Obituaries by LocationRosie E. Mentzer, 88, of 15363 W. Creek Road, Shippensburg, died Friday, July 11, 1997 in Swaim Health Center, Newville.
Born Feb. 14, 1909 in Newville, she was a daughter of the late Harry and Anna Mae Oiler Lay. She was the widow of Lester A. Mentzer.
Mrs. Mentzer was a member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Newville, and the Lutheran Bells.
Surviving are two sons, Richard L. of Mt. Holly Springs and Ronald L. of Shippensburg; one brother, Charlie Lay of Newville; one sister, Dorothy Nailor of Newville; one grandson; and two stepgrandchildren.
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Hoffman-Roth Funeral Home, 219 N. Hanover St., Carlisle, with the Rev. Sterlen S. Sheaffer officiating. Burial will be in Westminster Memorial Gardens, North Middleton Township.
Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Peter's Lutheran Church, 210 Brick Church Road, Newville, Pa. 17241.
Michael Drebot, 67, of 300 Ridge Road, Newberry Twp., died Saturday, July 12, 1997 in his home.
Born Dec. 7, 1929 in Detroit, Mich., he was a son of the late John and Talahija Kashuir Drebot.
Mr. Drebot, a United States Army veteran of the Korean War, was a retired sheet metal mechanic at the former New Cumberland Army Depot.
He was a life member of New Cumberland VFW Post No. 7415, and a member of the Steelton American Legion Post No. 0420.
Surviving are his wife, Marie F. Gallagher DeHart Drebot; seven sons, Michael A. of New Cumberland, Jody of Wiconisco, John of Lykens, Todd of Ashland, William DeHart of Marysville, Paul DeHart of Mechanicsburg and Stewart DeHart of New Cumberland; three daughters, Joan Saul of New Cumberland, Mary Ellen DeHart of Harrisburg and Nancy Lee Bender of Dauphin; two brothers, Paul of Middletown and John of Tacoma, Wash.; a sister, Sophia Mehalko of Colonial Park; 17 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Parthemore Funeral Home Inc., 1303 Bridge St., New Cumberland, with the Rev. Luis R. Rodriguez officiating. Burial will be in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Hanover Township.
Friends may call from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Lebanon VA Medical Center, 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon, 17042.
Services for Richard West Hunsecker, 74, of 27 Firehouse Road, Walnut Bottom, will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Messiah United Methodist Church, South Penn Street, Shippensburg.
He died Thursday, July 10, 1997 in Carlisle Hospital.
Mr. Hunsecker, a retired salesman, was a member of the Messiah United Methodist Church, Shippensburg; the Fort Morris AARP; and the American Legion.
Surviving are his wife, Helen Hunsecker, a son, Dennis of Glen Mills; a daughter, Donna Groh of Irvin, Calif.; and five grandchildren.
The Rev. Fitzgerald Reist will officiate Tuesday's service.
Arrangements are being handled by The Cremation Society of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg.
Memorial contributions may be made to his church.
Daniel J. "Shorty" Landis, 77, of Carlisle, died Friday, July 11, 1997 in Carlisle Hospital.
Born March 20, 1920, in Newville, he was a son of the late Harvey and Carrie Hefflefinger Landis.
Mr. Landis retired in 1972 from the former Arnold Motors in Carlisle, where he was a body shop mechanic.
He was a member of the Evangelical Christian Church, Carlisle, and the Golden Heirs Sunday School Class; the North Middleton Senior Citzens, the AARP and the Carlisle Fish and Game.
Surviving are his wife of 53 years, Ruth Shaffer Landis; a son, Donald of Carlisle; two grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
He was preceded in death by a brother.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the Chapel of the Ronan Funeral Home, 255 York Road, South Middleton Twp., with the Rev. Daniel R. Mikesell officiating. Burial will be in Cumberland Valley Memorial Gardens, West Pennsboro Township.
Viewing will be at the funeral home on Monday from 7 to 9 p.m.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to his church, 434 B St., Carlisle 17013, or to a favorite charity.
Services for retired Major Gen. Chester L. Johnson, 82, of San Antonio, Texas, and formerly of Carlisle, will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.
He died Thursday, July 10, 1997, in San Antonio.
Born in 1915 in Halsey, Ore., he was a son of the late Dr. Tracy and Rose Lunau Johnson.
During the Great Depression the future Gen. Johnson hitchhiked from Oregon to Washington, D.C., to convince a congressman to appoint him to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
He graduated from there as a second lieutenant in 1937 and eventually ended up in the Philippines at the beginning of World War II. He became a Japanese prisoner of war and was one of the last survivors of the Bataan Death March.
In December 1944 the Japanese evacuated POWs in three ships, two of which were bombed and sunk by U.S. planes. He was on the ship that was not sunk.
Three and a half years after he was taken prisoner, he was liberated by U.S. 7th Infantry Division in Inchon, Korea. Twenty years after that, Gen. Johnson commanded the U.S. 7th Infantry Division in Korea.
Gen. Johnson earned a master's in political science at Harvard University in June 1947.
One of his postings during the 1950s was at Carlisle Barracks, where he was first a student at the Army War College and then a member of the faculty.
Among his other career highlights was serving as commanding general of United States Army Forces South, headquartered in Panama, and as deputy commander of the 4th Army in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where he arranged and carried out the funerals of former presidents Harry S Truman and Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Following Gen. Johnson's retirement in 1973, he planned and erected the Cabanatuan POW Memorial at the original POW camp, honoring the Filipino and American comrades who had fought and perished during World War II.
He was an assistant professor, Department of Social Services at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.
His military decorations include a Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Silver Star, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster, Order Mil. Merity (Mexico), Order Service Merit (Republic of Korea), Order Merioto Militar (Brazil).
Surviving are his wife of 33 years, Mary Elizabeth Johnson; a son, Army Reserve Major Peter Lee Chittenden Johnson of Pearland, Texas; a daughter, Anita Gowen of Austin, Texas; a stepson, Eugene Joseph von Wellsheim of Grand Junction, Colo; three granddaughters and a great-grandson.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Katharine Downs Johnson; a son, Tracy Keeler Truman Johnson; a sister and two brothers.
Burial will be in Post Cemetery, West Point, N.Y.
Sunset Funeral Home, San Antonio, Texas, is handling arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, National Commander James Flaitz, 1989 Sullivan Drive, Gotham Ala. 36303
John A. Neff, 57, of 117 Walton St., Lemoyne, died Sunday, July 13, 1997 at home.
Born March 17, 1940 in West Fairview, he was a son of the late Edward and Helen (Newcomer) Neff.
Mr. Neff was a gradaute of the former West Shore High School and attended Bishop McDevitt High School and was a Navy veteran. He retired from Brakeman/Conrail, and was the previous owner operator of H. W. Miller Company and J&S Maintenance, both of New Cumberland.
He was a member of St. Theresa Catholic Church, New Cumberland, United Transportation Unit 1722, and the American Legion.
Surviving are his wife, Grace B. Neff; three sons, John E. of New Cumberland, Michael R. of Mechanicsburg and Gregory S. of Dover; a daughter, Christina D. Sheaffer of Lemoyne; a brother, David of New Cumberland; two sisters, Helen Seiders of Urbana, Ill. and Bernadine Templeton of Camp Hill; and two grandchildren.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at his church with the Rev. Lawrence Coakley officiating. Burial will be in Tri-County Memorial Gardens, Fairview Township.
Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and from 9:30 to 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Parthemore Funeral Home, 1303 Bridge St., New Cumberland.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Central Pennsylvania, P.O. Box 266, Enola, 17025 or to American Cancer Society, Cumberland Unit 205, 117 N. Hanover St., Carlisle, 17013.
Homer S. Richcreek Sr., 78, of 12 E. York St., Dillsburg, died Sunday, July 13, 1997, in his home.
Born June 25, 1919, in York County, he was a son of the late Jacob E. Richer and Ellen Mary Troup. He was the widower of May Elizabeth Bankes Richcreek.
Mr. Richcreek was a retired assembler from York International.
He attended Christ Mission Church of East Berlin and was a member of Franklintown Fire Company, York County Fire Police Association, Pennsylvania Association of Fire Police and United Auto Workers No. 1872.
Surviving are his companion, Sarah Moose; two sons, Leroy of York Haven and Jacob of Enola; one daughter, Mary Backenstoss of New Cumberland; one brother, Robert of Lewisberry; four sisters, Roberta Gettys of Virginia, Dorothy Ward and Sis Darbarrow, both of Mechanicsburg, and Daisy Knob of Carlisle; 14 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Cocklin Funeral Home, 30 N. Chestnut St., Dillsburg, with the Rev. Clarence Dupert, his pastor, officiating. Burial will be in Emanuel Cemetery, Fairview Township, Lewisberry.
Friends may call from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Memorial services for Mervin M. Hoffman, 66, of 54 Main St., Mechanicsburg, will be held at the convenience of the family.
He died Sunday, July 13, 1997 at Community General Osteopathic Hospital, Harrisburg.
Mr. Hoffman was a retired clerk for IBM Corp. of Hampton Township and a U.S. Navy veteran.
He was a member of the Elks, Moose and White Circle lodges of Carlisle, the VFW of New Cumberland, American Legion Post No. 109, Mechanicsburg and the Mechanicsburg Club.
He was the widower of Shirl Johnson.
Surviving are his mother, Mildred V. Hoffman of Dillsburg; a daughter, Christine of Colorado Springs, Colo.; a sister, Ruth H. Stevenson of Dillsburg; a brother, Victor M. Jr. of Mechanicsburg; one uncle, John O. of Dillsburg; a granddaughter; and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society, Cumberland County Unit, 1500 N. Second St., Harrisburg, 17102.
The Cremation Society of Harrisburg, 4100 Jonestown Road, is handling the arrangements.
