Skook News Obituaries: April 13th, 2025
Obituaries published from the Schuylkill County area.
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Born in Port Carbon, PA on July 2, 1926, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Mary (Navitsky) Zigmund.
Lillian was a graduate of St. Stephen High School, Class of 1944. She worked first as a switch board operator for the Bell Telephone and then worked for the Pottsville Republican Newspaper and last operated and owned a candy store called the Port Carbon News. Lillian was a member of the former St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church in Port Carbon.
Lillian was the last member of her immediate family, being preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, James T. McBreen, Jr., a grandson James Hubiak, and eight siblings.
Lillian is survived by her children: Rosemarie Hubiak and her husband Charles, Margaret "Peg" Lubinsky and her husband Leo, Mary Kathleen Billig, and James P. McBreen; her grandchildren: Charles Hubiak, Jr., Nicole Lubinsky, Krista Marie Billig, Sarah McBreen, and Mary McBreen; her great grandchildren: Andrew Hubiak and Alicia Hubiak; and nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the St. Stephen's Chapel, Port Carbon at 11AM on Wednesday, April 16th, with Rev. Ronald Minner officiating.
Relatives and Friends are invited to a viewing on Wednesday morning from 9-10:30AM at Robert A. Evans Jr. Funeral Home, Port Carbon.
Interment will be held in the St. Stephen Cemetery, Port Carbon.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Society of St. Stephen.
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Thomas E. Ackerman, 85, of Tamaqua, died on Friday, April 11, 2025, at home after a brief illness. He was the husband of Marianne (Slapcinsky) Ackerman with whom he celebrated 60 years of marriage this past June.
Born in Summit Hill, Tom was a son of the late William Walter, Jr., and Mary Catherine (Martienssen) Ackerman. A 1957 graduate of Jim Thorpe High School and a 1961 graduate of Millersville State College, he also earned a Master of Education degree, with which Tom taught Social Studies and Economics at the Tamaqua Area High School. His students knew him for his famous pre-test directive, “Keep your eyes on your own papers. Keep your answers covered. Trust thy neighbor, do not tempt him.” He was also the Athletic Director and long-time assistant Track and Field coach. He retired from teaching in 2000 after a 39-year career. A sports lover and fan of Penn State, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the New York Yankees, Tom was an avid reader and also enjoyed making chocolate, baking bread, cultivating tomatoes in his garden, and golfing. He was a member of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tamaqua and a life member of the Tamaqua Elks Lodge #592.
He is survived by his wife, Marianne; a son, Thomas Ackerman and his wife Theresa of West Penn Township; three daughters, Jane Ackerman of Tamaqua, Julie Keef and her husband James of Collegeville, PA, and Jill Vandevere and her husband Matthew of Havertown, PA; eight grandchildren, Cole and Anastasia Ackerman, Gus and Izzy DiCarlo, Courtney and Claire Keef, and Allie and Sarah Vandevere; one brother, Kenneth of Virginia; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his parents; two brothers, William and Jake Ackerman; and one sister, Sandra McHale.
Private services will be held at the convenience of the family. Memorial donations in Tom’s name may be made to the Tamaqua Public Library at 30 S. Railroad Street, Tamaqua, PA 18252, or the Tamaqua Raider Foundation at 109 West Broad Street, Tamaqua, PA 18252.
Arrangements are being handled by the Zizelmann-Gulla Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc., Tamaqua.
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These obituaries are being brought to by Mark J. Hummel Funeral Home, Frackville