Pennsylvania Obituary and Marriage Records, 1947-2010
John F. 'Jack' Bradford Jr.
LEWISTOWN - John F. "Jack" Bradford Jr., 86, of Apple Road, Lewistown, died at 11:56 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, 2003, at Lewistown Hospital.
Born May 17, 1916, in Granville Township, he was a son of the late John F. and Bessie (Prout) Bradford Sr. His wife, Faustine E. (Renninger) Bradford, preceded him in death on Oct. 7, 1989.
Surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Ronald (Harriet "Jane") Aurand; four grandchildren, Kathy Steltzer, Jack Berrier, Christine Stuck and Lori Walter; seven great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
In his early years, he was a self-employed farmer and the owner/operator of Eastern States Feed and Grain, Lewistown. Later he worked as a truck driver for Lewistown Material Co. and Norlin Warehousing of Lewistown.
He was a member of Ellen Chapel Church, where he was a church trustee and a member of the Church League Bowling Team. He was also a member of Fort Granville Grange for over 50 years and sold from his stand at the Farmers Market in Lewistown.
Earlier in life, he was a pilot, owning his own plane, and enjoyed the outdoors and watching sports. He was also a good mechanic, working on his own equipment and part-time at J&D Bus Garage, Reedsville.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. today at Heller-Hoenstine Woodlawn Funeral Home, 200 N. Main St., Lewistown, with Pastor Mark Hill and Rev. Faust Hissong officiating. Private interment will be in Spring Run Cemetery.
Family will receive friends from noon until the time of service today at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Ellen Chapel Church, 11764 Ferguson Valley Road, Lewistown, PA 17044.
Viola M. Brackbill
MIFFLINTOWN - Viola M. Brackbill, 85, of Mifflintown RR 3, died at 10:36 a.m. Tuesday, July 1, 2003 at Locust Grove Retirement Village, Mifflin.
Born September 20, 1917 in Licking Creek Valley, she was a daughter of the late Wilson R. and Grace (Lane) Farleman. Her husband, Lester M. Brackbill, died on January 30, 1976.
Surviving are one daughter, Linda Douty and her husband George, Mifflintown RR 3; one son, Fred Brackbill and his wife Marjorie, Mifflintown RR 3; one sister, Eilene Page, Mifflintown RR 3; six grandchildren, Kristy Kint, Kelly Wise, Kami Imes, Kaci Bryner, Jeffrey Brackbill, and Clint Brackbill; 15 great-grandchildren, Abby, Dustin, Erin, Shanna, Skyler, Cody, Clint, Chantz, Chloe, Joshua, Kelci, Tyler, Colt, Wyatt, and Brand.
She was preceded in death by one sister, Carrie M. Ehrenzeller.
She attended the Maple Grove School and, before she was married, worked as a floor supervisor at Juniata Garment.
She was a member of St. Stephen's Lutheran Church and of Maple Grove Sunday School where she belonged to the Pollyanna Class and served as pianist for 68 years.
She loved her family, friends, church, baking and cooking.
Her funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, Licking Creek Valley with Pastor James Park Bricker officiating. Interment will be in St. Stephen's Lutheran Cemetery.
There will be a viewing Saturday evening from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Guss Funeral Home, 20 S. Third St., Mifflintown and on Sunday at the church from 1 p.m. until the time of the services.
Memorial contributions may be made to Maple Grove Sunday School, RR 3, Mifflintown, PA 17059.
Galen M. Bratton
EBENSBURG - Galen M. Bratton, 73, of Ebensburg, and formerly of McVeytown, passed away at 6:45 p.m. Saturday, April 26, 2003, at Lee Hospital in Johnstown.
Born June 9, 1929, in Oliver Township, he was a son of the late Harvey and Alice (Hostetler) Bratton. His wife, Rose Marie (Pica) Bratton, preceded him in death in 1972.
Surviving are: a daughter, Lorraine Bingman and husband Bill of Lewistown; a son, Rodney Bratton and wife Jeanne of Montoursville; two grandsons, Galen and Adam; a brother, Raymond Bratton and wife Susan of McVeytown; a sister, Joyce Yoder and husband Gilbert of Belleville; and close family friend through a student foreign exchange program, Lennart Bengtsson-Renofalt of Gavle, Sweden.
He was preceded in death by a daughter, Karen in 1955.
He was a retired truckdriver and had a small repair shop.
A member of the Mattawana Mennonite Church, he enjoyed flying, reading and visiting with family and friends.
He was a former member of the Experimental Aircraft Association.
His funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Harshbarger Funeral Home, 3 South Market St., McVeytown, with Rev. M. Leon Yoder officiating. Interment will be in Pleasant View Cemetery, Mattawana.
Friends may call from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Memorials may be sent to: Mattawana Mennonite Church, c/o M. Leon Yoder, 521 S.R. 103 N. Lewistown, PA 17044.
James W. Bratton
MIFFLINTOWN - James W. "Duffy" Bratton, 85, of North Fourth St., Mifflintown, died Wednesday, March 19, 2003, at his home.
Born Feb. 2, 1918, in Mifflin, he was the son of the late William G. and Annie E. (Valentine) Bratton.
He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, serving in World War II. He was a former post commander of Crawford-Brubaker Post 5863 VFW and a member of American Legion Post 298. He had worked as a self-employed electrician.
His service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Stephen's Lutheran Cemetery, Licking Creek Valley, where military honors will be accorded by the Juniata County Veterans Council. There will be no viewing.
The Family will provide all funeral flowers and requests that memorials be sent to: Hospice The Bridge, 152 E. Market St., Lewistown, PA 17044.
Guss Funeral Home, 20 S. Third St., Mifflintown, is in charge of arrangements.
Janet M. Bratton
BURNHAM - Janet M. Bratton, 62, of 113 Second Avenue, Burnham, died at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, 2003, at Hershey Medical Center.
Born Sept. 6, 1940, in Derry Township, she was a daughter of the late Victor S. and Mildred (Kline) Mowery. Her husband, James R. Bratton, whom she married Sept. 8, 1958, survives.
Also surviving are: two sons , Michael A. Bratton, Palmyra, and Mark S. Bratton, Reedsville; two sisters , Mrs. Donald (Jean) Warner and Mrs. Arthur (Mary Jane) Folk, both of Burnham; four grandchildren, Carla A. Bratton, Christopher J. Bratton, Erin L. Bratton and Ryan H. Bratton.
She graduated from Chief Logan High School, Class of 1958.
Early in life she was a Retail Clerk at W.T. Grant's in Lewistown. She then worked at Arrow Shirt Factory for 14 years, K.M. News in Lewistown and then at C-Cor in State College as an assembler.
She was a member of Walnut Street United Methodist Church.
Her funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Walnut Street United Methodist Church, 203 N. Walnut St., Burnham, with Rev. Larry K. Lutz officiating. Interment will be in Vira Methodist Cemetery.
Friends will be received from 7-9 p.m. Sunday at Heller-Hoenstine Burnham Funeral Home, 108 First Ave., Burnham and from 10 a.m. until the service time Monday at the church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the charity of one's choice.
Paul Marshall Bratton
LEWISTOWN - Paul Marshall Bratton, 86, of 443 Summit Drive, Lewistown, died at 2:15 a.m. Thursday, March 6, 2003, at Lewistown Hospital.
Born May 19, 1916, in Lewistown, he was the son of the late Marshall C. and Ruth (Brannan) Bratton Goodwin. His wife, Dorothy (Stuter) Bratton whom he was married to for nearly 65 years, survives.
Also surviving are: his son, Marshall, of State College and his daughter Susan of Indian Rocks Beach, FL; a grandson, Scott of State College; three great-grandchildren; a sister, Mrs. Merle (Sue) Gibbons, Lewistown; a brother, Bryson Bratton, Lewistown.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Bernard Bratton.
He was a 1935 graduate of Lewistown High School. He retired from the Pennsylvania Railroad after 35 years of service.
He was a member of St. Mark's Episcopal Church.
His memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Mark's Episcopal Church with Rev. Ronald J. Lynch officiating. Interment will be in St. Mark's Cemetery.
Heller-Hoenstine Woodlawn Funeral Home, Inc., is in charge of arrangements.
Vera Grace Brechbiel
MAPLETON - Vera Grace Brechbiel, 77, of RD1 Box 1502, Mapleton, went to be with the Lord at 12:45 a.m. Thursday, May 15, 2003, while at her home.
Vera was born Oct. 29, 1925, in Hill Valley, Huntingdon, she was the daughter of the late Clayton W. and Agnes (Chilcoat) Hamman. Her husband, Ralph E. Brechbiel, whom she married in 1964, survives.
Also surviving are: a son, Mark E. Brechbiel and wife Linda, Allensville; two grandchildren, Kara Brechbiel and Michael Bender.
She was preceded in death by three brothers and a sister.
Her funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Robert D. Heath Funeral Home, Mt. Union, with Rev. Dr. Kenneth Grundon and Rev. J. Faust Hissong officiating. Interment will be in Bowman's Chapel Cemetery.
Friends will be received from 7-9 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. until the service time Saturday at the funeral home.
Dorothy I. Breon
RAMSEY - Dorothy I. Breon, 71, of Route 44, Ramsey, died Thursday, Feb. 27, 2003, at her residence.
Born Dec. 13, 1931, in Belleville, she was a daughter of Rufus W. and Leona Stewart Wilson. Her husband, James E. Breon, whom she married on Jan. 1, 1949, preceded her in death on Oct. 14, 1993.
Surviving are two sons , James W. Breon and his wife, Mary, of Howard, and Brady L. Breon and his wife, Dana, of Waterville; three daughters , Susan E. Stamm and her husband, Ed, and Jersey Shore, Robin E. Beury and her husband, Fred, of Pine Station, and Brenda J. Sawyer Hartranft and her husband, James, of Jersey Shore; six sisters , Caroline Wildermuth and her husband, Harold, of Cleona, Betty Evock of Huntingdon, Phyllis Brenneman and her husband, Joseph, of Huntingdon, Patricia Blair of Cranston, RI, Josephine Hillyard and her husband, Clarence, of Jersey Shore, and Leona Downs of Elgin, IL; one brother, Gus Wilson and his wife, Carolyn, of Huntingdon; 17 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Sarah Lucas, and a brother, Francis Wilson.
She retired May 1, 1992, from the Housekeeping Department of the Jersey Shore Hospital.
She was known for her compassion and humor, and she loved her family.
Dorothy's "Life Celebration" will begin with a visitation for family and friends 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1407 Allegheny St., Jersey Shore, followed by funeral services at 1 p.m. with Rev. John C. Libert officiating. Burial will be in Rest Haven Memorial Park.
Memorial contributions may be made to Jersey Shore Hospital Auxiliary, 1020 Thompson St., Jersey Shore, PA 17740.
The Rearick-Carpenter Funeral Home, "a Life Celebration Home," 1002 Allegheny St., Jersey Shore, PA, is handling the arrangements.
Joseph N. Breston, PhD
Dr. Joseph Norbert Breston, 91, of State College died Friday, Aug. 29, 2003, at the Centre Community Hospital in State College.
He was born in Passaic, NJ on June 6, 1912, son of Stephen and Veronica Loth Bresnowits, emigrants from Austria-Hungary. He was schooled in Garfield, NJ. He graduated from Garfield High School as its valedictorian in 1929. He won a scholarship to Cooper Union Institute Night College and attended there while working in N.Y.C.
He transferred to Pennsylvania State College (now University) in 1931. Joseph worked his way through college with the help of some scholarship funds from the Samuel Hird Worsted Mill and the Julius Forstmann Woolen Mills. He graduated with a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering with honors in 1935. He was awarded a graduate assistantship and earned an M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1937. He dropped out of Penn State for two years for health reasons and returned in 1939 as a research scholar in the College of Mineral Industries. Joseph was awarded a PhD degree in Fuel Technology in 1944. His thesis project was to devise a method for the non-destructive recovery of coumarone and indene from coal tar light oil. Coumarone and indene were used for the production of synthetic rubber and were badly needed by the war effort. His thesis project was presented as a guest feature at a meeting of the Chemical Society of London.
In 1944, Joseph moved to Bradford, PA to assist in organizing the Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil Association research laboratory whose mission was to devise methods for increasing Pennsylvania oil production. He also became the Editor and Publisher of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Digest magazine. In the mid fifties he bought the Bradford Chemical Company which produced chemicals to aid in the production of oil. In the late fifties he started his own chemical company, TECK:LABS, which used many of his own formulas for aiding oil production. Joseph operated TECK:LABS until 1975 when he sold the business. He then started partial retirement, but continued to do consulting work.
Joseph was a 50-year member of the American Chemical Society and the American Petroleum Institute, Our Lady of Victory Church, the Elks, and the Ostomy Club. He was also a member of St Bernard's Church and the West Branch Community Club of Bradford, PA where he lived for over 40 years.
On June 21, 1941 he married Helen L. Walters, who preceded him in death on May 13, 2000.
Joseph was the last member of his immediate family.
Surviving are one son, Joseph Walter Breston of State College, and several nieces and nephews and two cousins.
Friends may call 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Friday at the Koch Funeral Home, 2401 South Atherton St., State College. A vigil will be held at 8 p.m. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Our Lady of Victory Church, 800 Westerly Parkway, State College, by Msgr. David Lockard. The mass will be preceded by a period of viewing from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. Burial will be in Glendale Cemetery, Middleburg, PA.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be given to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Campus Drive, Bradford, PA 16701; St. Bernard Church, East Corydon Street, Bradford, PA 16701; Our Lady of Victory Church, 800 Westerly Parkway, State College, PA 16801; or the American Heart Association, 501 Howard Avenue, Bldg D, Suite 101, Altoona, PA 16601.
Frank E. Brinton, Jr.
BURNHAM - Frank E. Brinton, Jr., 94, of 222 Second Ave., Burnham, died at 8:42 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2003, at Mt. Laurel Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Clearfield.
Born May 3, 1909, in Philadelphia, he was a son of the late Frank E. Sr., and Emily (Pierce) Brinton. His wife, Elizabeth (Shawver) Brinton, died Oct. 24, 1991.
Surviving are: two daughters , Mrs. Robert (Emily) Grimminger, Clearfield and Mrs. Rosemarie Platt, Myrtle Beach, S.C.; two sisters , Emily S. Wood, and Mrs. William (Virginia) Light, both of Baltimore, MD; 10 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a son, Frank E. Brinton III in 1998; three brothers and three sisters .
He was a Maintenance Supervisor in Machine Shop I at Standard Steel, Burnham with 40 years of service.
He was a member of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Lewistown.
His funeral service will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 21 S. Main St., Lewistown, with Rev. Delores M. Calhoun officiating. Interment will be in St. Mark's Episcopal Cemetery, Lewistown.
Friends may call from 7-9 p.m. Friday at Heller-Hoenstine Burnham Funeral Home, First Ave., Burnham.
Memorials may be sent to the charity of one's choice.
