Robert Kopecek, Longtime President of NCC, Dies

President of Northampton Community College for 26 years, Kopecek led while campus, enrollment and community outreach expanded.

  Robert Kopecek, who led Northampton Community College for 26 years while it significantly expanded course offerings and more than tripled the size of its student enrollment, died at his home in North Carolina on Thursday, the school announced. A news release on the college Website said Kopecek is “remembered as a visionary and hard-driving leader, determined throughout his presidency to expand access to education, to foster economic development, and to make Northampton a world-class community college.” Kopecek took over from the college’s founding president, Richard C. Richardson, in 1977 and remained in that role until his retirement in 2003. He was replaced by Arthur L. Scott, who retired a year ago. While Kopecek was president at …

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Rev. Roger C. Fenstermaker: He Served Many Churches [Obituary]

Rev. Roger C. Fenstermaker, 81, of Allentown, passed away Wednesday, March 27, 2013.

Rev. Roger C. Fenstermaker, 81, of Allentown, passed away Wednesday, March 27, 2013, at home. He was the husband of Joan C. (Scanlin) Fenstermaker. They celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary in June. Born in Allentown, he was a son of the late Russell and Caroline D. (Caine) Fenstermaker. Roger received his Master of Divinity Degree from Evangelical Theological Seminary in Myerstown in 1961. He served churches in Catasauqua, Columbia, Jim Thorpe, Palmyra, Harrisburg, Allentown and Bethlehem before retiring. He was a member of St. Matthew’s Evangelical Church, Emmaus. Survivors: wife; brother, Thomas R. and his wife Carol A. of Allentown; brother-in-law Rev. Harold P. Scanlin and his wife Lenore of Allentown; nieces, Susan and Jill; …

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Retired Bethlehem Police Sergeant Dead at 95

John Shivek served on the Bethlehem Police Department for 30 years, retiring as a sergeant in 1980.

  John Shivek, who served as a Bethlehem police officer for 30 years, died on Monday. He was 95 years old. He was the husband of the late Helen (Hrivnak) Shivek, who died in 1995. Born in Bethlehem, he was the son of the late Joseph and Eva (Borda) Shivek Toth and a step-son of the late Alex Toth, the obituary on the Long Funeral Home Website says. According to the Bethlehem Police Blog, Shivek became a Bethlehem police officer on Aug. 1, 1950 and was promoted to the rank of sergeant in April 1968. He retired as a sergeant on Feb. 4, 1980. “We would like to honor Sergeant Shivek’s long service to our great city and thank him for his many years of dedication,” the blog said. Bethlehem police officers will be wearing a black mourning band …

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Former Steel Workers Local President Dies

Peter De Pietro devoted his life to helping workers and volunteering for other local causes.

  Peter M. De Pietro, a former president of the Steel Workers local union and a well-known community activist who was involved with many causes, died on Wednesday. He was 69 years old. A Freemansburg resident for his whole life, De Pietro was a graduate of Liberty High School and a U.S. Navy veteran, according to this obituary on the Connell Funeral Home website. After military service, De Pietro got a job with Bethlehem Steel and became active with the United Steel Workers union, ultimately becoming president of Local 2600. He fought for better safety conditions for workers and served on the grievance committee. In the 1990s, De Pietro was president of the Lehigh Valley Labor Council and became one of the driving forces behind the Lehigh …

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Dr. Joseph Bartos, 89, Had Family Practice for 52 Years

Longtime family doctor Joseph Bartos, 89, of Bethlehem, has died

Dr. Joseph E. Bartos, M.D., 89 of Bethlehem passed away on Friday, February 15, 2013 at home. He was born on March 18, 1923 in Bethlehem, son of the late John and Anna (Demyan) Bartos. He was the husband of Ethel (Daday) Bartos. They were married for 64 years in June of 2012. Dr. Bartos was a family physician in Bethlehem for 52 years before retiring in 2000. He attended St. Vincent’s Prep and St. Vincent’s College, Villanova University and Jefferson Medical College. He completed his residency in General Practice at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem. Dr. Bartos was a commissioned officer in the United States Navy, serving on the USS Alshain during the Korean Conflict. He was a member of the Northampton County Medical Society and was a …

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Obituary

Obituary: William L. Damiano, 77, Founder of Premise Maid Candies

William L. Damiano, 77, founder of Premise Maid Candies in Breinigsville, died Saturday in the Lehigh Valley Hospital Hospice Unit in Allentown.

William L. Damiano, 77, founder of Premise Maid Candies in Breinigsville died Saturday in the Hospice Unit of Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown after battling Parkinson’s Disease for 29 years. He was the husband of Frances (Cannariato) Damiano. They were married 54 years in October. Born in Nesquehoning, he was a son of the late Anthony and Carmella (Cardinale) Damiano. Bill was a professional and chemical engineer for Air Products and Chemicals Inc. Trexlertown. He earned a master of business administration degree from Lehigh University. He enjoyed building the candy business with his family and close friends and cherished his time with his grandchildren. He was a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Salisbury Township. Bill also …

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Obituary: Gary K. Wagner, Former Owner of Phoebe Floral

Gary K. Wagner, 66, of Upper Macungie, died Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012.

  Gary K. Wagner, 66, of Upper Macungie Township, passed away Thursday, December 20, 2012 at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township. He was the husband of Debra L. (Miller) Wagner, to whom he was married for over 20 years.  Born in Fogelsville, he was the son of the late Kermit D. and Pauline A. (Sechler) Wagner.  Gary was a 1965 graduate of Parkland High School and was inducted into the 2001 Parkland High School Athletic Hall of Fame for his impressive three-year (1963-1965) domination in District 11 Track and Field.  He won the District 11 100- and 220-yard dashes in three straight seasons and went on to win the state title in the 100 and 220 his junior and senior seasons.  Forty-seven years after graduating, Gary Wagner’s name …

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Coroner Seeking Kin of Allentown Man, 52

The Lehigh County coroner is trying to find the next of kin of an Allentown man who died Saturday

Anyone with information about the relatives of Raymond Rudd, Sr. -- a 52-year-old Allentown man who died Saturday -- is asked to contact the Lehigh County coroner's office at 610-782-3426. Rudd died at Sacred Heart Hospital. He lived at 122 N. 11th Street in Allentown. An autopsy was performed Monday but cause of death is pending results of toxicology tests, according to the coroner's office.

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Arlen Specter Celebrated at Funeral by Friends, Family and the Famous

Vice President Joe Biden was among those to speak about the 82-year-old former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania who died Sunday.

Former U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) was remembered by loved ones Tuesday as a man of independence, virtue and influence, with well over 1,000 people, including Vice President Joe Biden, filling a suburban Philadelphia synagogue for his funeral. Har Zion Temple in Lower Merion Township's Penn Valley held the 90-minute ceremony before Specter, who died Sunday at 82 in his Philadelphia home, was to be buried in Huntington Valley. Pallbearers wheeled his American flag-draped casket out of the temple as Frank Sinatra's "My Way" played. Before the funeral, the Specter family greeted a steady stream of mourners that began pouring in more than two hours early. Many of those who waited were heard talking politics, as might be expected at the …

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