Tributes to Librarians

Churchville, Lida H. PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Lida Holland Churchville, 92, died on April 10, 2026, in Providence, R.I. She will be remembered by her family and friends for her endless curiosity, her energy, her kind and generous nature, and above all, for her welcoming smile. Lida was born on May 5,...

Ann Sherrill Reedy passed away on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The family is being cared for by Bennett-May & Pierce Funeral Home and Crematory.

Lea Ann Creager Bates passed away on Saturday, April 11, 2026. The family is being cared for by Walker Mortuary - Morgan.

When an elder passes, a library burns. Here are just a few details from the story of Patricia McCourt DiTata’s life. Pat was born on April 8, 1941 to Edna and Frank McCourt in Corinth, New York, where she enjoyed a wonderful childhood. After attending the University of Maine, she met her husband,...

Dolores Anne Maria Schwartz Leigh, 83, died Friday April 10, 2026, at her home in Paris, KY. She was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, she served in the Air Force and was a retired Librarian and she also volunteered at the Paris-Bourbon County Public Library for many years. Dolores is survived...

SALEM - Laura Colby Luckey, a distinguished museum director, curator, scholar, and advocate for American art, passed away peacefully at her home in Salam MA on March 26, 2026, with her two Siamese cats “Otis & Nellie” by her side. She leaves a legacy defined by intellectual rigor,...

Teresa (Brennan) Stoller, 63, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, passed away on April 12, 2026. Arrangements by D.O. McComb & Sons Funeral Homes, 1320 E Dupont Rd, Fort Wayne, IN 46825.

Paula K. Henson, loving wife of Scott Henson, passed away peacefully April 15, 2026, at her Augusta, Georgia home surrounded by family and friends. Paula retired from Reese Library at Augusta State University. She was an avid reader, loved to travel and work in her rose garden and make the inside...

Gayle S Cunningham passed away on Monday, April 13, 2026. The family is being cared for by Ehorn-Adams Funeral Home.

Marilyn Lawrence, affectionately known as "Twinkle Toes", was a beacon of compassion and boundless love. Born on August 15, 1949, in Ogden, UT, Marilyn lived a life steeped in courage and adventure. She was a true testament of goodwill, an embodiment of selflessness, touching countless lives...

Marla J. Comtois Saginaw, Michigan Beloved mother, grandmother and sister passed away on Tuesday April 14, 2026. Age 83 years. The daughter of the late Edgar and Lucy (Wallace) McWethy, Marla was born on May 21, 1942 in Pontiac, Michigan. She married Kenneth Comtois on September 12, 1964. He...

Annette M. Parker (nee Kirkpatrick), age 86, longtime resident of Riverside, NJ, passed away peacefully in her sleep on April 13, 2026. Annette was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA to the late Thomas and Annette Kirkpatrick, and has been a resident of Riverside for over 61 years. She worked as...

Richard Lewis Roberts passed away on Monday, April 13, 2026. The family is being cared for by Lawrence T. Miller Funeral Home, Inc..

Ann Rochelle Mills passed away on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The family is being cared for by Southern Cremations & Funerals at Cheatham Hill Memorial Park - Marietta.

Eleanor Cartwright, 90, of East Canton, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, April 13, 2026. She was born in Canton, Ohio, on October 30, 1935, to the late Elmer and Hazel (Slabaugh) Aukerman, and remained a lifelong resident of East Canton. Eleanor devoted the early years of her life to...

Beverly Beach Grant, age 100, of Stow, OH, formerly of Hudson, OH, passed away peacefully Sunday, April 12, 2026 with her family by her side. Bev was born to the late Charles Spurgeon and Gladys (nee Williams) Beach and grew up in Poultney Vt. While in high school, Bev served as a plane spotter...

Page Dennis Spencer passed away on Sunday, March 29, 2026. The family is being cared for by Billings Cremation & Burial Services.

Carol Anne Rosen, of Bowie, Maryland, died peacefully due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease on March 24, 2026. She was 84. Carol Anne Rosen, maiden name Einwich, was born on February 21, 1942 to Joseph and Anna Einwich in Baltimore, Maryland. She and her three sisters, Trudy, JoAnn, and...

Maria F. Barradas passed away on Saturday, April 4, 2026. The family is being cared for by Chapel of the Chimes Hayward Funeral Home & Memorial Park.

Deborah "Debby" June Gage Thomas, 75, of Starkville, was called from this life into the arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on April 2, 2026 surrounded by her family with love. Born on January 26, 1951 to Dale and Agnes Gage in Ozark, Arkansas, Debby was the youngest of three siblings,...

Kenneth Billy Williamson passed away on Saturday, April 11, 2026. The family is being cared for by Forest Lawn Funeral Home.

Barbara Tillman, 85. of Bolivar, died Monday, April 13, 2026 at Country Club Care Center in Dover.. Born August 8, 1940 in Kingsville, Texas, she was a daughter of the late Leslie "Hal" and Lula Evelyn (Walker) Ballard.. Barbara retired as librarian at Midland County Public Library in Texas. She...

Rev. Jean Christine McIlvain passed away on Thursday, April 9, 2026. The family is being cared for by Tatalovich Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc. - Aliquippa.

Sister Kathleen Flanagan, OSB, 70, a Benedictine sister of Mount St. Scholastica, Atchison, Kans., died Monday, April 6, 2026, at the monastery. The vigil service will be Sunday, April 19, at 7 p.m. in the monastery chapel, and the Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated there Monday, April 20,...

Services for Marlene Ditzler, 86, of Fairmont, MN, will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, April 17, 2026, at the United Methodist Church in Fairmont. Visitation will be 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, April 16, 2026, at the Lakeview Funeral Home in Fairmont. Marlene passed away peacefully with her...

Martha Ann Giles, age 98, of Kennesaw, GA passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 12, 2026. The family will receive friends from 12pm until 2pm on Sunday, April 19, 2026 at West Cobb Funeral Home and Crematory in Marietta. Born on November 27, 1927 in Birmingham, AL to Philip Dodd...

Helena L. Buccigross, age 84, of Plymouth, passed away on Friday, April 10, 2026, at Bay Path Center in Duxbury. She was the beloved wife of James T. Buccigross and the daughter of the late Thomas J. and Mary V. (Wade) O’Keefe. Born in Revere on May 5, 1942, Helena also lived in Everett,...

Catharine Marie (Girvin) Owen died peacefully on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, surrounded by her children in Blandon, PA. Born in Philadelphia, PA, Cathy was one of two children born to Robert and Dorothy (Deppen) Girvin. She was predeceased by her identical twin sister, Anne Gabriel (Girvin) Farris,...

Aaronson, Phyllis (née Herzog) Phyllis Aaronson, 93, of Somerville, NJ, passed away peacefully on April 8, 2026, following a brief illness, just two days shy of her 94th birthday. Phyllis was a woman of profound strength, intellect, and grit. Born in New York City on April 10, 1932, to Henry and...

Constance "Connie" Rafelson returned to God at age 78 in the wee hours of Tuesday, April 14th, 2026, in Moorestown, New Jersey, having been kissed goodbye just hours earlier by her family, her granddog Franklin, the breeze from budding cherry blossoms, and the melodies of her friends George, Van,...

Valerie M. Cosgrove, of Ridgefield, CT, passed away peacefully at home, on April 10, surrounded by her loving family. Valerie was born in Tarrytown, NY, the eldest of five children. She took great pride in her Italian heritage and love of “famiglia.” Valerie learned from a very young age the...

James 'Jim' D. Eklund, Sr. Born: March 17, 1937 Died: April 3, 2026 James "Jim" D. Eklund, Sr., 89, a lifelong resident of Sycamore, passed away peacefully at home at the age of 89, surrounded by his wife of 55 years, Edith. Born on St. Patrick's Day 1937 on his mother's kitchen table. Jim was...

Lewisville, TX – Carol Ann Martin passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by her loving family, on April 10, 2026. She was born on September 5, 1935, in Temple, Texas, to Robert and Dorothy Shaffer. Carol graduated from Temple High School and Temple Junior College. She married Don R....

Louise Oletta Baugh passed away on Monday, April 13, 2026. The family is being cared for by Brown's Memorial Funeral Home, Inc..

Sr. Barbara Marie Dupuis, MSC (AKA Sr. Mary Adelaide and affectionately known as Sr. Addy) was born September 18, 1930 in Port Arthur, Texas. She died at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Nursing Home in Opelousas, Louisiana on April 12, 2026 at 12:20 PM. Sr. Barbara was preceded in death by her father,...

Jane M. (Tessier) Raboin, 85, of Rochdale, MA died Saturday April 11th at home surrounded by her loved ones. Jane was born 07/20/1940 in Leominster to Wilfred and Mary (Enright) Tessier. As a young lady and an avid reader, she was a librarian for the Leominster library. After marrying, she was a...

Jerry Elvin Barrett passed away on Saturday, April 11, 2026. The family is being cared for by Hixson Brothers Funeral Homes - Pineville.

Janis Lancaster passed away on Sunday, April 12, 2026. The family is being cared for by Roller-Citizens Funeral Home - West Memphis.

John Ralph Reed passed away on Friday, April 10, 2026. The family is being cared for by Ott/ Haverstock Funeral Chapel, Inc..

Carrie Kirby Ely, a lifelong resident of Saucier, Mississippi, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at the age of 62. She was surrounded by the family she loved so dearly. For over 25 years, Carrie was a cherished librarian within the Gulfport and Harrison County School Districts....

Esther Caroline Strobel Thomas, 94, a lifelong member of the Order of the Eastern Star, and member of the Marshallton United Methodist Church, was reunited with her husband of 59 years James Wilson Thomas (who she affectionately called “Tom”), mother Esther Sophia Menger Strobel, father Albert...

Mary Ann Bibens (Hammons) passed away on Sunday, April 12, 2026. The family is being cared for by Meyers Funeral Chapel - Northland.

MARY PATRICIA “MARY PAT” HARNEGIE (nee Kullen) was the first-born of ten little miracles to the late Peter R. and Phyllis C. Kullen. She came into this world and was raised in the small steel town of Beaver, PA, northwest of Pittsburgh, and from the very beginning, she stood out. To...

James J. Mason was born on December 3, 1930, the son of Frank C. Mason and Julia Frances Burke Mason. He was raised in Lynbrook, Long Island, where he attended Catholic elementary school. After graduating from prep school, he received a B.A. from Villanova University in 1952, an LL.B. from St....

Louis "Louie" Merrill Buckler, 86, of Charlotte Hall, MD, passed away on April 3, 2026, peacefully and at home with his loving wife by his side. On October 15, 1939, Louie was born at home in Dubois, Maryland, to the late Joseph Gwynn and Dorothy Marion (Wood) Buckler. As a small child, Louis'...

Mardelle Carter passed away on Monday, April 13, 2026, after an extended stay at Baptist Village. Mardelle Cawley Carter was born June 30, 1931, in Waynesboro, Georgia. She was the daughter of Forest Phillip Cawley, Sr. and Ruth Inez Odom Cawley. She lived in Waynesboro eight years before moving...

Artist, poet and filmmaker David Reed Fithian, 79, passed March 18, 2026, at home in DeLand. A celebration of Fithian's life will be noon-4 p.m. Sunday, May 17, at Cafe DaVinci, 112 W. Georgia Ave., DeLand. All are welcome to attend. Born in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Fithian grew up in Daytona...

Teresa “Terry” Kay Montgomery, age 70, of Ozark, Missouri, passed away peacefully on April 14,2026. She was born on December 1, 1955, in Scottsburg, Indiana, to Alan and Phyllis Morgan. Terry graduated from Austin High School, where she met her high school sweetheart, Gary Montgomery,...

Norma Joyce Cardwell Murphy, age 91, passed away peacefully on April 10, 2026. She was born in Athens, Louisiana, to Wilbur Cardwell and Velma Penix Cardwell. Norma was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Pat Ray Cardwell; and her sister, Virginia Fay Bridges. She is lovingly survived...

Savannah - Susan Elaine Kikkert Harvey, 82, passed away Saturday, April 4, 2026, at Memorial Health in Savannah. She was born on August 4, 1943, in Passaic, New Jersey to the late Cornelius and Marie Zeim Kikkert. She graduated from Belleville High School, Belleville, NJ in 1961, and received her...