and finally personnel. She retired last year from the federal government after a 30-year career as a secretary Mrs. Chapwick was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1980. After her recovery, she began volunteering with the local chapter of Reach for Recovery, a support and information organization for women with breast cancer. In 1990, following the end of her 24-year marriage, she became involved with New Beginnings and made many friends who supported her throughout her subsequent diagnosis with ovarian cancer and the numerous chemotherapy treatments that followed. A memorial Mass will be held on Saturday, May 16, at 1:30 p.m. at Mother Seton Parish in Germantown. She is survived by her two daughters and sons-in-law, Cheryl and Daniel Clemens, Jr., of Ellicott City and Michelle and Jeffrey Hodos of Frederick; two grandchildren; her father, Donald Emerick of Central City, Pa.; one brother, Harry Emerick of Pittsburgh, Pa.; one sister, Jane Dull of Mechanicsburg, Pa.; 10 nieces and nephews, seven grandnieces and grandnephews; and numerous friends. Memorial contributions can be made to Montgomery Hospice Society, 1450 Research Blvd. Suite 310, Rockville, MD 20850; or Mother Seton Parish Building Fund, 19951 Father Hurley Blvd., Germantown, MD 20874. Margaret R. Carney Margaret Ruth Carney, 78, of Clarksburg, died Sunday, May 10, at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Rockville. She was the wife of the late Robert D. Carney. Born March 3, 1920, at Miami, Fla., she was a daughter of the late Brewer C. and Margaret Ellen McKain Peddy. Mrs. Carney was a member of Greenridge Baptist Church, Clarksburg, where she held many church office positions. Survivors include four children, Patricia Ellen Ferguson of Germantown, Kathleen Ann Carter of Rockville, Maureen L. Carney of Clarksburg and Michael Brewer Carney of Stephens City, Va,; 11 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and one brother, John T. Peddy of Clearwater, Fla. Mrs. Carney was preceded in death by two sisters, Martha Roach and Peggy Evans. The family will receive friends from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday at the Molesworth Funeral Home, 26401 Ridge Road, Damascus. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday at Greenridge Baptist Church, 21925 Frederick Road, Clarksburg, with David Kinderdine officiating. Burial will be at 2 p.m. on May 19 at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va. Friends and relatives will assemble at the cemetery administration building at 1:30 p.m. Memorial contributions in Mrs. Carney's name may be made to Greenridge Baptist Church, P.O. Box 417, Clarksburg, Md. 20871. Dorothy M. Kruzel Dorothy M. Kruzel, 69, of Montgomery Village died May 6 at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville. Born in Wilkes Barre, Pa., Mrs. Kruzel had been a homemaker. She is survived by her husband, William Kruzel; children Mary Kay Kinnish and her husband Benjamin Kinnish of Gaithersburg, Ellen Slepitza and her husband Robert Slepitza of Adelphia, William Kruzel of Gaithersburg and Joel Kruzel of Gaithersburg; sister, Judy Heller of Ocala, Fla.; and two grandsons, Mattew Slepitza and Griffin Kinnish. Funeral services were held May 9 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg. Burial was in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring. DeVol Funeral Home in Gaithersburg handled the arrangements. Memorial contributions can be made to Montgomery Hospice Society, 1450 Research Blvd., Rockville, Md. 20850; or Greenebaum Canter Center, UMAB Fund, Alternate Cancer Research/Pathology, Attention Development Office, 22 S. Green St., Baltimore, Md. 21201. Dixie M. Saunders Dixie M. Saunders, 86, of Gaithersburg died May 9 at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville. Born in Virginia, she was a daughter of the late Rufus and Emma Hawes Gray. She was the wife of the late Howard Francis Saunders. Mrs. Saunders was a homemaker and had worked on a farm most of her life. She is survived by four children, Mary A. Saunders and James Saunders, both of Gaithersburg, Donald Saunders of Ijamsville and Betty E. Rhodes of LaGrange, N.C.; and 10 grandchildren. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. May 16 at Friendship United Methodist Church, 27701 Ridge Road, Damascus. Burial will be private and will be held later in Forest Oak Cemetery in Gaithersburg. Muriel H. Barber Funeral Home in Laytonsville is handling the arrangements. *****May. 27, 1998***** Robert E. Kastner Robert E. Kastner, 64, of Olney died May 19 at his home. He was the husband of Marilyn J. Kastner. Born Sept. 13, 1933, in New Jersey, he was a son of the late Herman J. and Julia Byrnes Kastner. He had worked for Vitro Corp. for eight years. In addition to his wife, Mr. Kastner is survived by four sons, Martin Kastner of Olney, Stephen Kastner of Silver spring, Christopher Kastner of Olney; and Terence Kastner of Parkville, Md.; and one brother, William J. Kastner of Virginia. Visitation was held May 22 and a Mass of Christian Burial was held Saturday at St. Peter Catholic Church in Olney. Burial was at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Aspen Hill. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, Montgomery County Chapter, 11323 Amherst Ave., Silver Spring, Md. 20902. Muriel H. Barber Funeral Home of Laytonsville handled the arrangements. BR> Edna H. Reber Edna H. Reber, 105, formerly of Washington Grove and most recently of Rockville, died May 19 at Shady Grove Adventist Nursing Home in Rockville. Born in Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of the late Dewitt Clinton and Martha Gow Henneberger. She also was the wife of the late George F. Reber Jr. Ms. Reber had lived in Washington Grove for 70 years and was a lifelong member of the Washington Grove United Methodist Church. She was a poet and wrote a column for the Washington Grove monthly paper and made contributions to the Sentinel Newspaper. She also had worked at Gaithersburg High School as a teacher's aide in the 1930s. She was devoted to her faith, and was known for the prayer squares she made from colorful cloth and gave to friends. Poems she wrote were pinned to the squares, with an added note to "Hang me on your wall. Never look on the dark side, but always the bright." On her 100th birthday, she was interviewed by Channel 4 News, and has been featured in stories in the Gazette. She is survived by two sons, George W. Reber of Gaithersburg and Robert C. Reber of Bethesda; two daughters, Margaret Bowling of Rockville and Janet Burdette of Damascus; six grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Funeral services were held May 22 at the Washington Grove United Methodist Church. Burial was in the Neelsville Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Germantown. Muriel H. Barber Funeral Home in Laytonsville handled the arrangements. Memorial contributions can be made to the Washington Grove United Methodist Church, 305 Chestnut Road, Washington Grove, Md. 20880. Mary Cox Mary Cox, 81, of Rockville died May 9 at Rockville Nursing Home. She was the wife of the late Colon E. Cox. Born March 12, 1917, in Massachusetts, she was a daughter of the late John and Nasta Blonish Rock. She was a member of the Eastern Star. Survivors include a son, Arthur Cox of Thurmont; two grandchildren; one great- grandchild; and a sister, Anne Rock of Watertown, Mass. Mrs. Cox was preceded in death by a grandson, R. Lee Beckley; a sister, Sophia Rock; and a brother, Andrew Rock. Services were May 14 at Christ Episcopal Church, Rockville. Arrangements were provided by Molesworth Funeral Home, Damascus. Memorial contributions may be made to Montgomery Hospice Society, 1450 Research Blvd., Suite 310, Rockville, Md. 20850.