Obituaries

MARY L. MAROTTA

Mary L. Marotta, of East Side Borough, passed away on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, in Lakewood Rehabilitation and Healthcare, Nanticoke. Born in Brooklyn, she was the daughter of the late Richard and Elizabeth Donavan O’Keefe and was an active member of St. Patrick’s Church, where she served as a Eucharistic Minister and was a religious education instructor. She loved to travel, especially to Florida, and to spend time with family.

Left to cherish her memory is her loving husband of 63 years, John Marotta; son, John J. (Jill)

Marotta of White Haven; daughter, Elizabeth (Dennis) Berger of White Haven; grandchildren, Daniel, Alexis, Gabrielle, and Devin; nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, July 5, at 11 a.m. in St. Patrick’s Church, White Haven. Private interment will be held in the parish cemetery.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Lehman Family Funeral Service, White Haven.

Blood drive for Valentine

The American Red Cross and the Hazleton Lions Club are teaming up to hold a blood drive in honor of Amy Valentine on Tuesday, August 22 from 1:15 to 6:15 p.m. at the Holy Rosary Church, 240 South Poplar Street in Hazleton. To register, go to the Red Cross web site and type in the code: AMY-P-V.

FOR SALE: 4 burial plots in Union Cemetery, Weatherly. Call 570-842-9820

EDWARD C. BASTOW JR.

Edward C. Bastow, Jr., of Naples, Florida and White Haven, died suddenly at his Pennsylvania home on Saturday, June 17, 2023.

Ned, as he was known by friends and family, was the eldest of six children born to Edward C. Bastow, Sr and Rosemary Doane. He was born and grew up in Alpena, Michigan, which he sometimes referred to as “the cedar swamps of North Michigan.”

He graduated from Alpena High School where he played basketball and competed on the debate team, sometimes with and sometimes against, his younger brother Tom who was a year behind him in school.

Ned enlisted in the Army in 1961. Having determined that Ned was a “natural linguist,” the Army assigned him to the Army Language School in Monterey, California to learn Korean. He later served on Kangwha Island in Korea.

He returned to Alpena, Michigan after his military service, received his college degree and taught history at his alma mater high school. He later moved to Oklahoma, obtained his law