Colleen Alexander, 89, formerly of Wyndmoor, a leader of the Democratic Party in Montgomery County for many years, died Jan 9 of congestive heart failure at Cathedral Village in Andorra.

Mrs. Alexander served two terms as chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee from 1975 to 1982 and then again from 1989 to 1994. She also served for two terms as vice-chairperson and as secretary of the committee.

She was the Democratic Jury Commissioner of Montgomery County from 1994 to 2005.

A lifelong advocate for women’s involvement in politics, Mrs. Alexander told the Chestnut Hill Local in 1968 that she would like to see women engaged in “all aspects of politics.”

“We’re naturals,” she said. “ From our homes we have more contact with the community than men. Usually, we have more knowledge of what is taking place in our immediate area. I think we ought to put this to work.”

At the time of her interview with the Local, Mrs. Alexander was co-chairperson of the MCDC’s registration committee and went door-to-door signing up voters – both Democratic and Republican – and focusing on younger men and women and black voters

“People who are not participating,” she told the Local, “are dealing themselves out of our society. I suppose that’s why I’m involved in this registration effort. I want people to deal themselves in.”

She also served as a state committeewoman from the 17th Senatorial District, and president of the Democratic Women of Legislative District 154, which then included Cheltenham, Jenkintown and Springfield Township. She received many citations from the  state and the Democratic Party.

Born in Philadelphia, Mrs. Alexander was a graduate of Overbrook High School and attended the University of Wisconsin for three years.

From 1964 to 1990 she was president of Approved Products, a family-owned cosmetic and health care products business in Oaks.

She was a former board member of the Philadelphia Civic Ballet and the Girls Clubs of America, and was active in Women for Greater Philadelphia for 40 years. She was honored in 2006 by the Fairmount Park Commission for three decades of devoted service to Laurel Hill Mansion.

She is survived by daughters Miriam Karacek, Barbara Alexander and Elizabeth Brown; a son, David Alexander; s brother, Wayne Speilman; and five grandchildren.

A celebration of Mrs. Alexander’s life will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan 31, at Cathedral Village, 600 E. Cathedral Road, in the Andorra section of Philadelphia. Memorial donations may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave. Montgomery, AL 36104, or to Women for Greater Philadelphia, 510 Walnut Street, 16th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106. – WF

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Elizabeth Gubb “Ibitz” Dolan, 91, formerly of Chestnut Hill, a longtime volunteer with art-related projects in the Philadelphia area, died Jan. 25 at The Hill at Whitemarsh.

Mrs. Dolan was a co-founder in 1991 of the USArtists American Fine Art Show & Sale sponsored by the by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA), an event she headed for 18 years. She was instrumental in planning and organizing the exposition, which brought together galleries from around the country.

She also had been chair of the Women’s Board at PAFA, served on its board of trustees and led four painting trips for the academy in the United States and Europe. She also was a board member at the Woodmrere Art Museum in Chestnut Hill, where she had taken painting classes for many years.

A painter herself, Mrs. Dolan’s work was exhibited at Pocono Lake Preserve and Cathedral Village in Andorra, among others.

Mrs. Dolan also was a board member of the Academy of Natural Sciences and chair of its Women’s Advisory Committee. She initiated three wildfowl fund-raising expositions for the academy during the 1980s. She helped to establish the Philadelphia unit of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, which provides recorded textbooks and literature to those with visual, learning, or physical disabilities.

Bornt in Batavia, N.Y., she moved to Philadelphia as a child. She attended The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr and Wells College in Aurora, N.Y.

She was a member of the Junior League of Philadelphia, and both a member and an officer of the Acorn Club of Philadelphia. She was involved for many years with the annual Philadelphia Flower Show, where she exhibited as part of the Huntingdon Valley Garden Club. In 1984, she was on the Flower Show’s Preview Dinner Committee.

She was an active member of the congregation at St. Thomas’ Church, Whitemarsh, in Fort Washington, where in 2003 she was instrumental in creating Needlepoint Kneelers for St. Thomas.

She was a member of Pocono Lake Preserve for more than 50 years, and was the first woman to serve on its board. In 1976, she won the Poconut Award, the PLP community’s highest honor in. In 1991, she and her husband, Thomas Dolan IV, built a cabin at the West Boulder Reserve near Livingston, Mont., where they spent 20 years fishing, hiking, painting, and birdwatching.

In addition to her husband of 39 years, Mrs. Dolan is survived by daughters Sherryn E. Stauffer, of Richmond, Va.; Christine K. Scarlett, of New Vernon, N.J., Lydia K. Clay, of New Canaan, Conn., Way Kenworthy Peck, of Sandy Hook, Va., and Bonnie Kenworthy Poole, of Clearwater Beach, Fla.; a son, Samuel P. Kenworthy, of Southern Pines, N.C.;. a stepdaughter, Margo Dolan, of Philadelphia; stepsons Thomas Dolan V, of Oakland, Calif., and Brooke Dolan, of Glenmoore; 17 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at St. Thomas’ Church, Whitemarsh. Memorial donations may be made to the Outreach Endowment at St. Thomas’ Church, P.O. Box 247, Fort Washington, PA, 19034. – WF

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Albert J. Bonitatibus, May 16, 1949 – February 20, 2012 It has been 4 years, we miss you still and always will, our love has never ceased. God may have you in his keeping but you will be always in our hearts. Our love always Mom & Family.

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Randall L. Dalton, 67, of Mt. Airy, an artist and advocate for artists, died Feb. 5 from complications of a stroke at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

In addition to being a prominent local artist, Mr. Dalton was a strong advocate for the regional art community. Known as the “Blue Man” by many involved in the arts in Philadelphia, he spent a large part of his professional career creating a campaign around the color blue, which he hoped would unify support for artists in the city that he felt were not adequately appreciated.

Mr. Dalton’s best-known project was the “Blue Grotto,” an installation at Philadelphia’s Community Education Center on Lancaster Ave. that features hundreds of blue lamps and blue lights that illuminate the nonprofit center’s basement in tones of azure and sapphire. Mr. Dalton was an artist-in-residence at the center.

In addition to his blue campaign, Mr. Dalton helped many local artists to create and install their work around the city. He helped New York artist Red Grooms to install his popular “Philadelphia Cornucopia,” which today is owned by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He also had constructed exhibits for the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Born in Milwaukee, he was a graduate of Kalamazoo College.

Mr. Dalton is survived by a sister, Kathy Dalton, and a brother Richard Dalton.

A memorial service will be held in the spring at the Community Education Center. Memorial donations may be sent to the center at 3500 Lancaster Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19104. – WF

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Elizabeth H. “Jane” Kilduff, (Nee Hoffman)(February 10, 2016) Wife of James A. Loving mother to Julia C. and James M. “Mac” Kilduff. She will also be missed by her sister Cynthia “Cindy” H. (John) Affleck, and nieces Alice Affleck Bullitt and Jane Hoffman Affleck. Jane was an active member of the Wissahickon Garden Club after joining in 1984. She won over 23 entrant awards from the Philadelphia Flower Show from the mid-eighties to the present for her work in arrangement, jewelry, and pressed plants. She served as class chair for Botanical Arts and organized the judges for Floral Design. A nationally known teacher and designer of Botanical Arts, Jane gave workshops, exhibited, and judged all over the country including Hawaii, Memphis, Houston, Newport, Palm Beach, and Philadelphia. Her activity in the Garden Club of America gave her awards from 2003-2012 including Best in Show for Botanical Arts and the 2004 Barbara Spaulding Cramer award for Floral Design Education. Jane started a business selling hand crafted découpage and moved into making jewelry, especially earrings, from semiprecious stones and metal, all made by her to her own design. Jane spent many summers in her house near Charleston, SC. Relatives and friends are invited to Jane’s Memorial Service, Saturday February 27th 11am St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church Chestnut Hill. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in the name of Jane Kilduff may be made to the Garden Club of America, 14 East 60th Street, New York, NY 10022.

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Jean Sterrett Mayson, formerly of Wyndmoor, passed away peacefully with her daughter by her side on February 7, 2016. Loving wife to the late David S. Mayson; beloved mother to Dorothy (Jonathan Somers) and to the late Margie Jean (H. Wesley Perkins) & Sterrett (Veronica Gabriel); cherished grandmother to Jed, Rebecca & Benjamin Somers, Jessica (Diego Suquillo) & Kiah Perkins, Sandy (Maron Deering) & Sarah Jo Mayson. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, April 9, 2016 at The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Jean’s name to Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network, 7047 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19119, www.philashelter.org. For more funeral info please call Kelley & Spalding Funeral Home at 847-831-4260 or www.kelleyspaldingfuneralhome.com.

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Nancy C. Todd, age 77 on February 20, 2016. Devoted wife of Donald S. Todd. Loving mother of Carolyn E. Todd (Cheryl A. McCarthy) and Jennifer Given (Craig). Also survived by four grandchildren. A memorial service was held February 24, 2016, at the Old Pine Presbyterian Church, 412 Pine Street, Phila., PA 19106. Interment Private. In lieu of flowers, family request donations in Nancy’s memory be made to Women International Leaders of Greater Phila., attn Bobbi Cohen, 1901 JFK BLVD, # 1208 Phila., PA 19103.

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John Davenport “Jordie” Maine Jr., 54 of Wyndmoor, a former executive president at Janney Montgomery Scott, died Feb. 23 of acute myeloid leukemia at Memorial Sloian-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Mr. Maine joined the Janney firm, a stock brokerage-investment bank in April 2008 in Philadelphia as senior vice president and director of equity capital markets. Within six months he became executive vice president and head of capital markets, responsible for selling and financing client companies and taking them public.

He left the firm in 2015, and while in semiretirement was diagnosed with leukemia.

Before he joined Janney, Mr. Maine worked for 13 years at Citigroup, where he was managing director and head of regional equity sales. Earlier he had worked as a sales executive at several other Wall Street banks.

Mr. Maine’s family said his “honesty, work ethic and unwavering loyalty to his people, coupled with his genuine energy and enchanting presence, led him to be one of the most respected and well-liked people in the industry.”

He was a graduate of Chestnut Hill Academy, where he was a letter winner on five varsity teams and was a key player on the school’s undefeated football team in 1977. For his achievement on the field, court and mat, he was inducted in 2006 into the academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He received a bachelor’s degree in 1983 from Princeton University, where he played rugby and was named MVP of the football team.

Returning to Philadelphia from New York in 1988, he became active in the community, serving on the boards of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Partnership School, Chestnut Hill Academy and Chestnut Hill Hospital. He also served for two terms as president of the Beach Club of Cape May, N.J.

An avid fisherman, he would spend any free time on his boat in Cape May.

Mr. Maine is survived by his wife of 29 years, the former Debbie Emery; daughters Emery Maine Greenwood and Libbie Maine; a son, Jack Maine; and his parents, John Maine Sr. and Deborah Cutler; and a sister.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 3, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 22 E Chestnut Hill Ave, in Chestnut Hill. Memorial donations may be made to Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 500 W. Willow Grove Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19118. – WF

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Sean C. Burke, 48, of Wyndmoor, a partner in Burke Brothers Landscape Design/Build, died Jan. 25 from complications of heart disease at Abington Memorial Hospital.

In addition to his partnership at the Wyndmoor firm, Mr. Burke ran Nightfall Landscape Lighting and was a partner at the Pennsylvania Turf Company.

He and his company have been major exhibitors at the Philadelphia Flower Show for nearly 20 years and have twice won Best in Show. Over the years, Burke Brothers has also won almost every award that the show presents.

Mr. Burke grew up in Glenside and was the youngest of five children. He began Burke Brothers with his brother Kevin shortly after graduating from Cheltenham High School in 1986. His love for horticulture propelled the business from its beginnings in general maintenance to the design and installation of some of the most creative projects in the Philadelphia area.

“Sean was great at working on things with his hands,” said his brother Kevin. He was a natural mechanic at heart,”

Mr. Burke’s hobbies included restoring muscle cars and building hot rods. He also enjoyed his vacation home in Delray, Fla., and the group of friends there that he referred to as his “Delray Family.”

In addition to his brother Kevin, Mr. Burke is survived by sisters, Dawn Burke Sena and April Burke; and his parents, Robert and Sandra Burke. A brother Robert died in 1983.

A funeral Mass was held Jan. 30 at St. Luke’s Church in Glenside. Memorial donations in memory of Sean Burke may be made to Sara’s Smiles Foundation at 1349 Lindsay Lane, Meadowbrook, PA 19046. – WF

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Nancy McGurk Steel, 96, formerly of Chestnut Hill, the manager for four decades of a chain of popular fudge shops along the New Jersey coast, died Feb. 17 at Arden Court, a nursing home in Yardley. She had been living in Ventnor, N.J., since 2000.

Mrs. Steel married into the family that owned Steels Fudge, which at one time operated nine stores in seaside resorts in southern New Jersey. Today the firm has shops only in Atlantic City, where it was founded in 1919, and Ocean City.

A longtime resident of Chestnut Hill, Mrs. Steel was a member of the golf league at the Philadelphia Cricket Club and was an avid figure skater at the Wissahickon Skating Club, where she took lessons four times a week and participated in all club activities.

Mrs. Steel’s daughter Kathy Steel said her mother was physically active all her life and skied until she was 89.

“She was quite a little powerhouse,” her daughter said.

Born in Ventnor, she was a graduate of Atlantic City High School, Syracuse University and the Katherine Gibbs School. She worked for a time as an arts and entertainment editor at the Atlantic City Press before assuming management of the Steel Fudge chain.

In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Steel is survived by sons Michael and Patrick; her former husband, Howard Steel; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Feb. 22 at St. James Church in Ventnor, with interment at Atlantic City Cemetery in Pleasantville. Memorial donations may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice. – WF

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Richard Drueding

Richard Drueding, 66, of Mt. Airy, a widely-known guitarist, composer and teacher who performed extensively throughout the Delaware Valley, died March 1 of a heart attack at the Bucks County Folk Music Shop in New Britain after giving guitar lessons to students.

Mr. Drueding’s original compositions and arrangements of popular songs drew from many traditional and modern forms of music. His performances combined blues, folk, Latin American, rock and roll and jazz – all blended with a singular voice.

In addition to solo performances, Mr. Drueding performed with folk singer/songwriter Tom Paxton, guitarist/singer Vicente Castaneda, jazz and blues vocalist Zan Gardner, spoken word artist Sandy Crimmins, Mt. Airy singer/songwriter Tom Gala, and, more recently, with Germantown-based percussionist Jim Hamilton and saxophonist Tom Moon.

Describing Mr. Drueding as “just a gorgeous artist,” Paxton said, “I will always remember his music and his unique guitar work.”

He was also known locally to many for his work over the years with harpist Gloria Galante, the Wanamaker Lewis Trio and drummer Stephen Ferraro. He recently recorded tracks on his son Emmett’s much acclaimed album, “Strange Bruise.”

He was a frequent performer at the Mermaid Inn and Rollers’ Flying Fish in Chestnut Hill. In 1989 he received the Philadelphia Music Award for his album “The Last Wound-Up.”

Born in Abington, Mr. Drueding was a graduate of St. Joseph’s Preparatory School. The son of Charles Drueding, a rower who won a bronze medal in the 1932 Olympics, he was captain of the Prep’s varsity eight rowing team.

A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, Mr. Drueding worked in a hospital in Boston during the late 1960s. After a year of intense guitar playing when he was 24, Mr. Drueding emerged on the San Francisco scene as a fully-formed professional musician. Two years later he returned to Philadelphia where he performed and taught music for the rest of his life. He taught guitar for 20 years at the Mt. Airy Learning Tree.

During his lifetime, Mr Drueding released eight albums and performed many times on the main stage at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. He credited John Fahey, Leo Kottke and Bola Sete as major influences on his musical style.

Jim Hamilton, who had recorded one album with Mr. Drueding and was in the process of making another, described Mr. Drueding as a “great listener” and “great supporter.”

“When you played with him, he supported the person behind the musician,” Hamilton said. “Because you felt that support and encouragement, you could do things you didn’t know you could.”

Robert Sanders, a violinist who played often with Mr. Drueding, said Mr. Drueding had a great respect for the musicians he played with and “knew how to make everyone sound better, bringing everyone up a notch.”

“In his playing, he was always reaching for something out of reach, and would take great risks with his music,” Sanders said.

Edd Conboy, a friend of Mr. Drueding since both were classmates at St. Joseph’s Prep, said Mr. Drueding was “the kindest, gentlest, most compassionate person I’ve ever known.”

When he roomed with Mr. Drueding in San Francisco in 1974, Conboy said he became aware of his friend’s amazing discipline, practicing six days a week for six hours a day.

“He would be playing scales when I left for work, and would still be playing when I returned,” Conboy said.

Mr. Drueding served on the board of the Drueding Foundation, a family entity that operates the Drueding Center, which provides transitional housing and services to homeless families.

He is survived by his wife of 39 years, artist Marcia Jones; a son, Emmett; a sister, Alice; and brothers Charles and David.

A memorial celebration will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, March 13, at the Mermaid Inn, 7673 Germantown Ave. in Mt. Airy. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to the Broad Street Ministry Hospitality Collaborative at www.broadstreetministry.org/donate. – WF

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Elizabeth “Betsy” Girling Bullitt, 69, of Blue Bell, PA passed away on February 18, 2016. Betsy passed away surrounded by family and close friends after a seven month battle with lung cancer. Betsy was born in Ellenburg Depot, NY in 1946. She was adopted and raised by her parents, Wallace S. Girling and Martha F. Girling in East Williston, Long Island, NY along with her brother, Randall. She graduated from Garrison Forest School in Owings Mills, MD (Class of ‘64) and from Hollins College in Roanoke, VA (Class of ‘68). She enjoyed a long career as a Realtor in and around Philadelphia, most recently at Long and Foster in Blue Bell. She was a long-time member of the Philadelphia Cricket Club and the Mantoloking Yacht Club, past president of the Highgate Condominium Association in Blue Bell, and an avid Mahjong and tennis player. Betsy was the beloved wife of the late Logan M. Bullitt IV and was also preceded in death by her father, Wallace S. Girling, her mother, Martha F. Girling, her brother, Randall Girling and her in-laws, Logan M. Bullitt III and Mary H. Bullitt. Betsy is survived by her loving sons, Andrew S. Bullitt of Blue Bell, PA and Logan M. Bullitt V of Manchester, NH, along with her granddaughter Katherine E. Bullitt of Manchester, NH and her granddog, Shelby. Relatives and friends are invited to a memorial service for Betsy on Friday, April 22nd at 3:00 pm at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 8000 St. Martin’s Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Foundation at P.O. Box 871847, Kansas City, MO 64187 or online at www.pkdcure.org/donate. Betsy’s family wishes to specially thank Merritt “Merf” Andruss, a best friend and guardian angel who was a constant source of support, both medically and emotionally each and every day of Betsy’s illness.

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Gordon Ross Neufeld, 78, formerly of Chestnut Hill and Flourtown, who was chief of anesthesiology at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center, died Feb. 21 of a stroke at St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, in Santa Fe, N.M.

Dr. Neufeld also had been an associate professor of anesthesiology and bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School.

Leaving Philadelphia in 1997, Dr. Neufeld and his late wife, Lynne, relocated in Shiprock, N.M., where he worked with the Indian Health Service as chair of the department of anesthesia at the Northern Navajo Medical Center.

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he received his medical degree from the University of Alberta. He also earned a diploma in engineering in medicine from the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London.

He and his wife moved to Philadelphia for his residency in anesthesiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. While at the VA Medical Center, he conducted research into gas exchange in the lungs.

Dr. Neufeld was a fan of the arts, especially classical music and opera, and enjoyed ballroom dancing, sailing, travel and working with his hands.

In retirement, he volunteered at the Santa Fe Opera and started a business designing women’s fashion accessories in feathers, fibers and furs.

He is survived by a daughter, Katherine; a son, David; sisters Joyce Sikora and Florence Boyle; and two grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held in Philadelphia at a later date. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to the Santa Fe Opera at www.santafeopera.org or to Doctors Without Borders at www.doctorswithoutborders.org. – WF

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Gloria McIntyre Zucker, 73, of Mt. Airy, a teacher, social worker and counselor, died Feb. 17 at Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health after surgery for a newly discovered brain tumor.

Mrs. Zucker retired in 2010 after a three-decade career at Temple University where she was field education specialist in the School of Social Work. She taught students and helped them to find suitable field placements.

In retirement, she continued to work at Temple as an adjunct professor, teaching group therapy techniques to social workers.

Raised in Birmingham, Mich., she graduated from the local high school and earned a bachelor’s degree from Alma College in Michigan. After working with the Crossroads Africa Program in Ghana, a project of the Presbyterian Church, she went on to earn a master’s degree in divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago.

After working for the Ann Arbor, Mich., Council of Churches, she entered a graduate program in social work at the University of Michigan, receiving a master’s degree in 1971. She moved to Philadelphia that year with her husband, Steven Zucker, and became a social worker for the Northeast Community Mental Health and Retardation Center, a therapist and counselor at Lutheran Children and Family Service, a therapist for the Pastoral Counseling Center in Haddon Heights, N.J., and a full-time counselor at the Green Tree School in Germantown for two years.

Mrs. Zucker was active in the North Philadelphia community, working with Midtown Methodist Church. She did advanced study in pastoral counseling, and in 1999 enrolled at Eastern Baptist Seminary, later completing the requirements for a doctorate of divinity except for the dissertation.

An accomplished pianist, she enjoyed traveling.

In addition to her former husband, she is survived by a brother. Sons Erik Zucker and Joshua Zucker preceded her in death.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at First United Methodist Church of Germantown, 6001 Germantown Ave.– WF

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The Rev. George Patrick Lawless, OSA, 85, formerly of Chestnut Hill, a teacher and an authority on the works of St. Augustine, died March 9 of complications of Lewy body disease at St. Thomas of Villanova Monastery in Villanova.

Father Lawless had taught at the Augustinianum, the Augustinian Order’s Patristic Institute in Rome from 1980 to 2011. In 2012, because of declining health, he returned to his home province and was assigned to St. Thomas of Villanova Monastery.

He was the author of numerous books and articles, and gave many retreats, conference and workshops on St. Augustine, his Rule and his writings, stressing the saint’s relevance in Church history and in contemporary life. He was also known as an articulate and elegant speaker who could bring humor into even the most scholarly discussions and conversations.

Born in Chestnut Hill, the son of George P. Lawless and Margaret J. McGinley, he attended Our Mother of Consolation Parish School and the Augustinian Academy in Staten Island. He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from what is now Villanova University in 1952. He completed his theological studies at Augustinian College in Washington, D.C., and received a master’s degree in Latin and Greek from Catholic University before his ordination in 1956.

Father Lawless also was awarded a master’s degree in classical studies from the University of Pennsylvania, a master of theology degree in ecumenics and ethics from Princeton University, a doctorate in theology from the Angelicum in Rome, and an honorary doctorate in Augustinian studies from Merrimack College, where he had taught in the religious studies department for six years.

He is survived by sisters Margaret McNally and Denise Quigg; and brothers Edward Lawless and Joseph Lawless. A sister, Sister George Margaret, SSJ, and brothers John Lawless and Bernard Lawless, preceded him in death.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held March 14 at the Church of St. Thomas of Villanova with interment at Calvary Cemetery in Conshohocken. Memorial donations may be made to The Augustinian Fund: Care of the Sick and Elderly, c/o Provincial Offices, 214 Ashwood Rd., Villanova, PA 19085-0340. – WF

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Michael Holahan, 58, of Elkins Park, owner of the Pennsylvania General Store with shops in Chestnut Hill and the Reading Terminal Market, died March 16 of heart failure at Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health.

Mr. Holahan suffered a heart attack while walking home from a friend’s house with his wife, Julie.

Mr. Holahan also had served as president of the Reading Terminal Market’s merchants’ association from 2007 to 2012.

He had worked for another vendor at the Reading Terminal Market before opening his own store in 1987, featuring locally grown products. In 2014, he and his wife opened a second store at 8607 Germantown Ave. in Chestnut Hill.

“Coming to Chestnut Hill was an opportunity to build a business again somewhere special,” Mr. Holahan told the Chestnut Hill Local when the store opened.

He recently completed a book about indigenous Pennsylvania foods.

Born in West Philadelphia, he graduated from Robert E. Lamberton High School and attended Temple University.

Sarah Levitsky, marketing manager at the Reading Terminal Market, said Mr. Holahan would be remembered at the market for years to come.

“He was a mentor to some of the younger vendors,” she said. “Even after leaving as president, he continued to be a leader and a guiding force in this market.”

In addition to his wife, Mr. Holahan is survived by sons William and James; a daughter, Isabella; his father, Joseph; his mother, Marie Lauria; two brothers; a sister; and nine stepbrothers and stepsisters.

A viewing will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, at Gloria Dei Church, 570 Welsh Rd., Huntingdon Valley. A celebration of life will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 24, at the church. – WF

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Charles Shoemaker Hough, 89, formerly of Whitemarsh, a prominent Philadelphia architect and founder of the firm of Hayes & Hough Architects, died March 9 at Foulkeways, a retirement community in Gwynedd.

After 10 years working with Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson Architects, a firm founded by his father, William J. H. Hough, Mr. Hough founded Hayes & Hough in 1960. Over the next 35 years, the firm designed schools, libraries, medical facilities, retirement communities and many public buildings. The business dissolved in 1995.

Mr. Hough said his proudest commission was relocating the Twelfth Street 1812 Quaker Meeting House to George School in Newtown in1974. He served on the George School Committee for many years.

Raised in Ambler, he was a graduate of George School, where he was president of his class and captain of the track team. He served in the Navy in World War II and received degrees in art history and architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.

Active in his community, he served for  20 years on the Zoning Hearing Board and the Planning Commission of Whitemarsh Township, and was instrumental in the founding of the William Jeans Memorial Library. He was a member of the Plymouth Meeting Historical Society

He was a member and officer of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

He was an active member of Plymouth Monthly Meeting, having served for many years on the Property Committee and as president of the trustees.

He is survived by his wife, the former Nancy Jean Hartung; a daughter, Karen Hough Mersky; sons Charles Jr. and Paul; and four grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at Foulkeways. Memorial donations may be made to Plymouth Monthly Meeting, 2150 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19436. – WF

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by Walter Fox

Anne Constant Ewing, 78, a longtime community activist in the areas of education, health care, immigration and peace, died March 17 of pancreatic cancer at her home in Mt. Airy.

Mrs. Ewing’s entry into a wide arena of activism began in 1970, when she returned from Ethiopia with her husband, Bill, a lawyer who had been serving with the Institute for International Education. The couple, seeking to live in an integrated neighborhood, purchased a home in Mt. Airy and soon became active in the East Mt. Airy Neighbors community association.

Mrs. Ewing served several terms as president of EMAN, and her work with the organization led to service on the boards of the Mt. Airy Village Development Association (later Mt. Airy USA) and Mt. Airy Community Living.

With EMAN’s backing, she was elected to the Philadelphia board of the Regional Comprehensive Health Planning Council where she was instrumental in establishing burn centers at St. Agnes Hospital in South Philadelphia and what is now Crozer-Keystone Hospital in Chester.

A lifelong United Methodist, she joined the First United Methodist Church of Germantown (FUMCOG), serving in many areas of the church’s life, most notably as its delegate for decades to the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference. She became active in the campaign to support full LGBT equality in the church and was deeply involved in the Sanctuary Movement.

In 1994 she served on a FUMCOG team of official international observers at the first free elections in South Africa.

She participated in antiwar efforts throughout her life, taking part in the Pennsylvania Campaign for a Nuclear Weapons Freeze in 1983 and in monthly vigils outside the recruiting office at Broad and Arch streets in opposition to the Vietnam War.

When Philadelphia teachers went on strike in the 1980s, she turned her enclosed front porch into a “Porch School” and recruited volunteer teachers so that her daughters, Susannah and Rebecca, along with other neighborhood children could continue their education.

She also was an accomplished seamstress, making banners for demonstrations as well as clothing for her daughters and ties for her husband, and a talented cook.

Mrs. Ewing’s husband said his wife “brought a deep humanity as well as a formidable array of talents to every cause and interest.”

“If anything needed doing, she was the person to do it,” he said.

For her energy and dedication to a variety of causes, Mrs. Ewing received FUMCOG’s Racial and Social Justice Award, EMAN’s Edgar Baker Award, the Northwest Interfaith Movement Award for Advocacy and Service, and the Lee and Mae Ball Award of the Methodist Foundation for Social Action for “outstanding Christian social witness.”

Born in Oklahoma City, Okla., and raised in Independence, Mo., she received a bachelor’s degree from Radcliffe College and a master of arts in teaching from Harvard University. She had worked as an elementary school librarian at Haverford School, in Washington, D.C., and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In addition to her husband and daughters, Mrs. Ewing is survived by a brother, John E. Constant, and two granddaughters.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at the First United Methodist Church of Germantown, 6001 Germantown Ave. Memorial donations may be made in her memory to Reconciling Ministries Network at rmnetwork.org or to Project HOME at projecthome.org.

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Harris, Rita S. (nee Storrie), March 24, 2016. Beloved wife of the late Nelson G. Harris. Loving mother of Stephen J. (Mariellen), Patricia K. (Patrick) deBarros, David N. (Janet) , Nancy J. and Thomas G. (Pamela) Harris and the late William R. Harris; also survived by 10 grandchildren. Relatives and friends are invited to her Memorial Gathering Friday, April 1 at 11 A.M. Sunnybrook Golf Club, 398 Stenton Ave., Plymouth Meeting. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Rita’s name may be made to The Blind Relief Fund of Philadelphia, 551 Walnut Lane, Phila., PA 19128 or The Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave., Phila., PA 19118.

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Marie E. Jones passed away peacefully at her home on March 24th, 2016. She was surrounded by her devoted husband, Edward Jones, and her three loving children, Rebecca (Eric) Fiorito, Tina (Paul) Stoffel and Janine (Brendan) Cox. She will forever and always be remembered by her mother, Jane DeAngelo, and her three sisters, Judith Sciarra, Doris Hunter and Janet Taylor. She is survived by her nine grandchildren Morgan, Jenna, Regan, Paul, Eddie, Rooney, Caroline, Naomi, Daisy and 8 nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial was held March 29th at Our Mother of Consolation RC Church Chestnut Hill. Interment was Private. In lieu of flowers contributions in Marie’s name may be made to Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675. We love you a bushel and a peck and hug around your neck, today and always.

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