Brethren

Mary Lorraine Shipp, 83, of Point Salem Road in Hagerstown, Md., went to be with her Lord on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, at Ravenwood Lutheran Village, where she had been living for several years. Born Thursday, Sept. 12, 1929, in Leitersburg, Md., she was the daughter of the late Marshall Strite Sr. and the late Martha V. Hykes Strite. She graduated from Hagerstown High School. She was a lifetime member of Longmeadow Church of the Brethren. She is survived by her husband of 64 years, Herman Albert Shipp Jr.; two daughters, Sharon Kay Beesley and husband, Mark, of Rockford, Ill., and Marianne Henesy and husband, Tim, of Hagerstown; two sons, Dennis Shipp of Hagerstown and James Shipp of Waynesboro, Pa.; three brothers, Marshall Strite Jr., Galen Strite and Charles Strite; grandsons, Matthew and Jonathan Henesy; and granddaughter, Mary Claire Beesley.

Linda L. Divelbiss, 66, of Chambersburg, Pa., was called to her heavenly home by her Savior on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, at Chambersburg Hospital following a six-month illness.  Born Jan. 9, 1947, in Hagerstown, Md., she was the daughter of the late Frank J. and Helen Keefer Divelbiss.  After graduating from Chambersburg Area Senior High School in 1964, she began a career with the U.S. Government's Department of Transportation and retired from...

Luther Charles Haywood, 91, of Hagerstown, Md., passed away Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013, at his home. He was born Dec. 27, 1921, in Osceola Mills, Pa., to the late Blair and Lucy Causer Haywood. He was employed by the City of Hagerstown until his retirement. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving during World War II. He was a member of Downsville Church of the Brethren. He was a member of the VFW, Greencastle, Pa. Survivors include wife, Lila Mae Litten Haywood, married for 63 years, of Hagerstown; son, Dennis W. Haywood and his wife, Robin K., of Hagerstown; son, Keith E. Haywood and his wife, Theresa A., of Nottingham, Pa.; grandson, Bryan K. Haywood of Williamsport, Md.; granddaughter, Leeann E. Haywood of Nottingham; granddaughter, Laura M. Haywood of Nottingham; and sister, Belle Long of Lancaster, Pa. He was predeceased by one sister, Dorothy Hughes; one brother, Franklin Haywood; and his dog Puppy.

Donnella Jean Strite, 63, of Old Forge Road, Hagerstown, Md., died at 4:21 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013, at her home. She had been in declining health for the past two years. Born Jan. 30, 1949, in Hagerstown, she was the daughter of the late Donnel Eugene and Anna Mary (Collins) Gift. She and her husband, Stephen C. Strite, were married Sept. 14, 1968, in Smithsburg, Md. Donnella was a school bus driver for Shalom Christian Academy of Chambersburg, Pa., for 30 years. She was a member of Shanks Church of the Brethren near Greencastle, Pa., and was a graduate of Smithsburg High School.

To move away from analytical thinking to a more creative state. To relieve stress. To be in touch with the divine. To build a community. Those were among the reasons people gave Sunday night for pursuing the sound of a drum in a collaborative effort known as a drum circle. Ed Poling, senior pastor at Hagerstown Church of the Brethren at East Washington and Mulberry streets, said he and his wife became interested in drumming and took classes at McDaniel College. Poling said there have been drum circles in the region, including in Chambersburg, Pa., and Berkeley Springs, W.Va., and he and some other people decided to try organizing one locally.

June I. (Lowman) Higdon, 86, of Brownsville, Md., passed from this life Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012, at her home while surrounded by her family. Born April 14, 1926, in Brownsville, she was the daughter of the late Roy Ellsworth and Mabel Josephine (Hoffmaster) Lowman. She was a member of the Class of 1944 at Boonsboro High School and joined the Cadet Nursing Program with Washington County Hospital, graduating in 1947 as a registered nurse. June was a member of Brownsville Church of the Brethren, where she served as a deaconess and was a member of the Golden Rule Fellowship, the Senior Citizens Group and the Quilting Circle.

Mrs. Sarah E. (Keefer) Dayley, 82, went to be with the Lord at 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012, at the home she shared with her daughter in Greencastle, Pa. Born Jan. 22, 1930, in Clear Spring, Md., she was the daughter of the late J. Clinton and Emma S. (Mills) Keefer. She graduated from Mercersburg High School with the Class of 1947 and from Washington County Hospital Nursing School in 1950. Mrs. Dayley married James E. "Jim" Dayley on Jan. 3, 1951, in Harrisonburg, Va. Jim died Jan. 26, 2004.

Kerosene lights hanging from the ceiling, his and hers outhouses and two pot-bellied stoves to provide heat during the winter were among the features Downsville Church of the Brethren parishioners George Stumbaugh and Lila Mae Haywood remembered Sunday as the church celebrated its 155th anniversary. “We froze on one side and roasted on the other,” said Haywood, 83, of Hagerstown. The original 1857 church remains part of the current sanctuary, but carpeting now covers the bloodstains that are rumored to be from a Civil War soldier, said Stumbaugh, 80, of Williamsport.

H. Leona Miller, age 87, of Malissa Drive, Greencastle, Pa., died at 4 a.m. Monday, Sept. 24, 2012, in the Falling Spring Nursing And Rehabilitation Center Chambersburg, Pa. She had been in declining health since entering the nursing home a month and a half ago. Born Nov. 1, 1924, in Lemasters, Pa., she was the daughter of the late Lloyd C. and Ethel Ellen (Tenley) Bricker. Leona had worked at the former Stanley Co. of Chambersburg for 43 years. She attended Greencastle High School.

Edward “Eddie” Lee Clipp Jr., 45, of Boonsboro, Md., passed suddenly from this life on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012, at his home. Born Aug. 2, 1967, in Hagerstown, Md., he is the son of Mary Louise (Coulter) Horman and her husband, Jerry, of Germantown, Md., and the late Edward Lee Clipp Sr. His wife, Pam Clipp, preceded him in death. Eddie attended Williamsport schools before his family relocated to Hope, Ark. He was employed as a crane operator for Maryland Metals in Hagerstown.