District Justice LeRoy Oelschlager Dies at 85

Oelschlager, of Green Lane, was the first District Justice in Upper Perkiomen.

  Former District Justice LeRoy Slemmer Oelschlager, 85, of Green Lane, died of heart failure at Pottstown Memorial Hospital on April 21, according to his obituary on Legacy.com. Oelschlager was elected as a justice of the peace, hearing civil cases in Red Hill, in 1962, and ran for District Justice in the area when the justice of the peace system was terminated. He was elected to three six-year terms as a Republican, according to Philly.com. Upon his retirement in 1988, after 18 years on the bench, Oelschlager received a citation from the PA House of Representatives for "Five Decades of Dedicated and Distinguished Service to the Upper Perkiomen Valley.” Oelschlager was also very involved in the Upper Perkiomen Lions Club, and he was a …

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Joan Alexander, 59: Spring-Ford Alumnae, District Justice Clerk

Alexander, born in Pottstown, leaves family in Collegeville, Royersford, Audubon and Mont Clare.

Joan M. Alexander, age 59, of Royersford, PA died Sunday, March 24, 2013 in her home.  Born in Pottstown, she was a daughter of the late Charles A. and Josephine (Mazur) Alexander.  Joan was a graduate of the Spring-Ford High School.  She worked as a dental assistant for several years.  She also worked as a clerk for several District Justices in the area.  She enjoyed live music and attending jewelry making classes.  Joan had a great sense of humor she loved to use with all of her nieces and nephews.  She was also a animal lover. Joan is survived by four siblings: Bobbie Alexander, of Collegeville, PA; Charlene A. Feroe, of Royersford, PA; Joseph C., husband of Ann (Reifsnyder) Alexander, of Audubon, PA; Patricia Alexander, of Mont Clare, …

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Lynn M. Schmidt, 62, Geriatric Caregiver

A woman who cared for so many has passed this weekend.

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Legendary Reporter and Perk Valley Resident John Carlton Dies

Services for Carlton, who was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Heroism, will be held on Saturday in Schwenksville.

  Legendary Philadelphia traffic reporter, and Perkiomen Valley resident and business owner, John Carlton died on Thursday at the age of 85. Carlton is well known in the Philadelphia region as a performer, reporter and writer, and for his traffic reports on ARCO Go Patrol, and in the Perkiomen Valley as the owner of The Communications Farm in the Schwenksville section of Perkiomen Township with his wife, Genevive. Carlton, an U.S. Army veteran, spent his career in the Philadelphia area working on television and radio, including “Movie Time USA” and “American Bandstand,” and eventually became a program director at WGAL-FM and 12 WPHL, according to The Communications Farm website. He then spent 17 years as the helicopter-borne traffic …

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Obituary: Lewis Road Crash Victim Merinda Thompson

Thompson, 40, was killed Monday on Lewis Road after being struck by a car.

  Baldi Funeral Home released the following obituary for Merinda Thompson, who was killed Monday after being struck by a vehicle on Lewis Road in the Royersford section of Limerick Township: THOMPSON, MERINDA ROSE (nee Pietrafitta), age 40, on March 4, 2013, suddenly and tragically. Loving daughter of John Sr. and Merinda (nee DiBona); wife of Donald; loving mother of Michael and Christian; sister of John (Mary) and Joseph (Kari); granddaughter of Mary and Sid Pietrafitta and the late Rose and Romeo DiBona; dear aunt Skyla Rose and Gianni; also survived by loving aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Merinda was a valued employee of Linear Acoustics in Lancaster PA. She was a software engineer with a degree in Electrical Engineering and will…

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Services Today for Royersford Accident Victim

There will be a viewing and funeral Mass on Friday for Merinda Thompson.

Funeral services have been scheduled for Royersford resident Merinda Thompson, who passed away earlier this week after being struck by a car on Lewis Road.  Arrangements are being handled by Baldi Funeral Home in Philadelphia, with visitation from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Friday, March 8. A funeral Mass will be held at Annunciation B.V.M. Catholic Church at 10th and Dickinson Streets in Philadelphia at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 8, with interment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. The family also held a visitation from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 7. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to a college fund for Merinda's children. Donations can be sent to Police and Fire Credit Union, c/o Children's College Fund,  …

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Obituary for Collegeville's Kenneth McCarraher, Sr.

McCarraher was born in Collegeville; the Army Veteran died in Phoenixville.

Kenneth B. McCarraher, Sr.,  86, husband of the late Alice L. (Eichholz) McCarraher, of Phoenixville, passed away on Sunday evening, March 3, 2013, in the Seasons Hospice, Phoenixville.  Born in Collegeville, he was the son of the late Frank and Leona (Walters) McCarraher, according to the Cattermole-Klotzbach Funeral Home. Mr. McCarraher was a graduate of Spring City High School.  He served with the United States Army Infantry from October 1944 through November 1946 in Korea and the Philippines during World War II.  Ken reached the rank of Staff Sergeant in intelligence and received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart from an injury sustained during an airstrike.  Mr. McCarraher was a member of the Phoenixville VFW and the Spring City American…

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Obituary: John A. Runyan

Runyan passed away on Jan. 7.

  John A. Runyan, age 92, husband of Janet M. (Bertolet) Runyan, of Spring City, PA died Monday afternoon, January 7, 2013 in the Columbia Cottage Center, Collegeville, PA.  The Cattermole-Klotzbach Funeral Home, 600 Washington Street, Royersford, PA is in charge of the arrangements.  Additional information can be found by visiting www.RoyersfordFuneralHome.com. 

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Groen: Wendell Young III Was 'Truly a Giant'

Montgomery County Democratic Committee Chairman Marcel L. Groen remembers president emeritus of Local 1776 and longtime Pennsylvania labor leader Wendell W. Young III, who passed away on Jan. 1.

In a world where we too often use the word "giant" or "great" to describe someone, I can honestly say that for me Wendell Young III was truly a giant as a labor leader and someone who spent his life fighting for people. I first heard of Mr. Young when I worked in the Bill Green for Mayor campaign in the spring of 1971. People would tell me how close he was to Bill Green and how influential a labor leader he was.  That was 42 years ago.  It never occurred to me that he was only 32 years old. Even then he had already achieved heights in the labor movement that few reach. Over the years I watched how innovative and caring he was for his members; how he recognized the importance of child care, before it was popular to do so, so single moms …

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