Dan A. Burgess, 68 of Towanda, Pa. (Burlington Township), passed away at Towanda Memorial Hospital on Monday, Dec. 31, 2018.   Dan Austin Burgess was born May 23, 1950 in Towanda. He was a son of the late Kasper Bellows, who died when Dan was very young, and the late Ellen (Burgess) Sargeant.
Dan established and operated the Burgess Well Drilling Company near Burlington, Pa. for over 20 years until retiring in 2006. Dan always was an active person with many interests and remained active after retirement. He also sold Kioti and Simplicity Tractors, Old Hickory Sheds and Carports. He especially loved to visit with family and friends.  In earlier years, Dan played guitar in a band and also played in Nashville for a time.  He enjoyed tinkering and drag racing.  He was a faithful member of the Kingdom Hall Of Jehovah’s Witness Church in Towanda where he was baptized in 1985.  On Apr. 9, 1988, he married the former Ileen Lewis in Towanda.   

   Sylvia A. Beyer, 81 of Columbia Cross Roads, Pa. (Columbia Twp.), passed away unexpectedly at home while surrounded by loved ones on Monday, Dec. 31, 2018.
​   Born Aug. 26, 1937 in Kulpsville, Pa.; Sylvia, “Syl” to family and friends, was a daughter of the late Markley M. and Amy (Miles) Ruth.  She was a graduate of Collegeville – Trapp High School.  Sylvia married Donald Beyer, Jr. on Oct. 29, 1955 in Skippack.  Love for family and friends came first in Syl’s life.  In addition to being a devoted wife and mother, she especially enjoyed traveling, camping, playing golf, square dancing, cross stitch and making latch hook rugs; she was indeed a multi-talented crafter.  In earlier years, Syl was drawn to the arts and acting.  She loved her involvements with the Playcrafters and Skippack Threatre groups.

  Minnie L. Hunter, 86 of Ralston, Pa. peacefully passed away while surrounded by her loving family on Friday evening, Dec. 28, 2018, at Manor Care South in Williamsport.
​  Born July 15, 1932, in Crandletown, Pa. (Lycoming County near Pleasant Stream), Minnie Louise was a daughter of the late Donald and Nola (Barnett) Oliver.  She married the love of her life, Robert C. “Bob” Hunter, on Oct. 11, 1953.  They were blessed with five children and over 40 wonderful years together before his passing on Feb. 3, 1994.
   Caring for family and home came first in Minnie’s life. “Grandma Hunny” to her grandchildren, Minnie also helped in raising many of the kids in the Ralston area.  She will be remembered by all who knew her as a loving and supportive person who instilled that quality on to her family.  She was a member of the Ralston United Methodist Church.  Minnie enjoyed bird watching. Cardinals were her favorite.  She also loved yellow roses.

   ​A Memorial Service and Celebration of life for J. William “Bill” Swingle will be held 11 a.m. Thursday Dec. 27, 2018 at the East Canton United Methodist Church, with his long-time friend, Rev. Duane Taylor officiating. Military honors will be accorded.  The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service from 10-11 a.m.  Immediately following the service a luncheon will be held downstairs in the Church and all are welcome.
Bill was a life-long resident of Canton, Pa. and passed away Saturday morning, Oct. 27, 2018 at the Guthrie Troy Community Hospital while surrounded by family. He was 83 years old.
John William, “Bill” to family and friends, was born Feb. 11, 1935 at the family home in Canton Township, a son of the late John A. and Helen (Jones) Swingle. He was a 1952 graduate of Canton High School and graduated from Penn State University majoring in Animal Husbandry studies. He also served in the U.S. Army and National Guard from 1956 – 1962. Bill found his calling early in life as a dairy farmer and steward of the land. With dedicated work and insight, he and his father improved the farm and livestock, establishing The Swingle Jersey Farm. His registered herd of Jerseys were shown for many years at the Troy Fair and the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. On Apr. 18, 1975, Bill and the former Pauline Wilcox Haflett were married in the Canton Church of Christ (DOC).

  On the morning of Dec. 19, 2018, Frederick Franklin Young, Jr.  of Canton passed away quietly at Robert Packer Hospital. He was 70 years of age, and husband of the former Christine Ellis.   
   Born Sept. 2, 1948 in Sayre, he was the son of Frederick F. and Gladys Young, Sr. Fred was a kind, gentle soul who worked for many years as a caregiver for disabled adults.  His smile could light up a room.  He made friends easily and was always looking for ways to help others.  Fred also had an unshakable faith in the Lord, and was a member of the Church of Christ (Disciples of Christ) in Canton.

   On the morning of Dec. 19, 2018, Norma Louise (Benson) Spencer of Troy went home to be with the Lord  after a courageous battle with a debilitating illness. She was 59 years of age.  
   Born in Blossburg on Oct. 10, 1959, she was the daughter of the late Robert and Gertrude (Burguess) Benson.   She was also the widow of the late Shawn Spencer, with whom she raised four children. Throughout her adult life, Norma worked as a home healthcare aid, a testimony to her loving and giving nature.   She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother, who enjoyed nothing more than being with her family. Norma was also a woman of faith, and enjoyed worshipping at Victory Church in Troy.

 Patricia Ann Ollock, 66 of Mainesburg, Pa., died Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018 at the Geisinger Danville Medical Center with her family by her side. 
  Pat was born Apr. 4, 1952 in Philadelphia, Pa. to Helen M. Welsh and Christopher Taylor, East Falls, Philadelphia, Pa.
  She married Dr. Stephen B. Ollock on Oct. 5, 1974.
​   She is survived by her sister, Helen Walsack; brother-in -law, Paul Walsack; twin sister, Virginia A. North; sons, Kevin Ollock, Dr. Stephen J. Ollock, Ryan Ollock; daughter-in-law, Lindsay Ollock;  granddaughter, Joy Ella and was a Loving Aunt to many nieces and nephews.

 Scott Skinner of Middlesex, 76, died on Dec. 15, 2018, from complications from a lung disease he had for a number of years. He was born on May 31, 1942, in northern Pennsylvania, the oldest of four children born to Mary Van Dyne and Osmun Skinner. He spent his early years in Troy, Pa., where his mother’s family had lived for generations, having moved from Addison County, VT in 1802.
  He was a happy child and inherited a strong sense of humor from his mother and his grandfather, Henry Van Dyne. He liked to say one of his goals in life was to make someone laugh every day and he generally thought that he had succeeded.
  Scott attended elementary and middle school in the local Troy schools. Summers were spent at nearby Mountain Lake where he became a strong swimmer and a devoted hunter of turtles. Starting at age 12, he worked every summer, including a stint as a dishwasher in a Boy Scout camp, but primarily as a house painter.
​   He was a very active Boy Scout and reached the rank of Eagle Scout when he was barely 13, at the time the youngest Eagle Scout in Pennsylvania history. Scott like to joke that his greatest scouting skill was ferreting obscure merit badges.