All Obituaries

Ardene Thomas Welty of Taneytown passed away peacefully, Friday, June 18, 2021 at the Transitions Healthcare in Gettysburg.  Born January 20, 1939 in Westminster, she was the daughter of the late John M. Thomas and Mae Thomas, nee Owings; she was the beloved significant other of William Phillips of Taneytown; devoted mother of Amy R. Eyler and her husband Donald; loving grandmother of Andrew Eyler and his wife Allison, and Joseph Eyler; cherished great grandmother of Kinlee, Kylee, and...

     Carl Dean Brown, born December 19, 1934, son of the late Mary Shaeffer Brown and George Brown, Sr., a lifelong resident of the Taneytown area, passed away on June 12, 2021. He was 86 years old.      Dean graduated from Taneytown High School in 1953. He was married to the late Nadine Shirley Schwartz (1936-1984) on April 9, 1955; and to the late Wilma Jeanne Wood who passed away in 2019.       He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church....

Victoria Ann Packer, 59, of Hanover, PA, passed away on Monday, June 7, 2021, at UPMC Hanover. Born October 31, 1961, in Rockville, MD, she was the dedicated partner of Dennis Taylor; beloved mother of Miriam Chiaruttini and husband Jordan, of Gettysburg, and John Packer and wife Brandy, of Hanover; loving grandmother to Ava, Aaliyah, Addison, Liam, and Millie; and beloved sibling of Cindy Cowman, Eve, Spence, Patricia, George, Paul, Eleanor, Mark, and Bruce Raezer. Victoria loved to...

Francis Joseph “Polly” Medvid of Emmitsburg, MD passed away on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at the age of 82.  Polly was born on November 19, 1938 in Boston, MA to Stanley Medvid and Anna Ring.  He was raised by foster parents, Frank and Ruth Stull in Thurmont, MD. Polly was a dedicated employee of Knouse Foods in Orrtanna, PA for over 40 years. He worked as a fork-lift operator in the warehouse freezer until his retirement in 2007. Polly was also a member of the Safety...

Mary Patricia Long, 89, of Catonsville, MD, passed away on Thursday, June 3, 2021 at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, MD.  Born January 10, 1932 in Baltimore, she was the daughter of the late Milton and Mary Frances (Szymanski) Carter.  She was the wife of the late Edward Long.  She was also predeceased by her former husband, Neal Shea. Mary was a graduate of Seton High School in Baltimore, where she excelled in girls’ basketball.  She worked at the A&P Grocery...

Janet Rosalie Miller, nee Bair, 91, of Westminster passed away, Thursday, June 3, 2021, at her home surrounded by her family.  Born July 22, 1929, in Carroll County, MD, she was the daughter of the late Howard L. Bair, Sr. and Mamie B. Bair; beloved wife of the late Vernon S. Miller, who she married January 27, 1951; loving mother of Sherman Lee Miller and Susan L. Turfle and her husband Kenneth W.; devoted grandmother of five, Jonathan M. Green-whom she and her husband raised after his...

Gary Wayne Beard, 73, of Westminster graduated to heaven, Wednesday, June 2, 2021, at his home.  Born January 22, 1948, in Martinsburg, West Virginia, he was the son of the late Lester and Wanda Beard, nee Roger; and he was the loving husband of Darlene Carpenter Beard. He had an illustrious teaching career which spanned 50 years in four Christian schools.  He was dedicated to his family and his ministry and touched many lives.  He was a long-time member of the Church of the...

Sharon Marie Koester, 81, of Taneytown, MD, died Sunday, May 30, 2021 at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore.  Born August 19, 1939 in Sayre, PA, she was the daughter of the late Francis and Marguerite (Munkittrick) Rockefeller.  She was the wife of the late Paul J. Koester, her husband of 55 years.  He passed in March of 2019. Sharon was an analyst with the Social Security Administration.  She was a member of Tom’s Creek United Methodist Church.  She enjoyed...

Laurel “Laurie” McIntire Penn, 61, of New Windsor, Maryland, died peacefully at home surrounded by her family on Friday, April 3, 2020 after a long journey, courageously battling breast cancer. Born August 5, 1958 in Westminster, Maryland, she was the daughter of the late T. Bryan McIntire and Carole (Wood) McIntire.  She was the loving and devoted wife of 38 years to David W. Penn. Laurie worked for McDaniel College in Westminster.  She was an active member of St....

Thoma Petersen, 98, of Wheaton, Maryland, died peacefully surrounded by her family at her son’s home in Woodbine, Maryland. Born December 20, 1922 in Skudeneshavn, Norway she was the daughter of the late Monrad and Anna (Eide) Haynes.  She was the beloved wife of the late Rodney Peter Petersen. Thoma was a member of Saint Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church in Silver Spring, Maryland.  She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her. Surviving are daughter, Kim M. de...