Skook News Obituaries: June 17th, 2024
Obituaries published from the Schuylkill County area.
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By Douglas B. Brill
Morris Brill, who as Uncle Morris instilled compassion and open-mindedness into a generation of his family and then did it again and again for countless others as companion, serviceman, historian, volunteer, candidate, open ear and Dad, died Saturday in Pottsville.
Mr. Brill died on the Shabbat, one day before Father’s Day and three days before his 82nd birthday. His cognitive state had been in decline and he entered a nursing home two months ago when his wife, Dorothy, a nurse herself, no longer could individually provide the level of care he required. No cause of death was immediately available.
Mr. Brill’s youth was spent traversing a multitude of foster caretakers – his parents were deemed unfit to care for him – which contributed to a worldview that perpetually balanced sorrow and joy and acknowledged that the two are not separate.
“The seesaw of life with joys and sorrows, certainties and trepidation, outbursts of laughter and the sting of tears,” Mr. Brill wrote in a missive in 2020. “Friends made and lost. The loves of life and the sorrow of partings.
“The sun is setting and the evening darkening,” Mr. Brill wrote. “How grand it has all been.”
The distinct perspective followed Mr. Brill as an adored uncle to a long branch of the family tree, a husband of 55 years, a volunteer and mentor for youth and the troubled and anyone open-minded, a political advocate, a collector of historic newspapers and a father to twin boys.
The perspective was routinely imparted on those he met or mentored, many of whom over the weekend expressed appreciation for the warmth of his demeanor.
“(Mr. Brill) was like a second dad,” said Mike Yacobacci, 41, of Philadelphia, who as a youth was one of countless boys to crowd into the basement rec room at Mr. Brill’s former Mahantongo Street home. “He was an intellectual, an historian. Different dads had different ways of parenting and Mr. Brill provided a perspective that no one else could.”
Uncle Morris
Morris Samuel Brill was born on June 18, 1942, to the late Samuel and Frances (Reiner) Brill and was raised for the majority of his youth in foster facilities or with foster parents, ultimately coming under the stable and loving care of the late Freda Weinberg.
In his twenties, Mr. Brill joined the U.S. Army Reserve. Drawing yet another parallel between disparate realities, he often joked about the irony of becoming trained for combat only to serve as a “macho typist.”
At the same time, he was becoming Uncle Morris, the hip motorcycle and sportscar driving, autoharp playing, folk singing young man with a one-of-a-kind worldview. He served primarily as mentor – but also knew where to find the parties and concerts and get his nieces and nephews in.
“No one was as cool as Uncle Morris,” said Linda Goins Sciascia, a daughter of Mr. Brill’s sister, the late Rosalyn. “He was there for us. He was a young uncle. He would come around and give us motorcycle rides. He did magic tricks. He’d bring chocolate covered aunts and bumblebees. He’d play songs for us on the autoharp and sing all his old folk songs. He was our hero.”
“He was ours,” she told one of Mr. Brill’s sons on Monday, “and then he became yours.”
Husband, manager, volunteer, historian
In 1969, Mr. Brill married the former Dorothy “Dottie” Bazylak. He recalled swooning for her one day when she entered a party and carelessly flung her jacket onto a pricey statue. Dottie’s easygoing show of irreverence gave his heart a rush.
They moved together from Philadelphia to the suburbs and then ultimately Schuylkill County when Mr. Brill, a graduate of the then Philadelphia School of Textiles and Sciences, secured a job as a manager at the Pomeroy’s department store in downtown Pottsville. Simultaneously, he served as board member and then President for the United Way of Pottsville.
Mr. Brill, who often recounted the phrase that journalists write the first draft of history, owned an extensive collection of historic newspapers. The collection focused on political history, aerospace, famous and infamous people, and Americana. A niche of the collection was devoted to World War II, the holocaust, and Jewish history. Among the most recognizable papers in the collection were on the death of Abraham Lincoln, and one of the few prints of the famed “Dewey Defeats Truman” error.
Mr. Brill proudly served on Pottsville’s Democratic Committee but was able to argue kindly and reasonably with those of almost any political stripe, including some family members. He twice ran for a Pottsville Area School Board seat. To be elected often requires at least a small bit of ruthlessness but Mr. Brill didn’t have it in him. While he was never elected, he offered voters the choice of harmony and compassion.
Later in life, Mr. Brill, a member of Oheb Zedeck Synagogue in Pottsville, turned to his religion. He took online lessons with an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi in New York and also taught the Torah to Schuylkill County prisoners.
Dad
Nothing pleased Mr. Brill as much, however, as his twin sons: Brian, a software engineer who works on Orion spacecrafts for the NASA space program, and Douglas, a writer and baseball coach who inherited his dad’s love for journalism and free thinking.
Ms. Sciascia recalled the simple joy that Mr. Brill felt just from looking at his sons.
“He loved being a father. He loved you boys,” Ms. Sciascia said to Douglas on Monday. “He would sit at a different table than all of us just so he could watch you two all night. I’d say do you want to come sit with us? And he said no, I can see my boys from here.”
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In addition to his parents, Morris was preceded in death by a sister, Rosalyn Posiadlo.
Morris is survived by his wife, Dorothy "Dottie" (Bazylak); his twin sons Brian, husband of Sarah Brandt, of Morrison, CO; Douglas Brill, of Wilson, Pa; grandson, Parker, age 10 and all to whom he served as Uncle Morris, including his nieces Cheryl Goins Martin and Ms. Sciascia, his nephews Mike Goins and Ron Goins, and all of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
A service to honor Morris' life will be held on Thursday, June 20th, at 11:00 a.m. at Lord-Bixler Funeral Home, Inc., 1818 Mahantongo St., Pottsville, with Rabbi Michelson officiating. A visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m. until time of service in the funeral home.
Interment will be held at a later date in Oheb Zedeck Cemetery, Pottsville.
In lieu of flowers the family request contributions in Morris' memory be sent to: Hillside SPCA, 51 SPCA Road, Pottsville, PA 17901.
Lord-Bixler Funeral Home, Inc is in charge of arrangements.
Marlene Lucas, “Mem” 88, of Main Street, Lavelle, passed away Saturday, June 15, 2024, at her residence. Born in Barry Township, February 1, 1936, she was the daughter of Percy and Margaret Geist Deeter. Marlene was a loving homemaker and housewife, taking care of her large family. She loved jig saw puzzles, cooking, crocheting, and going to casinos. Most of all, she loved spending time with her family. Marlene was a member of Christ’s United Lutheran Church, Airport Road, Ashland. Preceding her in death was her husband of 56 years, Alfred “Toppy” Lucas, passing on January 24, 2008, sons; Alfred Lucas Jr., and Dean Lucas, sisters; Leoma Carl, Blanche Kimmel, Margaret Reichenbach, and Larae Lucas, also brothers; Paul, Elwood, Junior, Glen and Donald Deeter.
Survivors
Daughters: Sandra wife of William Miller, Ashland, Gail Zerby and her companion, Richard Stoker, Germanville, Shelia wife of Robert Dengler, Taylorsville, Lisa wife of Charles Johnson, Lavelle
Sons: Ralph Lucas, Ashland, Michael Lucas and his wife Eva, Mowry, Randy Lucas and his wife Angi, Lavelle
Sisters: June wife of Ivan Sweinhart, Barry Township, and Dorothy Ann Conniff, Ashland
Brother: Richard Deeter, Barry Township
21 Grandchildren, 43 Great Grandchildren, 2 Great Great Grandchildren
Many nieces and nephews
Relatives and friends are invited to a Celebration of Marlene’s Life, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at 11 AM, in Christ’s United Lutheran Church, 437 Airport Road, Ashland, PA. Officiating will be Rev. Dana Heckman Beil, pastor of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Ashland. A viewing in the church will begin at 9 AM until the funeral service. Interment will follow in the Citizen’s Cemetery, Lavelle. The family request memorials be made to the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge, 110 W. Laurel Ave., Cheltenham, PA., 19012. Visit www.Fritzfuneralhome.com. The Richard W. Fritz Funeral Home, Ashland, is in charge of funeral arrangements.
The perspective was routinely imparted on those he met or mentored, many of whom over the weekend expressed appreciation for the warmth of his demeanor.
“(Mr. Brill) was like a second dad,” said Mike Yacobacci, 41, of Philadelphia, who as a youth was one of countless boys to crowd into the basement rec room at Mr. Brill’s former Mahantongo Street home. “He was an intellectual, an historian. Different dads had different ways of parenting and Mr. Brill provided a perspective that no one else could.”
Uncle Morris
Morris Samuel Brill was born on June 18, 1942, to the late Samuel and Frances (Reiner) Brill and was raised for the majority of his youth in foster facilities or with foster parents, ultimately coming under the stable and loving care of the late Freda Weinberg.
In his twenties, Mr. Brill joined the U.S. Army Reserve. Drawing yet another parallel between disparate realities, he often joked about the irony of becoming trained for combat only to serve as a “macho typist.”
At the same time, he was becoming Uncle Morris, the hip motorcycle and sportscar driving, autoharp playing, folk singing young man with a one-of-a-kind worldview. He served primarily as mentor – but also knew where to find the parties and concerts and get his nieces and nephews in.
“No one was as cool as Uncle Morris,” said Linda Goins Sciascia, a daughter of Mr. Brill’s sister, the late Rosalyn. “He was there for us. He was a young uncle. He would come around and give us motorcycle rides. He did magic tricks. He’d bring chocolate covered aunts and bumblebees. He’d play songs for us on the autoharp and sing all his old folk songs. He was our hero.”
“He was ours,” she told one of Mr. Brill’s sons on Monday, “and then he became yours.”
Husband, manager, volunteer, historian
In 1969, Mr. Brill married the former Dorothy “Dottie” Bazylak. He recalled swooning for her one day when she entered a party and carelessly flung her jacket onto a pricey statue. Dottie’s easygoing show of irreverence gave his heart a rush.
They moved together from Philadelphia to the suburbs and then ultimately Schuylkill County when Mr. Brill, a graduate of the then Philadelphia School of Textiles and Sciences, secured a job as a manager at the Pomeroy’s department store in downtown Pottsville. Simultaneously, he served as board member and then President for the United Way of Pottsville.
Mr. Brill, who often recounted the phrase that journalists write the first draft of history, owned an extensive collection of historic newspapers. The collection focused on political history, aerospace, famous and infamous people, and Americana. A niche of the collection was devoted to World War II, the holocaust, and Jewish history. Among the most recognizable papers in the collection were on the death of Abraham Lincoln, and one of the few prints of the famed “Dewey Defeats Truman” error.
Mr. Brill proudly served on Pottsville’s Democratic Committee but was able to argue kindly and reasonably with those of almost any political stripe, including some family members. He twice ran for a Pottsville Area School Board seat. To be elected often requires at least a small bit of ruthlessness but Mr. Brill didn’t have it in him. While he was never elected, he offered voters the choice of harmony and compassion.
Later in life, Mr. Brill, a member of Oheb Zedeck Synagogue in Pottsville, turned to his religion. He took online lessons with an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi in New York and also taught the Torah to Schuylkill County prisoners.
Dad
Nothing pleased Mr. Brill as much, however, as his twin sons: Brian, a software engineer who works on Orion spacecrafts for the NASA space program, and Douglas, a writer and baseball coach who inherited his dad’s love for journalism and free thinking.
Ms. Sciascia recalled the simple joy that Mr. Brill felt just from looking at his sons.
“He loved being a father. He loved you boys,” Ms. Sciascia said to Douglas on Monday. “He would sit at a different table than all of us just so he could watch you two all night. I’d say do you want to come sit with us? And he said no, I can see my boys from here.”
***
In addition to his parents, Morris was preceded in death by a sister, Rosalyn Posiadlo.
Morris is survived by his wife, Dorothy "Dottie" (Bazylak); his twin sons Brian, husband of Sarah Brandt, of Morrison, CO; Douglas Brill, of Wilson, Pa; grandson, Parker, age 10 and all to whom he served as Uncle Morris, including his nieces Cheryl Goins Martin and Ms. Sciascia, his nephews Mike Goins and Ron Goins, and all of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
A service to honor Morris' life will be held on Thursday, June 20th, at 11:00 a.m. at Lord-Bixler Funeral Home, Inc., 1818 Mahantongo St., Pottsville, with Rabbi Michelson officiating. A visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m. until time of service in the funeral home.
Interment will be held at a later date in Oheb Zedeck Cemetery, Pottsville.
In lieu of flowers the family request contributions in Morris' memory be sent to: Hillside SPCA, 51 SPCA Road, Pottsville, PA 17901.
Lord-Bixler Funeral Home, Inc is in charge of arrangements.
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Survivors
Daughters: Sandra wife of William Miller, Ashland, Gail Zerby and her companion, Richard Stoker, Germanville, Shelia wife of Robert Dengler, Taylorsville, Lisa wife of Charles Johnson, Lavelle
Sons: Ralph Lucas, Ashland, Michael Lucas and his wife Eva, Mowry, Randy Lucas and his wife Angi, Lavelle
Sisters: June wife of Ivan Sweinhart, Barry Township, and Dorothy Ann Conniff, Ashland
Brother: Richard Deeter, Barry Township
21 Grandchildren, 43 Great Grandchildren, 2 Great Great Grandchildren
Many nieces and nephews
Relatives and friends are invited to a Celebration of Marlene’s Life, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at 11 AM, in Christ’s United Lutheran Church, 437 Airport Road, Ashland, PA. Officiating will be Rev. Dana Heckman Beil, pastor of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Ashland. A viewing in the church will begin at 9 AM until the funeral service. Interment will follow in the Citizen’s Cemetery, Lavelle. The family request memorials be made to the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge, 110 W. Laurel Ave., Cheltenham, PA., 19012. Visit www.Fritzfuneralhome.com. The Richard W. Fritz Funeral Home, Ashland, is in charge of funeral arrangements.
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These obituaries are being brought to by Anthony Urban Law Offices. P.C.