September 20, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Obituaries

Sirkka H. Keltamaki-Willis

Sirrka H. Keltamaki-Willis, 59, of Mt. Airy, a financial planner and a volunteer, died Sept. 8 at Chestnut Hill Hospital.

Born in Finland, Mrs. Keltamaki-Willis was a financial planner for New York Life for 20 years. As a lover of plants and gardens, she volunteered at the Morris Arboretum in Chestnut Hill.

Mrs. Willis is survived by her husband, Russell C. Willis; sons Alexander K. and Justin B.; a stepson, Nico R. Willis; a step-daughter, Marisa K. Diaz; a brother, Heikki Keltamaki; a sister, Pirkko Walker, and two step-grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 21, at Christ Ascension Lutheran Church, 8300 Germantown Ave. in Chestnut Hill.

Viola M. Stone

Viola M. Stone, 92, formerly of Chestnut Hill, a federal government employee for 38 years in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, died Sept. 12 of cancer at Springfield Residence, Wyndmoor, after a lengthy illness.

Until her retirement in 1978, Ms. Stone had worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense and the Social Security Administration.

After retiring, she volunteered at many Chestnut Hill community events and at the Opportunity Shop run by the Friends of Chestnut Hill Hospital.

She was a member of the Chestnut Hill Baptist Church.

She is survived by a sister, Betty Mello of Cape Cod, Mass., and a brother, Walter Stone, also of Cape Cod.

Funeral services were held Sept. 18 at Jacob F. Ruth, Funeral Directors, in Chestnut Hill. Interment was in Rowe, Mass.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Chestnut Hill Baptist Church, Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike, Philadelphia, PA 19118.

Elizabeth A. Cauterucci

Elizabeth A. Cauterucci, 82, formerly of Chestnut Hill, died Sept. 7 at her home in Ambler.

Mrs. Cauterucci was born in Chestnut Hill, the daughter of the late John and Mary (Lee) Geoghegan.

She is survived by her husband, Joseph F. Cauterucci Jr.; a son, J. Gregory Cauterucci; a daughter, Mary Lee Shantz, and three grandchildren.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Sept. 11 at St. Joseph Church in Ambler. Interment was in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the National Hemophilia Foundation, 116 West 32nd St., 11th floor, New York, NY 10001.

Bro. Matthew Burns, F.C.

Brother Matthew Burns, F.C., 75, formerly of Chestnut Hill, of the Brothers of Charity, died Sept. 6 in Klerksdorp, South Africa.

He was the son of the late Delia Burns Foley.

Funeral and interment were at Brothers of Charity Pax College in South Africa.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, at St. Luke the Evangelist Church, Easton Road and Fairhill Avenue, Glenside, Pa.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Vincent Mission, P.O. Box 232, David, KY 41616, or to Brothers of Charity South Africa projects, c/o Brothers of Charity, 7720 Doe Lane, Laverock, PA 19038.

Mary Gray Ehrhorn

Mary Gray Ehrhorn, 87, formerly of Chestnut Hill, died Sept. 11 at her home in Palm City, Fla.

Mrs. Ehrhorn had lived in Chestnut Hill for 40 years and had worked at the Robertson Florist shop.

Born in Boston, she attended Milton Academy and was a graduate of the Westover School.

She was a member of the Colonial Dames of America, Chapter II; the St. Lucie River Questers; the Southeast Florida Archeological Society; the Philadelphia Cricket Club; St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Stuart, Fla., and St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, Chestnut Hill.

Mrs. Ehrhorn is survived by sons George, Chips and Bill; a daughter, Ibit Pumphrey, and seven grandchildren. Her husband, George C. A. Ehrhorn II, preceded her in death.

A memorial service was held Sept. 14 at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Florida. Interment was private.

Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Sewell F. Mechem

Sewell Freund Mechem, 64, formerly of Chestnut Hill, an insurance executive, died Sept. 14, of ovarian cancer at her home in Ambler.

At the time of her death, Mrs. Mechem was insurance risk manager at SEI Insurance and was considered an expert in directors and officers insurance. Earlier she had worked at Nichols Associates and at the Hirschorn Group in Chestnut Hill.

A native of Chestnut Hill, Mrs. Mechem was the daughter of Ann Borie Freund and Alfred D.W. Freund, longtime residents of the community. She attended Springside School (then Miss Zarra’s) before moving with her parents to live overseas in Egypt and Cuba. The family later returned to the United States, residing in Rumson, N.J.

She attended Chatham Hall School in Chatham, Va. and graduated from Mt. Holyoke College with a bachelor’s degree in art history.

After graduation in 1965, she became one of the first female professional trainees at the Chubb Insurance Co. in New York, where she met her husband, Joseph Mechem. The couple returned to Chestnut Hill in 1983 with their two children.

Mrs. Mechem played squash and later golf on the Sunnybrook Golf Club’s second team. She also enjoyed tennis, sailing and traveling with her husband.

In addition to her husband of 40 years, Mrs. Mechem is survived by a daughter, Aimee Feeley; a son, Josh; a sister, Martha, and three grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill.  Interment will be Oct. 6 at Annisquam, Mass., with a reception following at the Annisquam Yacht Club.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Highlands Historical Society, 7001 Sheaff Lane, Ft. Washington, PA 19034 or the Annisquam Village Association, 34 Leonard St., Annisquam, MA 01930.