Skook News Obituaries: July 12, 2023
Obituaries published from the Schuylkill County area.
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Michael was born in August of 1966 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania to Jane and Michael Klembara. Affectionately known as “Scoop” during his youth, he was a 1984 graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes Regional High School in Coal Township, PA, where he played football, baseball, and wrestled. He began his collegiate studies at Susquehanna University before transferring to Pennsylvania State University where he met the love of his life, Anita (Aylmer).
He worked at World Electronics in Reading, PA for the last 12 years, though his true passion was always sports. Michael’s referee career spanned just shy of 40 years. In 1985, he began refereeing basketball before expanding into baseball and football. In 2011, he became a Division III Collegiate Football Referee for the Centennial Conference. In 2022, he was called up to be the referee for an NCAA Division I football game at Bucknell. He refereed many district, state, and champion level games, including two state championship football games, and the Easton vs. Phillipsburg football game on Thanksgiving Day — which meant that year’s dinner location had to be changed according to his football schedule. Regardless of skill level, youth to college championship, Michael took his role seriously and wanted to see the players have fun.
Michael was a quintessential do-it-yourself-er. With a garage that looks like Home Depot, he often had many simultaneous projects going on around the house. He was the first person his family and neighbors would call if they needed help with any project. He could do it all - take apart and reassemble a car engine, install hardwood floor, fix a septic system, you name it. He was generous with his time, often only accepting a cold beer or good conversation as a “thank-you.”
More than anything else, Michael was a family man. His wife, Anita, was and will continue to be the love of his life. The couple married in 1992; this year marks their 31st wedding anniversary. He adored his children, Michaela and Julia, which he often showed by lovingly antagonizing them. He was the life of every party and was quick to accept his nephew’s challenge to a dunk contest. He loved any time family was together, be that holidays, vacations, or a surprise drop-in for a beer.
He is survived by his wife, Anita Klembara; his daughters, Michaela and Julia; his parents, Jane and Michael; his brother, Andrew; his sisters, Melissa Klembara and Jennifer Klembara Gubernot; and his twelve nieces and nephews.
A funeral mass will be held Saturday, July 15, 2023 at 11:00 AM at St. John the Baptist Church, 913 Mahantongo St. Pottsville, PA 17901. Family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues are invited to join the Klembara family for food and drinks at a celebration of Michael’s life from 12:30 PM to 4:00 PM at St. Nicholas Hall, 855 Sunbury Rd, Minersville, PA 17954. In lieu of flowers, a scholarship for local athletes is being set up in Michael’s name. For more information or to make a donation, contact Joe Gerchak at CACL FCU, jgerchak@caclfcu.org.
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Born on March 18, 1926 in Outwood, she was the oldest child of the late Arthur and Elvira Felty Smith and lived in Pine Grove all her life.
In ninth grade she started attending high school where she met Landis Frantz. She graduated from Pine Grove High School in 1944 and worked at Indiantown Gap serving meals to the soldiers.
She married Landis on March 17, 1945, and became a full-time homemaker. They built a home together in seven months and lived there until 1971 when they moved to the farm that she presently lived on. She kept a very neat home filled with homemade pies, cakes and doughnuts. They always had a large garden and she canned fruits and froze vegetables. Spaghetti sauce and sauerkraut filled the canning room shelves.
She loved having family together and cooking big meals for extended family and always had room for another one at the table. Winters would find her mixing up batches of homemade ice cream and assisting with butchering. For over 40 years, she enjoyed baking the Christmas cutout cookies along with family members.
Through the years, her hobbies included jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, sudoku, and word finds. She was a competitive Scrabble player and knew so many words unknown to others. Card decks did not hold up well to her fierce love of Solitaire. She was later introduced to Solitaire on an I-pad and could be heard loudly tapping it while playing. She enjoyed the game show network, and she could be heard calling out the answers before contestants did. She was an avid reader until her eyesight worsened. She loved winter and often would call family when she saw the first snowflakes or the cardinals outside her window. She also enjoyed raising African violets, lilacs, daffodils and peonies and would have vases filled with the first flowers of season. Through the years she filled countless diaries and enjoyed reading them and reminiscing.
She grew up attending Suedberg Church of God, was married, and attended Hetzel's Church. Later she became a member of the Pine Grove Wesleyan Church. She taught Sunday School and her love of God and the church family grew as she aged.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Landis A. Frantz in 2001, a grandson Lane Frantz; and two brothers, Herbert and Edward Smith.
She is survived by two sons, Larry Frantz, Craig and wife Gail Frantz; a daughter Debra and husband Clair Newswanger, all of Pine Grove; six grandchildren, Malinda (Mindy) Frantz, Melissa (Missy) and husband Todd Smith, Amy and husband Jason Wendt, Jestyn and wife Tiffany Newswanger, Jarrod Newswanger, Joy and husband Ryan Fasnacht; fourteen great grandchildren, Tyler and Dilan Smith, Evan and Ethan Wendt, Noah, Peyton, Delaney, Eli and Juliannah Newswanger, Joseph Kramer, Ella, Myla, Cooper and Coby Fasnacht; nieces, nephews and a cousin, Marie Beck.
Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, July 15, 2023 at 11:00 A.M. at the H. L. Snyder Funeral Home, Inc., Pine Grove with Pastor Earl Hertzog officiating. There will be a viewing on Saturday, July 15, 2023 from 9:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. at the Funeral Home. Interment will follow in the Suedberg Church of God, Pine Grove.
In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer contributions be made to either the Pine Grove Wesleyan Church, 74 Bethel Rd. Pine Grove, Pa. 17963 or the Lane Frantz Scholarship Fund, c/o Pine Grove Area Educational Foundation P. O. Box 98, Pine Grove, PA 17963 in her memory.
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Born in Pottsville, he was a son of the late John and Jean Bakerofskie. He was employed as a forklift operator for Werner Lumber, Pine Grove.
Joel had a passion for playing the bass guitar and enjoyed playing video games.
Joel is survived by his brother John Bakerofskie, Pine Grove and his loving aunts, uncles and cousins.
Services will be announced.
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Shirley was the last surviving member of her immediate family. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by sisters Jean, Bertha, Anna, and brothers Edward, Winfield, Albert, and Leonard, a grandson Robert Brown, daughter in law Tracy Smerlick.
Survivors:
Daughter Cheryl and Kevin Moyer, Sch. Haven; Sons Charles and Cheryl Smerlick, Pottsville; Michael and Jean Smerlick, Pottsville; Paul and Lorri Smerlick, Schoentown;
7 grandchildren, Taunia (Tim) Bosler, Tyler (Chris) Smerlick, Matthew (Tasha) Smerlick, Kyle (Amanda) Smerlick, Jennifer Smerlick, Michael Smerlick, Amy (Tom) Mieczkowski
14 great-grandchildren, Tessa, Taya, Cameron, Kylie, Shawn, Kasper, Liam, Hunter, Alexis, Matthew, Anthony, Bella, Weston and Ava;
7 great great grandchildren Jamison, Grayson, Lillian, Caspian, Paisley, Hudson, and Theodore
as well as many nieces and nephews.
A funeral service will be held at 11:30am on Saturday July 15, at the Robert A. Evans Jr. Funeral Home.
A visitation will be held from 10:30am until the time of service. Interment will be private.
Gavin Nathaniel Brossman, 20, of Coaldale, PA, died on Monday, July 10, 2023, in Coaldale.
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Born on August 5, 2002, in Lehighton, PA, he was the son of Regena Brossman of Coaldale. A 2020 graduate of Panther Valley High School, Gavin was generous, good natured, and charitable. A highly intelligent young man, he spent time educating himself on world cultures and history. Gavin was a person with many interests which included nature and hiking, animals and zoos, the Nordic culture, and music. Family and friends will tell you he had a wonderful voice. Gavin held a 2nd degree black belt in Goshin Ryu Ju Jitsu and when not engaged in his other interests, he could be found with his Xbox in hand, gaming. A member of Harmony Lodge # 86, Odd Fellows, he volunteered with the clean-up of the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Tamaqua, PA. Gavin was a member of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Tamaqua.
In addition to his mother Regena and her partner and fiancé Robert Ritchie, he is survived by many – his sister, Kenna Focht of Coaldale; future step siblings, Cora and Triston Ritchie of Coaldale; grandparents, Marlene (Lawrence) and Joseph Paulus of Coaldale and Allen and Mary Brossman of Hamburg, PA; aunt, Melissa Morresi and her husband Michael of Jim Thorpe, PA; cousins, Thomas Edwards, Jr. of Jim Thorpe and Lillee Brossman of Reading, PA; and girlfriend, Angelina Delacuesta of Coaldale.
Gavin was predeceased by his uncle, Brian Brossman.
Services will be held at 8 PM on Thursday, July 13, at the Zizelmann-Gulla Funeral Home, 500 East Broad Street, Tamaqua. Call 6-8 PM on Thursday at the funeral home. Memorial donations to Carbon County Environmental Education Center, 151 East White Bear Drive, Summit Hill, PA 18250 or at carboneec.org/contribute.
Arrangements are being handled by the Zizelmann-Gulla Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc., Tamaqua.
Matthew R. Spears, 48, of Brick, NJ, passed away on June 11th, 2023.
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Matthew R. Spears, 48, of Brick, NJ, passed away on June 11th, 2023.
Graveside services will be conducted on Monday, July 17th in the Odd Fellows Cemetery, Shenandoah Heights and will be officiated by Pastor Mindy Heppe.
The Oravitz Home for Funerals inc, Shenandoah are handling these arrangements.
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Eric V. Jones, 50 of St. Clair died July 2nd.
Services will be announced at a later date.
The family would prefer remembrances in the form of contributions be made to help defray funeral cost to James E. Humphrey Funeral Home, 1112 W. Market St. Pottsville, 17901 or by clicking on donate funeral funds on the online obituary at www.jehumphreyfuneralhome.com
Eric V. Jones, 50 of St. Clair died July 2nd.
Services will be announced at a later date.
The family would prefer remembrances in the form of contributions be made to help defray funeral cost to James E. Humphrey Funeral Home, 1112 W. Market St. Pottsville, 17901 or by clicking on donate funeral funds on the online obituary at www.jehumphreyfuneralhome.com
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These obituaries are being brought to by Anthony Urban Law Offices. P.C.
