Obituaries

  Richard Thomas Garraffa, 75, of Bethlehem Twp., passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Friday, May 13, 2022. He was the beloved husband of Nancy (McKendrick) Garraffa with whom he shared over 32 years of loving marriage. Born on March 30, 1947 in Jamaica Queens, NY he was the son of the late Robert and Margaret (Gondolfo) Garraffa.  Richard was an Executive Director for the Estée Lauder cosmetic companies on Long Island for 37 years until he retired....

  Alan W. Pense went home to be with his Lord and Savior on May 11, 2022.  Alan was born on February 3, 1934, in Sharon, CT.  His parents were Arthur Wilton Pense and May Wiggins Pense. He lived in upstate NY, in Wassaic through elementary school and in Utica through junior high school.  He moved to the suburbs of Albany for his high school years and was living in Delmar at the time of his graduation from Bethlehem Central High School. He attended Cornell University,...

  Terry E. Stefko, 65, of Allentown, died suddenly on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. He was the beloved fiancé of Phyllis Wolfe with whom he shared over 22 years together. Born on August 28, 1956 in Allentown he was a son of mother, Marcia (Courtney) Alexander and stepfather, Richard Alexander and stepmother, Annette Stefko and father, the late Eugene Stefko and. Terry was currently working as an inspector for Service Tire Truck Center, Allentown. He took pride in his...

Anne Teresa (Ortwein) Kish Gerber, 73, of Bethlehem, passed away on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 surrounded by her loving family. She was the devoted wife of the late Gerald J. Gerber, Jr. who passed away on April 13, 2022. Born in Shamokin, she was the daughter of the late Bernard and Kathryn (Kartovich) Ortwein.   Annie was a graduate of Bethlehem Catholic High School class of 1967. She was a faithful member of Assumption BVM Church. Annie was...

Jeffrey T. Woodward, 67, of Bethlehem died Monday, May 9, 2022 in his home surrounded by his family.  He was the beloved husband of R. Diane (Morrison) Woodward.  They celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary last November.  Born in Reading, he was the son of the late William and Joyce (Hemminger) Woodward.  A 1972 graduate of Exeter High School, Jeffrey continued his education at Salem University, Salem, WV.  He was a safety claims...

Elizabeth “Liz” Louise (O’Neill) DeSantis, 63, of Walnutport, passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her loving family on Saturday May 7, 2022 after a two-and-a-half year battle with lung cancer. She was the loving wife of Michael DeSantis with whom she shared over 23 years of loving marriage. Born in the Bronx NY, she was the daughter of the late Charles and Dorothea (Basini) O’Neill. Liz spent the majority of her life in New York and was a 1976...

  Bethlehem native, Dr. Gordon J. Goldberg, BA, MA, PhD., passed away on May 3, 2022. Born on April 25, 1933 to the late Harry and Esther Goldberg, he attended Liberty High School class of 1951 and Lehigh University class of 1955. He went onto the University of Pennsylvania where he received his MA in History. He later received his PhD. from Lehigh University in 1971.   Gordon then returned to the Lehigh Valley and worked on his doctorate while teaching at Allen High School for...

Violet M. (Janzso) Reccek, 75, of Bethlehem, passed away on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 in her home. Born in Freemansburg, she was the daughter of the late Geza J. and Violet M. (Lynn) Janzso. Violet enjoyed going on walks around the city and spending time with her friends.    Survivors: She will be remembered by her daughter Donna Kukor and her husband William of Bath; siblings Clara Hodgkins and her husband, Ronald of Bethlehem Township and Geza Janzso...

Matthew Ehrlich, 30, of Bethlehem passed away on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. He was the devoted and loving husband of Chantal (nee Stricker) Ehrlich. Born in Bethlehem, he was the son of Robert Ehrlich and Joi Deibler. Matt enjoyed spending his time researching his genealogy, renovating houses, traveling, and exploring new places. He was a loving husband, son, brother and friend to all. Matt had a quick sense of humor, a loving personality, and a generous heart. He joyfully helped and supported...

John Stoffa, 82, of Northampton, PA, formerly of Hanover Township (Northampton County) died at home after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease.  John was the husband of Barbara Gallagher Stoffa with whom he celebrated fifty-seven years of marriage.  John served two terms as Northampton County executive from 2006-2014 and previously was the Director of Human Services for both Lehigh and Northampton Counties.  John served on more than forty boards, authorities and...