December 22, 2005 Issue                                               

©2005 The Chestnut Hill Local

Obituaries

Elsie W. McLaughlin

Elsie W. McLaughlin, 82, died on Dec. 12 at her home in Cathedral Village. Born in Philadelphia on March 14, 1923, she was the wife of William E. McLaughlin.

A mother, homemaker and administrative assistant for the dean of students at the Philadelphia College of Art, she was the daughter of the late William and Elsie (Booz) Walker. Mrs. McLaughlin was a graduate of Friends Central School and Wilson College, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree.

Mrs. McLaughlin was a volunteer worker for St. Paul’s Church in Chestnut Hill for many years. She enjoyed playing golf, tennis and helping her husband in his real estate business.

She is survived by five daughters, a son, three grandchildren, six step-grandchildren and eight step-great-grandchildren.

A funeral service was held on Dec.16 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 22 E. Chestnut Hill Ave. Interment was private.

Memorial contributions may be made to United Cerebral Palsy Association of Philadelphia, 102 Mermaid Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118.

Sean T. Taaffe

Sean Thomas Taaffe, 33, suffered a fatal heart attack on Nov. 23 while preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family in Portland, Oregon.

The Taaffe family moved to Flourtown from Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. in 1974. Sean resided in Spring Lake and Manasquan, N.J. He had been employed for eight years as a program analyst for the Winston Financial Company in Bay Head.

Sean is remembered by family and friends as a gentle and kind man with a passion for sports, books and music.

He was the son of Shirley and John; brother of Lisa and Jeannine; and uncle to his 14-month old nephew, Seth Andrew.

A memorial service will be held at Carson Valley School on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 11 a.m.

Donations may be made to the Sean Taaffe Memorial Fund in care of Carson Valley School, 1419 Bethlehem Pike, Flourtown, PA 19031. This fund will be used to assist Carson Valley School graduates in their efforts to pursue further education in the field of computer science.

Andre C. Blanzaco

Andre C. Blanzaco M.D. a well-known area ob/gyn physician, died on Dec. 17 at Frankford Hospital-Torresdale Campus. He was 71.

A graduate of Central High School, Ursinus College and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, he served his internship at Chestnut Hill Hospital and his residency at Germantown Hospital. After serving as a captain in the U.S. Army, at Ft. Monroe, Va., he returned to this area and entered private practice with Dr. Stephen Kurtz in Germantown. Later offices were in Erdenheim/Blue Bell. He was chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Chestnut Hill Hospital for about 15 years, and was a past president of the Montgomery County Medical Society.

Earlier this year, he received the distinguished alumni award from Ursinus College.

He is survived by four children: David Blanzaco of Wethersfield, Conn., Suzanne Isaksen of Setauket, N.Y., Stephen Blanzaco of Columbus, Ohio and Lauren Gozzard of Perkasie. He is also survived by six grandchildren: Meredith, Caroline and Galen Blanzaco; and Erik, Kristofer and Lyndsay Isaksen.

Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 11:30 a.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 22 E. Chestnut Hill Ave.

Memorial contributions may be made to Ursinus College, P.O. Box 1000, Collegeville, PA 19426

Ilona K. Gerbner

Ilona Gerbner, an actress and the director of the Theater Lab for 21 years at the University of Pennsylvania, died suddenly on Dec. 8.

Mrs. Gerbner was born in Vienna, Austria, the only daughter of Andor Kutas, a prominent Hungarian industrialist. She grew up in Budapest, speaking German, Hungarian and English. After graduating from secondary school, she trained as an opera singer at the Royal Academy of Music in Budapest before embarking on a career as an actress at the Podium Theatre in Budapest in 1945 and 1946. She met her husband of 59 years, George, in 1945.

Hungarian by birth, Mr. Gerbner had fled to the U.S. in 1939 and enlisted in the U.S. Army. The Army assigned him to Budapest to round up Nazi collaborators. Since American soldiers were not permitted to marry enemy aliens, he needed to smuggle Ilona out of Hungary dressed in an American WAC uniform in an Army convoy. They were married by the American Consul in Vienna in October 1946.

Mrs. Gerbner, who received an M.A. in theatre arts in 1964 from the University of Illinois, moved to the Philadelphia area in 1963, when her husband became the dean of the Annenberg School at Penn. Ilona taught drama at the University of Pennsylvania from 1968 – 1989 and was the director of the Theatre Lab I and II.

Mrs. Gerbner is survived by her husband, George; son John Christopher Gerbner and his wife, Anne Jarvis Gerbner, of Chestnut Hill, and their daughters Katharine, Elizabeth (Erzsi), Ilona and Emily; and her son, Thomas Jefferson Gerbner, his wife Kathie McDermott (Havertown) and their sons, Jacob and Zachery.

Interment was at West Laurel Hill Cemetery on Dec. 16.

Memorial contributions may be made to Womens Way or the American Friends Service Committee.

Marion W. Lucey

Marion Winifred Riden Lucey, 91, of Wyndmoor, died in Chestnut Hill on Dec. 14.

Formerly of Perth Amboy and Cedarcroft, N.J., Mrs. Lucey was born in Yeagertown to John William and Janet McCartney Riden. She was predeceased by her husband, James Joseph Lucey, M.D. and her son, James McCartney Lucey.

Mrs. Lucey is survived by her son Denis John Lucey III, M.D. (Toni Pellegrini Lucey); her daughters Deboran Anne Lucey Kroop (Howard S. Kroop, M.D.) and Jane Clarke Lucey Deegan (Joseph F. Deegan III); her grandchildren Maya Virginia Baran (Peter), Catherine McCartney Martin (Richard F. IV), Samuel Eddye Irwin Lucey, Lara Meredith Kroop, Seth Riden Kroop, Seamus Brew Deegan and Liam Lucey Deegan; and her great-grandchildren Samuel Denis Baran and Una Virginia Martin.

Mrs. Lucey was a descendant of early settlers in Central and Western Pennsylvania, was educated in Mifflin County schools and graduated from Temple University Hospital School of Nursing. She worked at the Jackson Clinic before her marriage, and in her husband’s office after her children were grown.

Mrs. Lucey was active in the Perth Amboy General Hospital Auxiliary, was on the board of the local Red Cross chapter and an officer in the Women’s Club of Perth Amboy. For many years, she was a member of St. Mary’s Church, Perth Amboy and Sacred Heart Church in Bay Head. Most recently she was a member of Our Mother of Consolation Church in Chestnut Hill.

Private interment took place on Dec. 19 at Birch Hill Cemetery, Burnham, Pa. A memorial mass is planned for All Saint’s Chapel at Springfield Residence, Wyndmoor, early in 2006.

Lorna M. Dlin

Lorna M. Dlin, 75, died on December 10.

Mrs. Dlin is survived by her husband, Barney M. Dlin, M.D.; her daughter Melissa and son Geoffrey (Caroline); and grandchildren Alexander, Benjamin and Lily.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, P.O. Box 650309, Dallas, TX 75265; www.komen.org; or to Go Red For Women, c/o American Heart Assn., 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231 or Go Red for Women at www.americaanheart.org.

Carmine Bruno

Carmine Bruno, 72, of Hatboro, died on Dec. 13 at Abington Memorial Hospital. He was predeceased by his wife, Vittorina (nee Perri) Bruno, to whom he had been married for 42 years.

Mr. Bruno was born in San Pietro Apostolo, Italy, the son of Rosina Marie (nee Teresa) Bruno and the late Luigi Bruno. A resident of Hatboro for 24 years, Mr. Bruno was the owner of Carmine Custom Tailoring in Chestnut Hill before he retired in 2000.

Mr. Bruno is survived by his mother, Rosina Marie Bruno; a sister and two brothers, all living in San Pietro Apostolo, Italy; a daughter, Rosina M. Deveney (David) of Plymouth Meeting; a son Luigi Bruno (Diane) of South Philadelphia; and seven grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass was held at St. Joseph’s Church in Warrington on Dec. 17 and interment took place at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 625 W. Ridge Pike, Bldg. A., Suite 100, Conshohocken, PA 19428-1190.

William S. Armour

William Starrett Armour, 69, died on October 10 in Boca Raton, Fla.

A graduate of Penn Charter, he also went to Chestnut Hill Academy and the Bement School, Deerfield, Mass.

After attending The Citadel, Mr. Armour served in the U.S. Air Force. For many years he was a scuba diver and instructor at the Florida Ocean Sciences Institute. He also spent 15 years with the Deerfield Beach (Fla.) Fire Department.

Mr. Armour is survived by his wife of 44 years, Alberta Kooger Armour, of Pompano Beach, Fla.; and his sister, Hildy Armour, of Jamestown, Colo.

He was predeceased by his father, William S. Armour M.D.; stepmother, Louise C. Armour; and his mother, Helen Ruth Starrett Armour.

A memorial service was held on October 14 in Deerfield Beach, Fla.

Contributions in his memory may be made to the Bement School, Deerfield, MA 01342.

Anthony P. Gannone

Anthony P. Gannone, of Norristown, formerly of Chestnut Hill, died on Dec. 16.

He was the father of Michelle Smith and Mark Gannone, and grandfather of Kevin A. Smith.

There will be a graveside service on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. For the time of the service, call Jacob F. Ruth Funeral Home at 215-247-9090.