Donald J. Kovacic
October 11, 1938-October 20, 2022
Age 84, of Pittsburgh entered into God's Eternal Kingdom on October 20, 2022 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Donald was born on the Kovacic farm in Herrick Center on October 11, 1938. He was the youngest of 12 children born to Carl and Sophie Kovacic. He is survived by his sister, Josephine Lensler, of Odenton, MD; two brothers, Leon Kovacic of Johnson City, NY, and Paul Kovacic of Las Vegas, NV; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Carl and Sophie (Bucinell) Kovacic; two sisters, Mary Brownell and Irene Bacon; and six brothers, Cyril, David, Joseph, Evan, Francis, and Carl Kovacic.
Due to a severe hearing impairment, Donald was enrolled at the Scranton State
School for the Deaf at the age of four where he joined his sister. After seven years, Donald and his sister transferred to the DePaul Institute for the Deaf in Pittsburgh. He completed his high school education at St. Rose High School in Carbondale and attended Gallaudet University in Washington, DC for three years.
Following his education, he spent time with the Holy Ghost Fathers as a religious
brother, worked as a carpenter in Washington, DC and Herrick Center, and then at the Endicott Johnson Shoe factory in Forest City. He lived with his mother, caring for her until her death in 1993, and moved to Pittsburgh in 2005.
Donald had an amazing ability to do just about anything. He was a dairy farmer, a woodsman, a talented carpenter, and was adept at plumbing, electrical work, welding, and was a skilled mechanic for almost any machine. He also had a talent for setting up his computer system and video displays to allow him to communicate with his hearing-impaired sister and niece via lip reading and sign language.
His work ethic was the talk of his neighbors. Donald was a devout Catholic and loved every member of his family without exception. He loved spending time and laughing with his family.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 AM on October 28th at St. Catherine of Sweden church in Allison Park. Donald will be buried at St. Joseph's cemetery in Forest City.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Francis Assisi Deaf Catholic Church for the Catholic Deaf Center at 7202 Buchanan St., Landover Hills, MD 20784, or to a charity of your choice.
Posted on October 26, 2022
Notes:
The link to the obituary is: https://obituaries.post-gazette.com/obituary/donald-j-kovacic-1086524984
Findings on our Classmates, Gary Lamb and Margaret Freeman
The next thing that I checked would be an obituary online and with their last name being so common, thousands to look up. I decided to switch to Ancestry.com. Bingo, I found Gary Joseph Lamb with his birthdate and from AZ who passed away June 19 2009. Reported to Roger Claussen of my findings and to the Alumni office.
Gary Lamb, 1966
I could not find Margaret Freeman since it is a relatively common name both online and Ancestry. Based on my conversation with Linda C Tom who reported learning from her that her plans were to move to NY earlier this year from AZ. She was at that time living in a Cardinal Management apartment for the Deaf called Apache ASL Trails in Tempe AZ. I decided to contact a close friend of mine who works for Cardinal
Capital Management in Wisconsin and was able to get more details of Margaret
Freeman's passing, I also asked for her birthdate (4/16/1946) and the date of her
death, 6/11/2022. It was her son, Jason, who found her dead in her apartment.
Margaret Freeman, 1966
I know it is quite lengthy to read but no obituary to share so I decided to share what I discovered. I am asking you all to have a moment of silence thinking of them as they travel into the next chapter of their lives. Rest in Peace both Gary and Margaret, you are not forgotten by us.
I could not have investigated this further without Roger's findings and the actual credit goes to Roger. Thank you, Roger, for getting me involved in this investigation I was able to discover and find facts to share.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Benziger
John “Jack” Jensen of Arizona passed away on July 9, 2022 of a long illness.
According to the Tower Clock yearbooks, John Jensen of California attended Gallaudet from 1966 to 1968.
He wrote an interesting article about living on the farmstead in Minnesota that appeared in the Class of 1971 Newsletter, February 2002, p 7.
Source:
Graeme Harrison
Tom Benziger
Class of 1971 Newsletter, 2002
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Dorothy Fallon
Dorothy Lea Fallon, born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania on November 17, 1946, passed away in Westerville Ohio on April 25, 2022.
She was a resident at Columbus Colony Elder Care. The cause of death was Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
She is predeceased in death by her parents, John and Dorothy Fallon; and is survived by sister Linda (Bill) Pastore of Austin, Texas; brother Jack Fallon and sister Eileen (Derry) Barker, both of Sarver, PA; nephews Cody (Gabrielle) and Troy Barker, aunts, cousins, and many friends.
Dorothy, nicknamed Dottie Lea, attended DePaul Institute, the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and Gallaudet University.
She was employed by the U.S. Postal Service in Virginia for over 20 years.
Dorothy drove all over the United States in her VW Beetle on vacation – and also toured Europe, including a river voyage through France. Throughout these travels and life, she enjoyed a terrific sense of humor. When faced with life’s obstacles, Dorothy acted with immense courage and grace.
She has been interred in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Scott Township, PA. A memorial service will be held in early October 2022.
Sources:
- Ann Karcher Cole, ‘71
- http://www.wpsdalumni.org/
- Gallaudet University Golden Anniversary Class of 1971 Memory Book, 2021
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Roger C. Thompson
Photos: 1971 (upper); current (lower)
Roger passed away on Thursday morning, April 7, 2022, at Valley Vue Care Center in Armstrong, IA. Memorial Services for Roger C. Thompson, 75, of East Chain, MN was held on April 12, 2022 with a meal and visitation following the service until 7:00 PM at Lakeview Funeral Home in Fairmont. Burial is at the Oakwood Cemetery in East Chain.
Roger Cecil Thompson was born on October 1, 1946 to Merwin and Helen (Zoeller) Thompson in Fairmont, MN. He graduated from Minnesota School for the Deaf in Faribault, MN and then went on to graduate from Gallaudet University in Washington D.C in 1970. Roger was united in marriage to Donna Bosek on July 17, 1971 in Riverside, IL.
Roger grew up on the farm and farmed and raised breeding hogs for many years. In 1992, Roger decided to find time to slow down and smell the roses after quitting the large-scale swine production. He bought land and completed a log cabin project at the end of the Gunflint Trail on the shores of Lake Saganaga and Sea Gull River. Roger loved the outdoors and spent many winters up at the cabin where he was able to do his favorite things including reading, canoeing, fishing, cross country skiing, and feeding and identifying birds.
Those left to cherish his memory include his children, Tony Thompson, Tara (Justin) Thedens and Todd (Malorie) Thompson; grandchildren, Oliver and Nola Thedens and Elsa, Vaughn and Deacon Thompson; brother-in-law, Wallace Christ; mother of Roger’s children, Donna Bosek; and other extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Merwin and Helen Thompson; sister, Marilyn Christ; and niece, Kristin Christ.
Sources:
https://usobit.com/obituaries-
Thanks goes to Katie Russell Setzer for sharing it with us…
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Dorothy Marlene Garcia
Oct. 12, 1945 to Feb. 15, 2022
Dorothy Marlene Garcia, 76, of Morganton, NC passed away Tuesday, February 15, 2022. She was born October 12, 1945 in Modesto, California to Nolan and Dorothy (Herzog) Murrell. At the age of two, Marlene was hospitalized with influenza spinal meningitis. The virus took her hearing, but, as she continued to do her entire life, she adapted.
After attending several schools for the handicapped in her childhood she found a place to prosper in the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, California and then CSD in Berkley. There she met the love of her life on her way to graduating in 1966. She went on to graduate from Gallaudet College in Washington D.C. in 1972.
During her time at Gallaudet she married her high school sweetheart, Phillip Michael Garcia, in Willow Springs, Missouri where her family had relocated. After graduation, she followed Phillip to Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (not Virginia as they both expected…). While there, she taught local parents American Sign Language to help them communicate with their deaf children before teaching children at Abraham Lincoln School.
In 1975, they made their decision to move back stateside and joined friends and a strong deaf community in Morganton, NC. Marlene began teaching elementary school and spent 30 years working with students. She loved teaching and she took pride in watching her students advance and grow at the NC School for the Deaf.
Marlene was an active in the National Association for the Deaf, Junior National Association for the Deaf, and NCSD’s Booster club to name a few. In her personal time, she loved her bridge club, noon lunches and her Red Hat Society. Much like her mom before her, she enjoyed (and relished in winning) at any card game you put in front of her. She had many crafting hobbies and her cross stitching found its way into many family and friend’s homes.
Adapting again, after the loss of her daughter, she had been raising her granddaughter since 2014, a role she cherished. She had many roles throughout life: sister, educator, mother, grandmother, UNC basketball fan among the many and she poured her heart into each and every one.
Marlene was preceded in death by her parents, Nolan and Dorothy Murrell, her daughter, Melissa Diane Garcia and her brother Franklin Oscar Murrell.
She is survived by her loving husband of over 50 years, Phillip Michael Garcia and her granddaughter Carlee Mae Garcia of the family home; her son, Phillip Scott Garcia (wife, Debbie McDermott) of Durham, NC; her brothers, Nolan Murrell (wife, Kay) of Redmond, OR, Everett Murrell (wife, Jeannie) of Oceanside, CA, Thomas Cain (wife, Lana) of Mountain Grove, MO, Lonnie Cain (wife, Linda) of Willow Springs, MO, and Stillman Cain of Mountain Grove, MO; sister and best friend, Diane Jeffery of Willow Springs, MO; sisters-in-law Janice Murrell of Bend, OR Linda Mattson (husband, Ken) of Morganton; and numerous nieces and nephews. She loved her entire family dearly.
A celebration of Marlene’s life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the NCSD at Morganton Foundation, P.O. Box 1397, Morganton, NC 28680.
Source:
https://www.sossomanfh.com/
Thanks:
Tom Benziger
Mary G. Yeh
According to Marlene Garcia’s sister, Diane Jeffrey’s message, Marlene was at the dialysis center on February 15, 2022 and her oxygen level was low. She was put in an ambulance to go to the ER however, her heart stopped on the way and they were unable to revive her.
Marlene is preceded in death by her daughter, Melissa. She is survived by her husband, Phillip, Son Scotty, Daughter-in-law Debbie and Melissa’s daughter, Carlee.
Marlene’s profile in the Golden Anniversary Memory Book (2021) stated that she:
- taught at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, 1972-1974
- was Elementary School Teacher at North Carolina School for the Deaf in Morganton, NC, 1974-2004; retired in 2004
- was an active member of Burke County Deaf Club in Morganton since 1995.
Our sympathy goes to Phillip and his family.
Sources:
Tom Benziger
Jane Kuzoian
Mary G. Yeh
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Linda Svarney
1948-2022
Linda Svarney died of a heart attack on January 16, 2022. She is survived by her Deaf son, Ladimer “Lad” Baird, Deaf daughter-in-law, Colleen and their children in Indiana. Linda was a doting grandmother of four grandchildren, Skyla, River (Deaf), Isla and Sienna (Deaf).
Our thoughts are with Linda’s family.
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Nancy Thayer Daniels
1948-2022
- Graduated from Michigan School for the Deaf (MSD)
- Our classmate at Gallaudet from 1966-1968
- Three children – two of them are Deaf from her first marriage
- Married the late Ronnie Zuchegno, E-‘71 in 1997
- Retired from MSD in 2008 after 32 years of service
- Became a widow in 2009
- Married Philip Daniels, ’69 in 2015
- Proud grandmother to several grandchildren
- Active member of the Flint Association of the Deaf
= = = = =
Sources:
Jane Kuzoian
Tom Benziger
Class of 1971 Golden Anniversary Memory Book
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There is a website on Nancy Thayer Daniels passing... Hopefully additional information will be provided later.
(Nelson-House Funeral Homes in Owosso, MI)
Nancy Thayer
February 18, 1948-January 7, 2022
Age 73 of Swartz Creek passed away Friday, January 7, 2022.
Further arrangements will be announced for Nancy.
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