Obituaries

Andrea M. Keehn

Andrea M. Keehn, a loyal supporter of Chestnut Hill activities, died on September 4 of Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy. She was 46.

The daughter of Madeleine (Madge) Mansell Keehn, of Erdenheim, and the late Arnold H. Keehn, Andy, as she liked to be called, graduated from Mount St. Joseph Academy and Montgomery County Community College.

Andy worked as a stock clerk at O’Donnell’s, the former Chestnut Hill stationery store, for about 10 years.
“She took us from the hand-held pricing devices to the computer-generated pricing system,” recalled O’Donnell’s president Hank O’Donnell. “She was a kind-hearted person. If we ever needed extra help on weekends or at street festivals, she was the first to volunteer. She always made sure everyone working at the store had lunch and would run to Starbuck’s for coffee for everyone.”

Andy also assisted with Chestnut Hill Community Association and Chestnut Hill Cultural Alliance activities, according to Stewart Graham, former president and executive director of the CHCA who is president of the Cultural Alliance, an organization of Chestnut Hill area nonprofit institutions.

Andy volunteered at Pastorius Park concerts and Circle of Trees tree-lighting ceremonies and assisted the CHCA’s former Business Finders Committee. She helped the Cultural Alliance at its booth at Chestnut Hill Business Association’s annual Fall for the Arts and Garden festivals, with the alliance’s Web site and with the production of its calendar as well as with the distribution of flyers. She also assisted Graham with serving holiday shoppers roasted chestnuts and cider.

Andy often walked to Chestnut Hill from her home in Erdenheim and visited merchants on Germantown Avenue.

“Chestnut Hill meant a lot to her. She felt comfortable with the friendly merchants who took an interest in her,” her mother said. “I was very grateful for the many guardian angels in Chestnut Hill who kept an eye on her. It was a source of comfort to me, knowing that she was not really alone up there.”

She was also active with the Suburban Dog Training Club, where she and her Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Austen Rose, attended training classes and participated in club events at the annual Springfield Township Community Day. She took Austen Rose to visit residents of nursing homes as part of a club-sponsored program as well as on her own to see elderly neighbors.

She enjoyed playing Scrabble, rooting for the Flyers and the Phillies as well as for her nephews’ Little League games and taking pictures, especially of the Chestnut Hill business district. Her interest in photography started in high school when she assisted her bed-ridden uncle, Bill Mansell, with putting together photo albums.

She was the granddaughter of the late Rose and William G. Mansell, of Chestnut Hill, and the late Hedwig and Paul Keehn, of Olney.

Surviving besides her mother are her brother, Paul and his wife, Abby, and their children, Brian and Andrew; her brother Walter, and his wife Gloria, of Lafayette Hill.

Services and interment were private. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the Epilepsy Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania, 919 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107; or to the Suburban Dog Training Club, c/o Mary Custer, treasurer, 35 Burnside Ave., Norristown PA 19403.

Eva Laetitia Lepine Hedley

Eva Laetitia Lepine Hedley, 96, a resident of Stapeley in Germantown for 20 years, died on Sept. 11. Born in Montreal, Canada, Mrs. Hedley became an American citizen on May 18, 1948.

She was the wife of the late DeBonsal Hedley, is survived by nephews Rosaire and Raymond Levesque and Edward E. Kirkbride, and her friend, Sophea L. Chisom.

Funeral Mass and interment through St. Madeleine Sophie Church will be private. Contributions in her memory may be made to Stapeley, 6300 Greene Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144.

Sally A. Minter

Sally A. Minter, of Germantown, died on Sept. 4. She was the sister of Georgina E. Minter and the life partner of Wilma Wapner.

For the past 30 years, she was co-owner of the Framing Barn with long-time friend, Carole Corwin, and was an avid collector of antiques.

She had a lifelong passion for Chestnut Hill’s Stagecrafters. Among the many plays Sally directed were: Beckett; The Lion in Winter; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf; and Lettuce and Lovage. Sally was serving her third term as president of The Stagecrafters at the time of her death.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 11 a.m. at The Stagecrafters, 8130 Germantown Ave. Memorial donations may be made to The Stagecrafters at the above address or to Inglis House, 2600 Belmont Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19131.

Dorothy Louise Kelley McNelis

Dorothy Louise Kelley McNelis, 76, a long-time resident of Mt. Airy, died on Sept. 6 at Chestnut Hill Hospital.
Born in Philadelphia on July 21, 1929, to Dr. Edward and Katherine Tierney Kelley, she attended Eden Hall Academy of the Sacred Heart, was graduated from Rosemont College with a B.A. in French in 1951, and spent her junior year at Le Sorbonne in Paris. She received her master’s degree in social work from Bryn Mawr College in 1955, having spent several years on the staff of the New York City Foundling Hospital.
She was married to John McNelis in 1955. They had four children.

Mrs. McNelis was a volunteer with the Catholic Inter-racial Council in the 1960s and took part in numerous activities related to the Civil Rights Movement. She was also active in the Democratic Party in the 1960s and ’70s.

She had an extensive career in social work and health care, first as a social worker for the Green Tree School and the Northwest Community Mental Health Center in Mt. Airy. She later worked for the City of Philadelphia Health Department and as visiting lecturer at Rosemont College and Immaculata College.
The second part of her career was in nursing. She was graduated from the Germantown Hospital School of Nursing in 1984 and served as a visiting nurse throughout the Philadelphia area. Later she worked as nursing supervisor in utilization review for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania until she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 1996. She worked in home health care and hospice care from 1996 until 2001. Mrs. McNelis is survived by her former husband, John McNelis, her children: Deirdre Anne McNelis (Allan), John Michael McNelis, Angus Edward McNelis, Hope McNelis Goudy (Russell Jr.); and five grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, 5151 Locust Ave., Suite 201 New Canaan, CT 06840; or The Wellness Community of Philadelphia, The Suzanne Morgan Center at Ridgeland, Chamounix Drive, West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, PA 19131.

Bradley Addendum

Contributions in memory of Robert H. Bradley, who died on Sept. 1, should be sent to the College of Physicians, 19 S. 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103.