All Obituaries

Dr. Richard H. Maurer, a physicist whose work helped spacecraft survive the radiation of deep space, passed on June 6, 2026, in Sarasota, Florida, after living with Parkinson's disease. He was 84. He was born April 27, 1942, in Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, to Samuel and Marion (née Hornsby) Maurer. He attended Long Island University on scholarship and graduated as valedictorian in 1964, then earned his Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics from the University of Pittsburgh in 1970 under ...

Daniel "Dan the Weldin' Man" Drobnick, 67, of Orwigsburg, saw the face of God and found his place in heaven on Wednesday, August 5th.  Daniel was born in Pottsville on April 23, 1959, son of the late Thomas J. and Myrtle E. (Kohler) Drobnick.  For 47 years, he was married to the love of his life, whom he affectionately referred to as "Binkie".  Dan showed his love for her by planning scavenger hunts on their anniversary, leaving small notes for ...

Rev. Robert W. (Bob) Burkey , 75, of New Ringgold, passed away Sunday, July 12th, at his residence. Robert was born in Shenandoah, PA. on February 18, 1951, a son of the late Dorothy (Kline) Burkey and John Burkey, Jr. . He was the husband of Mary E. (Himmelberger ) Burkey. They were married on November 3, 1973. He was a member of both Christ Church McKeansburg & also New England Valley Mennonite Church, Tamaqua Bob was a Blue Mountain High School Graduate, Class of 1971 and attended ...

Sean Matthew Kelly, 39, of Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, passed away suddenly of natural causes on July 20, 2026, at Fort Drum, New York. A Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army, he was born October 25, 1986, in Augsburg, Germany. Sean was the son of Matthew and Kathleen (Kirby) Kelly, and younger brother of Kristine (Kelly) Deibert. The family moved to Orwigsburg in 1996 when Sean was 9, where he attended Blue Mountain, graduating in 2005 from Blue Mountain High School.  Sean was the heart of ...

On July 22, 2026, JoAnne J. Rattigan passed away surrounded by her immediate family following a brave eight-year battle with endometrial cancer and a one-year battle with breast cancer. Born in 1950 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, JoAnne graduated from Nativity BVM High School in 1968 and went on to earn her degree from Loyola University Maryland in 1972. Growing up in Pottsville, JoAnne held a special fondness for her family’s multi-generational business, Mootz Homemade Candies—a ...

Barbara E. Berger, 99, formerly of  Orwigsburg, passed away peacefully on  Friday, July 10th, at her residence in Pottsville. Barbara was born in Pottsville on February 27, 1927, a daughter of the late Charlotte (Bonowitz) and James Nelson Shaw. She was the widow of Willis "Bill" Berger. Barbara was a member of St. John's United Church of Christ, Orwigsburg. She graduated from Schuylkill Haven High School in 1945 and went on to become a registered nurse in addition to ...

Evelyn Mae Epting, 89, of Orwigsburg, formerly of Hamburg, passed away Friday, July 3rd, at Providence Place Retirement Community, Pottsville.  Evelyn was born in Hamburg, Pa. on December 17, 1936, a daughter of the late Esther (Bauer) and Arlan  Hartman. She was the widow of Wayne Calvin Epting. She worked in the kitchen for the Hamburg State Hospital and she also worked in the textile industry. Evelyn is  survived by her daughter, Deborah Reber, widow of  James ...

Phyllis A. Frey, 82, of Pottsville, formerly of Schuylkill Haven, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Tuesday, June 23rd, at her residence. Phyllis was born in Windsor Township on December 17, 1943, a daughter of the late Hilda Mae (Gassert) Kramer. She was raised in the Protestant Faith. Phyllis worked as a sewing machine operator at Havenline Casket Company for 23 years. She enjoyed coloring and puzzles. Phyllis is survived by a daughter, Patti Frey, companion of Kenneth ...

Heidi A. Abbe, 55, of Schuylkill Haven, went home to Jesus on Sunday, June 21st, passing away with her loving family by her side. Born in Rockville, Connecticut on April 11, 1971, Heidi was the daughter of Rev. Jeffrey and Karen Stonesifer, who took her as a temporary foster child in August, 1973. As Karen drove her home from the hospital where she had been for 10 months, Heidi started screaming because she didn’t know what was happening. Karen remembers praying, “God, just let ...

Gloria Elizabeth Stein, 95, formerly of Orwigsburg, PA passed away peacefully on June 1, 2026 at Providence Place, Pottsville, PA.  She was a resident there since April 2023. Gloria was born on December 12,1930 in Hecla, PA. She was the eldest daughter of the late Newton and Elizabeth (Boyer) Nester.   Gloria was the widow of Robert N. Stein who passed away on November 28, 2008.  Also preceded by death of four sisters:  Sandra Nester, Linda Nester, Marlene ...