©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Obituaries

William Zucker

William Zucker

William Zucker, founder in 1982 of the Real Estate Center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, died May 13 of renal failure. He was 88 and a resident of Cathedral Village, formerly of Chestnut Hill.

Mr. Zucker had served as professor emeritus at Penn since 1988. From 1987 to 1993, he was visiting professor of real estate at Columbia University School of Business. He was Meshulam Riklis Professor, Creative Management, at Wharton from 1983 to 1988; director of the Real Estate Center, 1983-88; associate director, Entrepreneurial Center,

Wharton, 1973-1983; and director, Executive Education, Wharton, 1977-1983.

Mr. Zucker was born in Bridgeport, Conn., and attended Bridgeport High School. He received an A.B. from Johns Hopkins University in 1938, an A.M. from Harvard University in 1940 and a PhD. from Harvard in 1951.

He served as secretary of the Commerce and Industry Association of New York from 1944 to 1959; vice president of the Downtown Lower Manhattan Association, 1959-64, and president of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Economic Development Corp., in Philadelphia, 1964-1973. He sat on the New Canaan (Conn.) school board from 1961 to 1964 and on the New Canaan Board of Finance, 1958-61. He was editor of the Real Estate Finance Journal.

Classes taught by Mr. Zucker were known for bringing studies from the academic arena into real life. “Entrepreneurial Decision Making and Land Development” was a legendary course at Wharton, renown for the exhaustive requirements it placed on students. The case-study-based course was co-taught with industry leaders. Mr. Zucker’s Entrepreneurial Inner-City Housing Markets course, taught first at Wharton and later at the School of Design, introduced students to the challenges faced in redeveloping inner-city neighborhoods. The class was both practical and academic. Through the years, seven properties were restored and sold to first-time homeowners because of student efforts. Mr. Zucker liked to boast that not once was a class called back to repair defective construction.

Mr. Zucker is survived by his wife of 62 years, Kathlyn Saltman Zucker, and his children, Peter B. of Duvall Wash., Alison Broadbent of Santa Monica, Calif., Jeremy M. of Seattle, and David L. of Evergreen, Colo. Four grandchildren survive as well.

A memorial service is scheduled at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 24, in Cathedral Hall at Cathedral Village, 600 E. Cathedral Rd., in Andorra. Memorials may be made to Habitat for Humanity-Philadelphia, 1829 N. 19th St., Philadelphia, PA 19121.

Helen Jones

Helen Allen Jones, a longtime resident of Chestnut Hill who more recently resided in South Dartmouth and Westwood, Mass., died on Friday, May 12. She was 88.

Mrs. Jones devoted years to horticulture and artistic flower arrangements. She served as a vice president and director of the Garden Club of America and was chairwoman of its Flower Show Committee.

As an exhibitor, she won many prizes for arrangements in flower shows, as well as several achievement medals. She was an accredited artistic judge for more than a half-century.

In addition to her horticultural interests, she was a sports enthusiast with skills in tennis, sailing and ice-skating.

She married Horace C. Jones in 1940. He is a retired textile executive. The couple had seven children, Trina, Ann, Conrad, Joy, Margo, Joe and Spencer, as well as 22 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Jones was a Dame of Malta, and was active in church and parish activities in both Philadelphia and Dartmouth, Mass., where the family moved in 1990.

The family will celebrate her life privately at a funeral Mass on Monday and hold a memorial service early this summer in South Dartmouth, Mass., at a time to be announced. Donations in Helen Jones’ memory may be made to Kenwood Convent of the Sacred Heart, 799 S. Pearl St., Albany, NY 12202. To visit the guestbook online, go to www.gfdoherty.com.

Matilda Elizabeth Persiano

Matilda Elizabeth Persiano (nee Viola) of Horsham and formerly of Chestnut Hill, died on May 9, 2006. She was 85. She is survived by daughters Carolann V. Llewellyn and Marie M. Walters (Tom), and by three grandchildren, James R. Llewellyn, Rebecca L. Llewellyn and Matthew M. Walters.

Relatives and friends may call at Saint Catherine of Sienna church, 321 Witmer Rd., Horsham, at 9:45 a.m. Saturday, May 13, followed by funeral Mass at 11a.m. Interment will be at George Washington Memorial Park.

Flowers may be sent to the church or memorial donations may be made to the Central Association of the Miraculous Medal, 475 E. Chelten Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19144.

Julia Bodie

Julia Parazak Bodie

Julia Parazak Bodie died May 12. She has been a member of the Chestnut Hill community for almost 40 years.

Mrs. Bodie was the widow of Winfield W. Bodie and the mother of Walter Bodie, Pamela Richards and Wendy Ingersoll. Survivors also include her sister, Olga Curry, and seven grandchildren, Rebecca, Wesley, Samantha, Matthew, Lauren, Alexandra and Phoebe.

She worked 25 years as a secretary at Beaver College in the School of Graduate Studies.

After her retirement she volunteered at Woodmere Art Museum and Chestnut Hill Hospital. She was also an active member of Christ Ascension Lutheran Church of Chestnut Hill. Mrs. Bodie also took great pleasure in spending time with her grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at Christ Ascension Lutheran Church at 11 a.m. Friday, May 19.

Memorial contributions may be made to Christ Ascension Lutheran Church, 8300 Germantown Ave., Phila., PA 19118. The gifts will be designated, as Mrs. Bodie wished, to make the sanctuary more accessible to those with special needs.

Jeanne O’Reilly

Jeanne Tynan O’Reilly

Jeanne Tynan O’Reilly, 79, of Lafayette Hill, died on May 12.

Mrs. O’Reilly was born in New York and later moved to Philadelphia, where she attended Stevens School and graduated from Cecilian Academy and Chestnut Hill College. She lived most of her life in Chestnut Hill, settling in Lafayette Hill in 1987.

Mrs. O’Reilly was a passionate bridge player and was very active at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. She loved and spent as much time as possible in Southhold, L.I., where she first spent summers as a child. She enjoyed reading at the beach, walking in the Wissahickon and spending time with her family.

Mrs. O’Reilly is survived by her three children, Henry O’Reilly (Suzy), Katie Porter (Brooks) and Jenny Sweeney (Paul); and eight grandchildren, Edward, Bunny and Henry O’Reilly; Anna, Toby and Lulu Porter, and Mae and Polly Sweeney.

Donald Haley Brooks

Donald Haley Brooks

Donald Haley Brooks of Springfield Residence, Wyndmoor, and a former longtime resident of Erdenheim, died on Saturday, May 13. He was 87.

Mr. Brooks was born in Hampshire, Maury County, Tenn., on Aug. 19, 1919, the son of Enoch and Clara (Haley) Brooks. After attending the University of Mississippi, he joined the Navy as a pharmacist’s mate. He was attached to the 4th Marine Regiment and saw combat in Guam, Guadalcanal and Okinawa.

He was an accountant and office manager at Philco from 1945 to 1961, and at Gordon Davis Laundry Supply Co. until 1981. In his retirement, he became an avid walker and a dedicated volunteer at the Free Library of Springfield Township and Chestnut Hill Hospital.

Mr. Brooks is survived by his wife of 16 years, Mary Dixon (Walsh); daughters Tina Lamb (Stanford) of Philadelphia and Claire Mosher of Boston; sister Agnes Connor of Hampshire, Tenn., and grandchildren Anne Mosher and Andrea Mosher of Minneapolis, Minn., and Andrew Mosher of Boston. He was preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, Cecelia Anne Brooks (Farrell).

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 18, at St. Genevieve’s Church, 1225 Bethlehem Pike, Flourtown. Interment will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Friends may call at the church Thursday from 9 a.m.

Memorials may be made to the Friends of Hillcrest Pond, P.O. Box 13, Flourtown, PA, or to the Free Library of Springfield Township, 1600 Paper Mill Rd., Wyndmoor, PA 19038.

Anna van Gobes

Anne van Gobes (nee Gannett) died April 26 after a courageous struggle with A.L.S. (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

She is survived by her husband, Sylvain, and daughter Michele van Gobes (James Bullock) of Greensboro, N.C. Other survivors include a sister, Adele Cisco of Stuart, Fla. Relatives and friends may attend her Memorial Meeting for Worship on Saturday, May 20, at 2 p.m. at Germantown Friends Meeting, 47 W. Coulter St. Memorial donations may be made to A.L.S. 321 Norristown Rd., Suite 260, Ambler, PA. 19002