​Florence M. Kosteski (nee Kacprzycki) of Chester, 89, died January 12, 2019 at Crozer Chester Medical Center.  Mrs. Kosteski was born in Coatesville, the daughter of the late Joseph & Genevieve (Jenny) Domrzalski Kacprzycki.  Mrs. Kosteski called Chester her home for over 80 years.  She attended St. Hedwig’s Grade School, Dewey Mann Elementary, and Chester High School.  She has been a parishioner of St. Robert’s/St. Katharine Drexel Parish for 64 years.  She was one of the founding residents at The Episcopal Place at Park Row and served on their residents’ council.  Florence was married to the love of her life, Tony, for 58 years before his death in 2011.  A devoted and loving wife, mother and grandmother; she had baby blue eyes and a winning smile.  Survivors: Florence is survived by her children; Debra K. Stein, Mark A. Kosteski, Roxane M. Leary, Anthony J. Kosteski, Jr., and Ann Marie Petillo; her brother: Robert Kacprzycki; her grandchildren: Lauren, Renee, Aaron, Ashley, Nicholas, Kaylyn, Kristin, and Alysa, and her great-grandchild, Gabriella.  Service: Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass on Thursday, January 17th at 11am, St. Katharine Drexel Church 20th & Providence Ave. Chester, PA.  Visitation: 10-11am in the church.  Interment: SS Peter & Paul Cemetery. Contributions in Florence’s name can be made to St. Katharine Drexel Church, Chester.

​Christine Ann Toanone passed on Monday, January 7, 2019 at St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, DE. Christine was born 09/23/1956 in Chester, PA to the late Joanne and Phillip Toanone. She was the oldest of four children; two, Robert Toanone and Phillip Toanone, preceded her in death.  Christine had three sons to whom she was wholly and lovingly devoted, who grew up in Wallingford, PA. In 2004, Christine moved to Woolwich Township, NJ where she was an active member in her community. Christine loved spending time with family and her dear friends, and especially loved being on the water with her siblings. She was a loving and caring person, sister, mother, grandmother and friend. Christine leaves to cherish her memory her children, Jay Visniskie and his wife Jessica, Robert Visniskie and Joe Toanone; brother, David Toanone and his wife Kim, 3 grandchildren, and host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Her Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, January 11th at 11am at St. John Chrysostom Church 617 S. Providence Rd. Wallingford, PA.  Friends and family are invited to call from 9:30-10:45 am in church.  Burial will be private.

Raffaele Santaniello lovingly called Ralph passed away on January 3,2019 at the age of 86. He was a man of Faith and shared his faith with everyone he met. He was a true apostle and understood the meaning and value of prayer and suffering. Ralph was happy to suffer for Jesus, Jesus’s Priest’s and the poor souls in purgatory. He was active as a Lay Dominican.  Ralph was an active member of St. Katharine Drexel Church in Chester, PA attending daily Mass. He had a great devotion to the Holy Eucharist. Traveling to other churches in the area for Adoration of the Holy Eucharist most days of the week.
 
He was a restaurant owner for many years and loved to cook. When he moved into this area he volunteered at City Team as a cook for the Men and shared not only his excellent cuisine but also his faith.
Ralph had been married but never had any children. There were however those who looked to him as a father figure, mentor and spiritual guide. They were the children he never had.
 
He is pre deceased by his parents:Michael and Florence Santaniello, and sister: Frances DiCrescenza. And survived by nephews: Dennis and Dean DiCrescenza, nieces: Cheryl Follo, Gina DiCrescenza, Kristen Gentile. 13 great nieces and nephews and 6 great great nieces and nephews.
 
In lieu of flowers, Ralph requested that Masses be said for the repose of his soul. Any monetary donations should be given to St. Katharine Drexel Church, Chester, PA.

Relatives and friends are invited to his Funeral Mass on Thursday Jan. 10 at 11:00 AM in St. Katharine Drexel Church 1920 Providence Ave. Chester, PA 19013 where friends may call from 9:30 to 10:45 AM. Int. SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery.

​John “Jack” Pollock, age 82 of Port Orange, FL, passed away peacefully with family at his side on December 26, 2018.  Jack was born in Chester, PA, and was the beloved son of the late James and Josephine (nee England) Pollock.  He was preceded in death by his brother, James Jr. and sister, Charlene Hartzell.   Jack spent part of his childhood growing up in the farmhouse in Chester Park, where his uncle was caretaker.  He was a graduate of Chester High School and was a veteran of the US Army.  Jack worked for Bell Telephone (now known as Verizon) for 35 years as a lineman and construction foreman before retiring in 1991. 
A longtime resident of Aston,Jack was an active member ofhis community.  He served as a youth coach for both Sun Oil Little League and the Aston Athletic Association, where he also served as President for several years.  He is known for volunteering his time and talent to install the lights needed to illuminate the football stadium at Sun Valley High School in the 1970’s.   After retiring from Bell, Jack and his wife, Dottie, retired to Port Orange in Florida to take advantage of the warmer weather, the beach, and a longer boating season.
Jack is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Dorothy (nee Birtwell) Pollock, and his children Jack, Jr. (Brenda) of Bear, DE;  Lynne Hunter (Jeff) of Sanford, FL;  and Dave (Julie) of Acworth, GA.  He was the devoted grandfather of six grandchildren:  Jeffrey Hunter, Christopher (Joann) Hunter, Alex Pollock, Shelby Pollock, Karen Pollock, and Jimmy Pollock.He is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and their extended families, as well as many adoring grand-dogs and great grand-dogs.
Jack loved the outdoors, especially boating, fishing, and going to the beach.  He will also be remembered for his love of family, easy-going personality, strong work ethic, and an ability to fix just about everything.  Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 12 at 10:30 a.m. at Carr Funeral Home, 935 S. Providence Road in Wallingford.  Friends and family members are invited to visitation beforehand at Carr from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.  Burial will follow in Chester Rural Cemetery, where he will be laid to rest in the Pollock Family plot.
Jack’s family would like to thank the wonderful staff at the Halifax Health Hospice Care Center in Orange City, Florida for their care and compassion during Jack’s final days.In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in Jack’s name to Halifax Health Hospice, Fund Development, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL  32129.
https://www.halifaxhealth.org/services-treatments/our-services/hospice-care/giving/donation-portal

The Reverend William A. Davis, a retired Lutheran minister who worked to further the Church’s role
in the community, died on December 2, 2018 at home. He was 93. Over nearly a century, Pastor
Davis was witness to a changing world, but remained an active and beloved member of the
community throughout his time here. Davis lived his life intentionally, a principle that he evidenced
to family and friends every day.
Bill Davis was born at home on May 19, 1925 in Parkside Pennsylvania, the youngest of four children.
His formative years during the Great Depression instilled in him a strong work ethic he would
maintain throughout his life. Despite his family’s poverty, Davis sought every available opportunity
for education and experience, graduating near the top of his class from Chester High School and
proudly earning the designation of Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America. After his high school
graduation in 1943, Bill volunteered for the United States Army Air Forces and was commissioned a
Second Lieutenant after completing Officer Training. He served in World War II as a navigator for the
B-17 and later, as a navigational instructor in Texas through 1946. He learned navigation through
“shooting the stars” and maintained a life-long love of the stars and flight.
After his discharge, Bill enrolled at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, majoring in
Chemistry. While at Muhlenberg, he was a member of various organizations, including Lambda Chi
Alpha fraternity and spent summers working at Sun Ship in Chester. He made many lifelong
friendships at Muhlenberg, including one classmate with whom he attended games of their beloved
Phillies for 62 consecutive years. He also met the love of his life, Irene Dodd of Montclair, NJ, a
student at nearby Cedar Crest College, whom he would marry. During his third year at Muhlenberg,
Bill said he became “plagued” with the idea of going to seminary, and after much wrestling, made the
decision to change his professional focus to becoming a minister. “I blame it on God”, he noted.
Many years later, Bill served on the Board of Trustees for Muhlenberg, a post he enjoyed holding for
15 years.
Irene and Bill married in August 1950 after their respective graduations. During their courtship, Bill
visited and fell in love with Piney Point, Irene’s family summer cabin in the Adirondack Mountains.
Bill and Irene, and later, their children and beloved dogs, spent time at Piney Point every summer,
where they shared a love for family singing, sailing, canoeing, nature walks and hiking Poco-
Moonshine Mountain. Bill also loved being a handyman, replacing the roof, installing electricity,
upgrading plumbing and building a dock, often with the help of friends and family. During the
summers between seminary, Bill and Irene served as camp counselors in the Poconos, fostering their
outdoor skills and passion.
Bill entered the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia in 1950 graduating in 1953 with a
Master’s Degree in Divinity. After ordination, his first church call was to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in
Dublin, Pennsylvania. During his 10 years in Dublin, Bill grew his congregation and had the vision of
building a new and larger church. He was instrumental in leading his congregation to the culmination
of this vision, a new church, which would win an architectural award from the AIA. During the Dublin
years, Bill and Irene’s four children, Ellen, Mark, Rebecca and Evan were born. Tragedy struck when
their 6-year old son, Mark, died from a brain tumor during his first-grade year. Bill and Irene
established the Mark Davis Library and The Mark Evan Davis Scholarship in honor of their son. Both
memorials still exist.
In 1963, Bill accepted a call from St. John’s Lutheran Church in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. While in
Kutztown, Bill was instrumental in establishing a Lutheran Campus Ministry at Kutztown University
and an Interfaith Council, the first ecumenical effort in the local area.
In 1968, the family moved to Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, after Bill accepted a call to St. John’s
Lutheran Church. Bill would remain at St. John’s until his retirement as Pastor Emeritus in 1987.
While in Phoenixville, Bill remained committed to deepening ties between the Church and the
community based on his belief that if not isolated, the Church could be an effective and meaningful
agent of positive change. To that end, Bill was a founder of the Phoenixville Area Community Service
(PACS), whose mission is to end poverty in the community by connecting people in need with
resources for food, health and financial stability. He also was a member of the Chamber of Commerce
and a Director on the Morris Cemetery Board. As in Kutztown, Davis began an Ecumenical Ministry
group, the first of its kind in Phoenixville. He also assisted in opening a dialogue to improve race
relations in the school system during the sixties. After retirement, Bill and Irene moved to Riddle
Village in Media, in late 2001, where Bill was an active and beloved member of the community. He
became a member of Reformation Lutheran Church and would serve meals at City Team ministries as
well as add his knowledge in Bible Study classes. He also served as a guest preacher at various
congregations.
Bill was an avid golfer, playing as he could, even to the end of his life. He was especially proud of
shooting his own age (92) last year. As a proponent of daily exercise for health and longevity, he
would exercise daily and swim when he could no longer play tennis and racquetball. He loved
following Philadelphia sports and the teams of his children and grandchildren. In retirement, he also
pursued his passion for investment, taking courses and getting credentialed so he could work
independently with Morgan Stanley. He also used his financial skills to provide assistance as a
volunteer income tax preparer for those in need. Always wanting to do more, he ran for
Commissioner of Elections and served in that capacity for some years. Bill also kept up with all things
technical, teaching his peers how to use their smartphones to text and helping others understand
how to use the computer.
Bill Davis is survived by his wife of 68 years, Irene Dodd Davis, two daughters and a son: Dr. Ellen
Conroy, and her husband, Thomas, Rebecca Prince, and her fiancé, Dr. Robert Funk, and Evan Davis
and his wife, Wendy. Bill and Irene have eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
A memorial service to celebrate Bill Davis’ life will be held on Saturday, December 29th at 11 am at
Reformation Lutheran Church in Media, Pennsylvania with visitation beforehand, beginning at 10 am.
A reception will follow the service, in the church hall. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, donations
in Bill’s memory are requested to be given to the Mark Evan Davis Scholarship Fund c/o Reformation
Lutheran Church; 102 West Rose Tree Road, Media, PA 19063 or to the Chester Children’s Chorus c/o
Swarthmore College; 500 College Avenue; Swarthmore, PA 19081.