February 2, 2006 Issue                                               

©2005 The Chestnut Hill Local

Obituaries

Patricia Bassetti

Patricia G. Bassetti, of Chestnut Hill, died on Jan. 26.

Mrs. Bassetti was the wife of the late Henry Bassetti and a sister of the late Margaret Harley. She is survived by her sons, Jesse (“Jay”) Crandall (Roe) and John J. Crandall (Susan); daughter Julie Skala (Sean); her sister Elizabeth Cauterucci; and six grandchildren: Johnnie, Ashley, Stephen, Tabitha, Alexis and Luke.

A funeral Mass was held at Our Mother of Consolation Church in Chestnut Hill on Jan. 21. Interment was private.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Arthritis Foundation, 219 N. Broad St., Phila., PA 19107.

Marie Viola

Marie Y. Viola (Yanni), of Wyndmoor, died Jan. 22. Mrs. Viola is survived by her husband, Anthony J. Viola; daughters Rosemarie Russo (Albert) and Jeanne Costello (Michael); by three grandchildren: Danielle, Albert and Anthony; sisters Kay Mascaro and Phyllis Clemente; and brother Mike Yanni.

A funeral Mass was held at Seven Dolors Church, 1200 East Willow Grove Ave. on Jan. 26 and interment took place at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

Christopher Crumlish

Christopher B. Crumlish, 45, of Laverock, died of heart failure on Jan. 15.

He was the son of the late Bernard and Nancy Crumlish, long time residents of Chestnut Hill.

Mr. Crumlish attended Our Mother of Consolation School, graduated from LaSalle College High School and LaSalle College. He received his master of arts in English from the University of Rhode Island. For the past several years, he taught English and writing at Montgomery County Community College.

Mr. Crumlish was a member of the Chestnut Hill Bocce Club.

As a cancer survivor from the age of 16, through his determination and example, he proved an inspiration to a number of people over the years.

Mr. Crumlish is survived by his sister, Nancy Canfield; brothers, Fred and John Crumlish; stepmother, Helen; and nieces and nephews. Services were held on Jan.21 at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill.

Memorial contributions may be sent to Temple University Health Service Department Office, 3401 N. Broad St., Jones Hall, Room 1015, Phila., PA 19140

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Frances Greene

Frances Greene (Lashman), 85, of Margate City, NJ, died on Jan. 27. Mrs. Greene was an accomplished actress in New York who later performed at Chestnut Hill’s Stagecrafters’ Theater.

Having spent more than 20 years in real estate, she was an award-winning broker at Philadelphia’s Emlen and Company Realtors, which later became Emlen, Fox, Roach and Prudential. She was a classical music lover, a long-time subscriber to the Philadelphia Orchestra. She was a volunteer at Chestnut Hill Hospital and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She enjoyed traveling; collecting turtles and art, and was a master of dramatic one-liners.

Mrs. Greene was pre-deceased by Basil, her husband of more than 60 years, who died earlier this month. She is survived by her son Joshua (Dara), grandchildren Ashira and Alex; son William (Robin), granddaughter Sydney.

A graveside service was held at Beth Kehillah Cemetery in Egg Harbor Township, N.J.

George T. Zakarewsky

George T. Zakarewsky, 55, died on Saturday, Jan. 28. He was known by friends and family as Zak. Mr. Zakarewsky is survived by his long time companion, Anne Aha. He was the son of Theresa S. Zakarewsky and the late George J. Zakarewsky; father of Kaya M. Zakarewsky- Simmons; the brother of Robert Zakarewsky; Lisa A. Iozzi, the late James Zakarewsky and the late Kathleen Zakarewsky. Mr. Zakarewsky is also survived by niece Sara Zakarewsky, and nephews Michael and Mathew Iozzi.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 21 South 13th Street, between Market and Chestnut Streets, in Philadelphia. Memorial donations can be made to the St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 21 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

Hon. Joseph R. Glancey

The Honorable Joseph R. Glancey, 78, formerly of Chestnut Hill, died on Jan. 27. He was a former President Judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court.

Judge Glancey, one of nine children, graduated from Roman Catholic High School in 1945. He served in the US Navy during WWII, and graduated from Villanova University in 1950. During the Korean War, he returned to active duty in the US Navy from 1950 to 1952, serving as a Lieutenant.

Upon completion of his duty in the Korean War, he returned to Villanova where he was in the first graduating class of Villanova University Law School. He served as articles editor for the Villanova Law Review and graduated from the law school in 1956.

For several years he served on the Villanova Law School board of consultors. He practiced law until 1968 when he was appointed by Mayor James Tate to lead the newly created municipal court as its first president judge.

In 1976 he was named president of the National Conference of Metropolitan Courts, and was widely acknowledged as the creator of the modern municipal court system that currently exists in Philadelphia, which is a model for municipal courts throughout the nation. A longtime member and officer of the Brehon Law Society, Judge Glancey also belonged to many other legal and civic organizations.

Judge Glancey is survived by his wife, Mary King Glancey; his three children: Nora G. Radest of Summit, NJ, Tricia G. Ferguson of Devon, Pa. and Joseph R. Glancey Jr. of Princeton, NJ. He is also survived by four grandchildren: Joseph S. Taylor Jr., Emma G. Radest, Madeleine R. and Charlotte K. Glancey; and five brothers and two sisters.

A funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 11 a.m. at Our Mother of Consolation Church, 9 E. Chestnut Hill Ave. Prior to the Mass the family will accept condolences beginning at 9 a.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Joseph R. Glancey Scholarship Fund at Roman Catholic High School, 301 N. Broad St., Phila., PA 19107.

Anne Moran

Anne Moran, of Chestnut Hill, died on Jan. 25. She was born in Ballinrunpa, Kilmovee, Co. Mayo, Ireland.

Ms. Moran is survived by her brothers Michael Moran and John Moran. She was predeceased by brothers Patrick and Thomas Moran and a sister, Bridget Cassidy. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

A funeral Mass was held at Sacred Heart Manor on Jan. 30 and interment took place at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to Sacred Heart Manor, 6445 Germantown Ave., Phila., PA 19119.

Capt. J. Ross Pilling Jr.

Captain J. Ross Pilling Jr., 93, of Gladwyne, died on Jan. 27. His wife of 63 years, Bettie Keen Pilling, predeceased him.

Capt. Pilling graduated from Chestnut Hill Academy and the Lawrenceville School. He volunteered for the Navy in 1940. His two commands, the P.C. 552 and Destroyer Escort Garfield Thomas were actively involved during WWII. He attended the post-war graduate program at the Harvard Business School.

During the Korean conflict, he volunteered to return to active service and served as executive officer on the USS Hollister and as fleet navigator for the Hunter Killer Group Atlantic. He attained the rank of captain.

Known to his friends as ‘Rosebud,’ he sailed all types of boats on many bodies of water; on many trips he was the ‘cook and navigator’ in the Newport to Bermuda Race. As the awards chairman of the Cruising Club of America, he was instrumental in the awarding of the Blue Water Medal to a number of recipients. He was a member of the Mantoloking and Bay Head Yacht Clubs, the Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia, and an honorary member of the Cruising Club of Ireland.

While living in Mantoloking, N.J., Capt. Pilling was elected as a councilman, served as an active volunteer for the Mantoloking Fire Company, established a Dune Watch Committee to protect the dunes and the beach and was instrumental in founding a watch dog newsletter, the Mantoloking Reporter.

Capt. Pilling is survived by his daughter, Sara Pilling; his grandchildren: John Manderson, Kris Rouff and Peter Harvey; great-granddaughters, Aimee and Rachell Rouff; a brother, William S. Pilling; sisters Mary Elizabeth Lewis and Catharine Lennon; and many nephews and nieces.

A service of remembrance will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Gladwyne Presbyterian Church, 1321 Beaumont Drive, Gladwyne.

Memorial contributions may be sent to Scholarship Soley, 29 Garrett Ave., Rosemont, PA 19010, a not-for-profit established by his daughter for the education of the poorest Haitians in Haiti.

Gerald C. Fischer

Gerald C. Fischer, 77, a longtime Chestnut Hill resident, died on Jan. 24. He was a retired professor, author and international bank consultant.

Mr. Fischer was born in Buffalo, N.Y. and adopted by Ivalo and Charles Fischer. Leaving high school before graduation, he joined the army and participated in the peacekeeping process in Germany after WWII. Returning to the states, he received his G.E.D. and attended the University of Buffalo where he met and married Janice Everingham with whom he would spend the next 53 years.

Mr. Fischer earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University. He was a professor in the School of Business at Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., and later a research professor of finance at Temple University. He published a number of books which were significant contributions to the banking industry and translated into several languages.

He traveled extensively with his wife taking varied trips such as sailing the canals of France, England and Ireland, on safari in Africa, snorkeling with seals in the Galapagos Islands and crossing a leech-filled river in the Amazon.

His garden and its avian inhabitants were important to him and he got great pleasure out of feeding his birds, and became attached to his regular “customers.”

Mr. Fischer is survived by his wife, Janice, daughter Alyson Amsterdam (Stephen) and granddaughter Shannon.

A memorial service will be held in the spring, date to be announced.

Memorial contributions may be made to Keystone Hospice, 8765 Stenton Ave., Wyndmoor, PA 19038