Hagerstown

Diane Lugene Keller, 54, of 287 Morgan St., Inwood, W.Va., passed away Tuesday, May 14, 2013, at the Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg, W.Va. Born Thursday, May 15, 1958, in Waynesboro, Pa., she was the daughter of Frances L. (Trite) Blickenstaff of Smithsburg, Md., and the late Charles L. Blickenstaff. She graduated from Smithsburg High School in 1976 and was employed as a account manager for Coral Graphics in Winchester, Va. She enjoyed camping and scrap booking, but especially enjoyed spending time with her family, she will always be remembered as a loving and caring wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend.

The RoomStore furniture showroom near Hagerstown will close its doors for good Jan. 25, a little more than a month after the company announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in federal court. Stephen Giordano, president and chief executive officer of RoomStore, said logistics played an important role in the decision to close the store at 17159 Cole Road southwest of Hagerstown. He said the store was too far away from its warehouse in North Carolina. "It was difficult to service our customers that far out," Giordano said Friday in a telephone interview.

Joseph Leon Hovermale, 71, of Clear Spring, went to be with his Lord on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012, at Meritus Medical Center, with his loving and devoted wife at his side. Joe was born Aug. 18, 1941, in Big Pool, Md., to the late Dorothy Pauline Kline Hovermale and Charles Russell Hovermale. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving during the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1968. He served a tour in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967.  He was a 1959 graduate of Clear Spring High School.  He was a member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Big Pool, a charter member of the Fort Frederick Ruritan Club and the Joseph C. Herbert American Legion Post 222 of Clear Spring.

When most music fans think of the mandolin, they usually think of bluegrass. But the stringed instrument is just as comfortable at opera as the Grand Ole Opry. In fact, Vivaldi wrote a concert for the mandolin and Mozart featured it in a serenade. And during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it was the instrument of choice, arriving in the United States with European immigrants who held the mandolin in high esteem. Maybe it was the sound that made it so popular — distinctive, shimmering and ethereal.

Hydrant flushing in Hagerstown will begin Wednesday and continue through Friday, March 30, in the area bordered by East Antietam Street and the Municipal Golf Course to the south, Mulberry Street to the west, the Western Maryland Railroad to the north, and Antietam Drive and Eastern Boulevard to the east, including such areas as the fairgrounds, Pangborn, Security and Morningside Heights. Water customers in these areas, particularly those using automatic washing machines, are cautioned to frequently check their water supply for discolored water that might occur because of the work.

Hydrant flushing in Hagerstown which began on Monday, May 9, will be extended through Friday, May 27, city officials said. The affected areas are along Virginia Avenue, bordered on the north by Halfway Boulevard from the Valley Mall to Downsville Pike, including Halfway Manor, Marbern Road, York Road and Rench Road. City officials caution customers in those areas to check for discolored water which may occur because of the work, particularly when using automatic washing machines.

Washington College has announced that Maria Noelle Queen, daughter of Roy W. Queen of Hagerstown, is one of five finalists for the Sophie Kerr Prize, the largest undergraduate literary prize in the nation, this year valued at more than $58,000. Queen is a humanities major and creative writing minor. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, she submitted 18 pages of poetry to the Sophie Kerr Committee, much of it focused on the relationship between a daughter and her parents. “Her poetry is at times very funny and at times very sad, and it manages to be both extremely personal and yet objective about how she sees herself in the world," one committee member said.

The City Ballet School and the Western Maryland City Ballet Company presented the holiday classic, “The Nutcracker,” on Sunday afternoon at The Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown. The production, under the artistic direction of Danielle Horochowski, featured guest artists and International Ballet Competition winners Brooklyn Mack of the Washington Ballet and partner Jennifer Mendoza, as well as ballet mistress Amy Wrobleski. The City Ballet School, which is based in Hagerstown, attracts students from the Tri-State area.

Unity of Hagerstown is offering a Mindfulness Workshop, at 1 p.m. Sunday Feb. 24. Studies have shown that mindfulness skills are effective at reducing depression, chronic pain and stress. Mindfulness is the ability to become aware of one's thoughts, emotions and physical presence in the present moment, without judgment. Participants will learn to focus more fully on the present moment, recognize and focus on thoughts, emotions and physical sensations, and learn how to separate thoughts from emotions.

The Hagerstown Fire Department responded to a minor fire Tuesday about 1:30 p.m. at 134 Ray St., a Washington County Emergency Services dispatcher said. No further information was immediately available.

Birthdays Wednesday - Kelli Jones, Langley Drive, Hagerstown, turns 30; Ashley Brugh, White Pine Drive, Hagerstown, turns 25. Anniversary Wednesday - Jimmy and Kim Martz, Sharpsburg, are celebrating their 14th anniversary.   • To submit a milestone, mail the information to The Herald-Mail, P.O. Box 439, Hagerstown, MD 21741; fax it to 301-714-0245; or email  tonym@herald-mail.com .

Jennie Suranno Nally, 96, formerly of Naples Drive, Hagerstown, Md., went to be with the Lord Saturday, May 18, 2013. Born April 3, 1917, in Hagerstown, Md., she was the daughter of the late Antonio and Maria Mitrione Suranno. She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Z. Nally, Sr., on July 15, 2009, whom she married June 22, 1946. Jennie was previously employed with Fairchild Aircraft and was a homemaker. She was a member of St. Ann Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus Auxiliary.

Amelia L. Chaney, 67, of Hagerstown, Md., died April 8, 2013, at her daughter's home in Texas under Hospice care. Born Jan. 1, 1946, in Hagerstown, she was the daughter of the late Harry and Christina M. Chaney. She retired from Washington County Public Schools on Jan. 1, 2012. She leaves to cherish her memory daughters, Diana C. Simon (Freddie) of Beaumont, Texas, and Lisa A. and Michael Wertman of Hagerstown; three sisters, Linda Brill of Smithsburg, Md., Carol and Lewis Lucas of Boonsboro, Md., and Mary and Vernon Richmond of West Virginia; three brothers, Charles Chaney of Hagerstown, Frank and Barb Chaney of Georgia, and Michael and Marion Chaney of Georgia; six grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; nieces; nephews; family friends; and a very special friend, Rose Wood.

New stadium should be built along Interstate 81 To the editor: As a Hagerstown Suns season ticketholder who lives in Frederick County, Md., I have the luxury of viewing the stadium rebuild/relocate issue from the forest and not the trees vantage point. I have a vested interest, but I will not be directly impacted by any decisions being made. However, I am disappointed by the continual adversarial environment between the Suns organization, local political and planning individuals, and the citizens of Hagerstown.

Linda Altizer of Hagerstown visited The Home of the Deaf, Dumb and Blind in Raigarh, India, on a mission trip through Central India Christian Mission that she took in late January and early February. More than 500 disabled children live in the orphanage. It was Altizer's ninth overseas mission trip and her fourth to central India, where she shared Christian and medical ministry. Altizer, who is joint/ortho care coordinator at Western Maryland Regional Medical Center in Cumberland, Md., returned with the goal of raising money for a C-T scanner and MRI machine for a poorly equipped mission hospital in India.

Ruby Katherine Miller, 5, of Hamilton Boulevard, Hagerstown, Md., died Saturday, May 18, 2013, at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Born July 19, 2007, in Charleston, W.Va., she was the daughter of Mary Helen Leatherman Miller and Charles D. Miller of Hagerstown. Ruby was a kindergarten student at Ruth Ann Monroe Primary School. In addition to her parents, Ruby is survived by maternal grandparents, Paul and Bonnie Leatherman of Hagerstown; paternal grandmother, Jo R. Miller of Virginia Beach, Va.; godparents, Michael and Amy Hicks of Mercersburg, Pa.; aunt, Katherine Leatherman of Hagerstown; aunt, Tamara, and uncle, Ryan Schubart, of Virginia Beach; aunt, Toni, and uncle, Paul Leatherman II, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; great-aunts, Mary Beard and Patricia Slick of Hagerstown; great-aunt, Jennifer, and great-uncle, Hampton Riggleman, of Laurel, Md.; great-aunt, Jean, and  great-uncle, William F. Dunham, of Hagerstown; and three cousins, Chloe Leatherman of Brooklyn, and Maxwell and Harrison Schubart of Virginia Beach.

The Hagerstown Police Department responded to the following incidents: Sunday • At 3:43 p.m., a property damage accident was reported in the first block of Manor Drive. • At 4:21 p.m., police assisted EMS in the 200 block of North Mulberry Street. • At 5:50 p.m., a theft was reported in the first block of Church Street. • At 6:39 p.m., a theft was reported in the first block of East Baltimore Street. • At 6:58 p.m., warrant service was conducted in the 500 block of Claire Street.

Hagerstown City Council members passed a $133.1 million budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year Tuesday night, but not without a lot of wrangling. Among the items discussed were financial issues facing the city and whether enough is being done for city employees. The budget was passed on a 4-1 vote, with council member Penny Nigh voting against it. An amendment was made to the budget to allocate $3,000 to the Maryland Food Bank for use in Hagerstown. The money will come from an unspecified agency account.

The slow lane of eastbound Interstate 70 near the U.S. 40 exit east of Hagerstown was closed for about an hour Monday because of a single-vehicle accident, according to Washington County Emergency Services. One person was reported to have back and neck pain from the accident, which was reported at 11:31 a.m. Monday, a 911 supervisor said. The lane reopened at about 12:30 p.m., according to Maryland State Police. - Julie E. Greene