Rev. David G. Delzell - The Forest City News

THE FOREST CITY NEWS, FOREST CITY, PA 18421 * WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2016 * PHONE 570-785-3800 * email fcnews@nep.net - PAGE 5
Robert F.
Jones Jr.
Area Obituaries
Honesdale
Rev. David G. Delzell
John J. Vojick
Carbondale
The Rev. David G. Delzell,
a Roman Catholic priest for
66 years, and a resident of
Lewis Lake, Union Dale, died
Sunday, August 7, 2016, after
suffering a stroke at his home
on August 2nd. He celebrated
his 92nd birthday on August
4th.
Father Dave, known as “the
singing priest”, due to his delightful tenor voice, has been
a fixture in the Greater Forest City Area after retiring in
1994 as pastor of Our Lady
of Perpetual Help Parish,
Highlands, NJ, and taking up
residence in 1999 at his Lewis
Lake home, known as “The
Tower of David.”
He did pastoral work in this
area, including daily visits to
area hospitals, nursing homes
and homes of the sick and elderly, for some 15 years, curtailing some of his schedule
around 2012. He loved the
opportunity to say Mass at
St. Cecelia’s Church, Hilltop,
a Mission Church just outside
of Pleasant Mount, which is
now closed. He continued to
say a weekly Mass at the Forest City Personal Care Home
even up to the present time..
In 2006 the community saw
fit to honor him for his priestly work by selecting him as
the Forest City Area Distinguished Citizen.
As a very young child, he
felt the presence of God in his
life. As fate would have it, he
lived across the street from a
convent and would often visit
the sisters to sing for them,
having received a beautiful
voice that was another gift
from God. “I would always
tell the sisters that I wanted to
be a priest when I grew up,”
he added, having received his
call from God at a very young
age.
Born Aug. 4, 1924 in East
Trenton, N.J., the young man
graduated
from
Trenton
Catholic School, a boy’s high
school, in the class of 1938.
During his high school years,
he worked at the same factory
as his father, Crescent Insulated Wire and Cable Co.,, in
order to raise money to enter
the seminary. Also, with the
support of his parish, he finished two years in St. Charles
Minor Seminary in Maryland
and entered Immaculate Conception Seminary in New Jersey, where he graduated in
six years and was ordained in
1950.
His first parish assignment
was as an assistant priest at
St. Edwards Catholic Church
in Milford, N.J., for two years
before being transferred to
Our Lady of Mt. Virgin, in
Middlesex, N.J. His third assignment was at Sacred Heart
Church in Riverton, N.J.
where he also drove school
bus, and helped to produce
the play, Arsenic and Lace, in
the high school, before moving on to St. Cecelia’s Church
in Islin, N.J., also as an assistant priest and bus driver.
There he recalled that each of
the four grades in the school
at that time had four classes
for each grade.
His fifth assignment was
assisting an elderly monsignor at Sacred Heart Parish in
Bay Head, N.J., for two years
before being assigned to Our
Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in April of 1968 where he
spent the next 26 years of his
life as pastor. Father’s pastorate was a record in the Diocese; his only help being his
three German Shepherds. Father Dave also served as principal for two years.
Father Delzell, an excellent
administrator, then began to
liquidate a large parish debt
remaining after the school
construction there, and also
installed the shrine to Our
Lady of Perpetual Help in
June of 1972. In 1974 he had
air-conditioning installed in
the school and lower church
hall, and in 1977 started kindergarten in the basement..
Fr. Delzell was a hard
working pastor, even known
to cut the church lawn, and
was a great champion of the
Catholic faith. He fostered
a love for the celebration of
the Eucharistic at Mass, both
in English and in Latin, and
taught and lived the basic values, without compromise, of
the Catholic Christian faith.
He was a traditionalist in all
church matters.
He continued to celebrate
Mass in Latin, the Tridentine
Rite, each Sunday, which
also continued long after his
retirement at age 75, and frequently at St. Cecilia’s, in
Hilltop, and Shohola, PA, as
well as traveling back to New
Jersey to perform the rite.
He possessed that delightful tenor voice and often
shared it at special Masses
in the parishes he served. He
also recorded several CDs
which he proudly shared
with his friends. He also performed in local shows in the
area, including the Cathedral
Capers in Scranton, that drew
great crowds to hear him
sing, not to mention eliciting
a laugh as well.
Fr. Delzell loved children,
and at Christmas time, knowing that several local students, from financially struggling families of the parish,
might not have any gift at all,
he would buy and hand wrap
an appropriate gift for every
girl and boy in Our Lady of
Perpetual Help School, and,
so as to not embarrass the less
fortunate children, he signed
the gift “from Jesus.”
Christmas was always a
very special season, both in
the liturgy and in life, for Fr.
Delzell. Each year around
Thanksgiving time he would
set up in the rectory of the
Highland Parish, his “Christmas Village.” Later he did
this display in the Forest City
Personal Care Home, complete with holiday decorated
houses, streets, shops, and, of
course, a church, all covered
with artificial snow and with
a couple of model railroads
running about. At one time he
gained attention to his collection in a national train publication.
Not interested in burdening the parish with more debt,
he made improvements, prior
to celebrating the church’s
anniversary, with gifts to the
church, not by borrowing
funds. The final improvement
Fr. Delzell completed was
the restoration of the parish’s
statue of Mary outside of the
church. The cost was $5,000
and the parish entirely supported him and ended up
contributing $5,360. People
had heard the rumors that the
pastor was leaving, and this
was his last project so they
wished to help him attain his
goal. Unfortunately, he did
not see the statue installed
before his departure from
OHLP on July 31, 1994.
A few years ago he stated,
“It has been the top of the
world being a priest, and I
have loved every minute of
it.”
His last few years have
seen his many friends, as well
as those he helped spiritually over the years, come to
his physical aid. He suffered
several serious eye illnesses
which curtailed his ability to
say Mass and to drive. During some of his recuperation
he was invited to share the
rectory of Ascension Parish,
Forest City, with the Pastor,
Rev. Patrick Albert. .
He was scheduled to offer
the Invocation and Benediction at the 34th Annual Forest City Area Distinguished
Citizen Awards presentation
on Friday, August 5th,
He
planned to end the program
with one of his favorite songs,
made famous by Frank Sinatra, which captures the zest,
love and fervor which he exhibited to the very end—“I
Did it My Way.”
Details of his funeral,
through the Kevin M. Lesjack
Funeral Home, Forest City,
were not yet made at press
time.
John J. Vojick, 96, of Carbondale, died Thursday, August 4,
2016 at the Wayne Memorial
Hospital, Honesdale. His wife,
the former Marcy Mooty, died
in 1991; the couple had been
married since 1962.
Born on May 7, 1920 in Carbondale, he was the son of the
late Albert and Anna Johnson
Vojick. He was a member of
Saint Rose of Lima Church,
Carbondale, and a graduate
of Benjamin Franklin High
School, Carbondale, Class of
1939. When John turned 21,
he enlisted in the Navy during
World War II, where he served
as a Storekeeper, Third Class,
helping to supply the D-Day
invasion of Normandy from
his station in Devon, England.
Following his enlistment, he
attended school on the G.I. Bill
for watch making and repair
and jewelry repair, which was
a hobby he enjoyed for many
years. Prior to his retirement,
John worked as a salesman in
many industries, most recently as an auto parts salesman.
John was an avid golfer and
was a member of the Senior
Golf League at Skyline Golf
Course and the American Legion Senior Golf League. He
was a Penn State and Notre
Dame fan, and he was a member of “Steelers Nation”.
Surviving are two sons: John
Vojick and companion Tammy
Mazza, Newton Lake; Joseph
Vojick and wife Stacie, Childs;
4 grandchildren: Zack, Michael, Chris, and Melissa; and
several nieces and nephews.
He was also preceded in
death by a sister: Helen Peters;
and 2 brothers: Joseph and Albert Vojick.
The funeral was Tuesday,
August 9 from the Brennan &
Brennan Funeral Home, Inc.,
55 Lincoln Avenue, Carbondale, with Mass of Christian
Burial in Saint Rose of Lima
Church, Carbondale. Interment with military honors,
Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery, Finch Hill.
In lieu of flowers, memorial
donations may be made to the
Greater Carbondale YMCA, 82
North Main St., Carbondale,
PA 18407.
To send online condolences,
please visit the funeral home’s
website.
John A.
Breau, Jr.
Carbondale
John A. Breau, Jr., 60, of Carbondale, died Thursday, July 28,
2016 at Geisinger Wyoming Valley
Medical Center.
Born in Greenville, Maine, son
of the late John A. and Elaine King
Breau, Sr., he was a graduate of
Greenville High school. He was a
member of the Catholic faith. Prior to his illness, he was employed
as a production worker for Gentex
Optics, Simpson.
Surviving are his siblings: Wendy Parry, Greenfield Twp.; Lena
Breau, Corinna, Maine; Heidi Durand, Forest City; Arthur Breau,
Greenville; and Melissa Counterman, Marshalls Creek; 2 daughters: Shana and Becky; his companion: Carol Lloyd, Carbondale,
and her children: Carol “Sissy”,
Dawn, Joseph, Wright “Rocky”,
and Patrick; and several nieces and
nephews.
Funeral services will be held
in Maine at the convenience of
the family. Arrangements by
the Brennan & Brennan Funeral
Home, Inc., 55 Lincoln Ave., Carbondale.
For directions or to send online
condolences, please visit the funeral home’s website.
Funeral
Arrangements
James
Sheridan, Sr.
Randall K.
Frisbie
James Sheridan, Sr., 86, of
Union Dale, died Tuesday
morning, August 2, 2016 at
home. His wife is the former
Catherine Cornwall Baker.
Born in Chinchilla, son of
the late George A. and Catherine Rippon Sheridan, he
was a member of Saint James’
Church, Pleasant Mount. He
was a member of the Union
Dale Fire Company and Pleasant Mount Emergency Services and its Fire Police where
he served as Captain for many
years.
Prior to his retirement he
was a sheet metal mechanic for
A.A. Lutz and Sons Heating
and Air Conditioning, Bensalem. He was also a member of
Sheet Metal Workers’ Union,
Local 19.
Also surviving are a daughter Linda Sheridan Fuerst,
Bensalem; three sons: James
Sheridan, Langhorne; Keith
Sheridan, Naples, FL; Jerry
Sheridan, Bensalem; three step
children: Donna Hill, Deidre
Shertz, and William Baker,
all of Lancaster; 15 grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren;
a brother: Thomas Sheridan,
Baltimore, MD; a sister: Dawn
Money, Perryton, TX and several nieces and nephews.
He was also preceded in
death by his first wife: Darlene
Lutz Sheridan in 1999; three
sisters: Francis Owens, Joan
Adams, and Katherine Koening; and two brothers Carl and
Donald Sheridan.
The funeral was Saturday,
August 6 with Mass of Christian Burial in Saint James’
Church, Pleasant Mount. Interment will be at the convenience of the family.
Arrangements by the Jones
& Brennan Funeral Home, 430
Main Street, Forest City.
In lieu of flowers, memorial
donations may be made to St.
Jude Children’s Hospital, 262
Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
To send online condolences,
please visit the funeral home’s
website.
Randall K. Frisbie, 62, of Jermyn, died Monday, August 1,
2016 at home of natural causes.
Born Oct. 7, 1953, son of the
late Donald and Elsie Sweet
Frisbie, he attended Benjamin
Franklin High School, Carbondale. Randy was a lifelong
over-the-road truck driver
who enjoyed fishing, camping,
going frog catching at Chet’s
and was dedicated to his job.
Surviving are his companion, Kathleen Cobb, Carbondale; daughters, Alita and
Tiffany Frisbie, Carbondale;
a son, Randall Frisbie, Washington; a grandson, Devin,
Muncie; eight brothers, Duane
Frisbie and wife, Mary Ann,
Carbondale; Donald Frisbie,
Florida; Gary Frisbie and wife,
Anna, Jermyn; William Frisbie
and wife, Illadean, Florida;
John Frisbie and wife, Mary,
Archbald; James Frisbie, Union
Dale; Paul Frisbie, New York;
and Brian Frisbie and wife,
Edie, Harford; three sisters,
Janice Staples-Cerminaro and
husband, Joe, Arizona; Kathy
Hass and husband, Daniel,
Jermyn; and Faith Merkel and
husband, Doug, Scott Twp.;
and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral service were Friday,
August 5 from the Lawrence
A. Gabriel Funeral Home and
Cremation Services Inc., 74 N.
Main St., Carbondale, by the
Rev. Donald Perry, First United Methodist Church. Cremation followed. Interment,
Canaan Corners Cemetery,
Waymart.
Union Dale
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Cables Deli
Target field trip
grants available
The Target Field Trip Grants
program provides funds for K-12
field trips in order to give students throughout the country the
opportunity to explore more of
the world outside the classroom.
Grants of up to $700 each will be
awarded to educators, teachers,
principals, paraprofessionals, and
classified staff who are employed
by accredited K-12 public, private,
or charter schools. (Parents, volunteers, after-school programs,
Pre-K groups, and childcare centers are not eligible to apply.)
Types of funded trips include
art, science, and cultural museum
visits; community service and
civic projects; career enrichment
opportunities; and other events
or activities away from the school
facility. Funds may be used to
cover trip-related costs such as
transportation, ticket fees, food,
resource materials, and supplies.
Online applications will be accepted between August 1 and October 1, 2016.
Visit the Target website to learn
more about the program.
https://corporate.target.com/
corporate-responsibility/grants/
field-trip-grants
Jones & Brennan Funeral Home
430 Main Street, Forest City, PA 18421
(570) 785-3500
John P. Brennan, Supervisor
Joseph J. Brennan, F.D.
John P. Brennan, Jr. F.D.
Established 1901 * OFF-STREET PARKING AVAILABLE
SEAN P. McGRAW, ESQ.
In Loving Memory of
Rosemarie Opeka
who passed away
20 years ago on
August 10, 1996
“Today as always you
are on my mind again
and with all the years
we have been apart
there will always be a
very special love that
holds you near and
keeps you close in my
heart.”
Sadly missed by
daughter Theresa
513 Main Street, Forest City, PA 18421
Jermyn
Robert F. Jones Jr. passed
away on July, 30 2016 at the Geisinger Medical Center, Danville,
PA after an illness.
Born November 8, 1955 in
Trenton NJ son of the late, Robert
F. Jones Sr and Ruth M.Husvar
Jones, of Honesdale.
In addition to his mother he
is also survived by his children:
Robert F. Jones III, Edward Jones,
Jason Jones, and Nichole Jones,
his mother Ruth M. Jones (Husvar), his sister Pamela Schuler
(Jones), and his six grandchildren: Jason Jones Jr., Stephanie
Bean, John Jones, Kaitlyn Bean,
Jason Aichele Jr., and Matthew
Jones.
Robert grew up in Trenton
NJ. He moved to Levittown PA
as a young man. A few years after moving to Levittown, he met
and married Joann Durnin, the
mother of his four children. They
were married for 10 years. After
the death of his father, Robert F
Jones Jr, he moved his mother
back to her childhood town of
Forest City PA, to help her deal
with the loss of her husband.
Robert F. Jones Jr. lived in Forest
City PA for 12 years before moving to Honesdale PA. He devoted
himself to his children and helping others. He will also be missed
dearly by a young girl who he
sponsored in the Philippines. He
will be greatly missed by everyone whose life he touched. He
was always the helping hand
that could be counted on for reasonable advice and level headed
thinking. He will be remembered
by his children as one of the best
mediators, and the rock that held
us together. He will be forever
loved and missed. RIP Dad
A private funeral service will
be held at the convenience of the
family.
Funeral arrangements are attended by the Arthur A. Bryant
Funeral Home, 1228 Main St.,
Honesdale, PA.
Attorney-at-law
WILLS & ESTATES