- More Homes For Sale in Stratford (MLS Listings)
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- All obituaries on this page and the archives page are taken from the Courier Post unless otherwise noted.
- All Wedding and Anniversary notices are from the CP website also.
Lots of local news videos at the Courier Post site
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HEATHER GORDON -- RAY COLE III
Announcement has been made of the engagement of Heather Gordon to Ray Cole III., both of Eugene, OR. - She is the daughter of Carol and James Gordon of Murphys, CA. He is the son of Kathi Cole of Lumberton, NJ., and Ray Cole Jr., of Stratford.
A July 22 wedding is planned.
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STEPHANIE LYNN MCCANDLESS -- MITCHELL TODD
SITNICK
Announcement has been made of the engagement of Stephanie Lynn McCandless to Mitchell Todd Sitnick, both of Davis, CA. - She is the daughter of Susan and Bill McCandless of Stratford. He is the son of Cheryl and Marvin Sitnick of Hillsborough, NJ.
- A July 3 wedding is planned.
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HEATHER GORDON -- RAY COLE III
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FILIPKOWSKI, MARY C.
(nee Ksykiewicz) 91, formerly of Stratford, NJ - on February 6, 2005 at Kennedy Memorial Hosp, Cherry Hill, NJ.
Beloved wife of the late John R. Filipkowski.- Loving Mother of
- John R. (Mary) Filipkowski, Oaklyn;
- Cynthia Grygo-Connolly, of Lawrenceville, GA; and
- Ronald (Janice) Filipkowski, of Blackwood;
- Grandmother of 9;
- Great Grandmother of 12.
Viewing and Visitation for Relatives & Friends Saturday 8:15-9:15am at
EUGENE J. ZALE FUNERAL HOME INC.
712 NO. WHITE HORSE PIKE
STRATFORD, NJ
PH-856-783-5100
Funeral Mass at 10:00am on Saturday at Saint Joseph R.C. Church 10th & Mechanic Streets, Camder, NJ- Burial Saint Joseph Cemetery Chewslanding, NJ.
- Information, Directions, Condolences, and Guestbook at
- www.ZaleFuneralHome.com
- Thursday, February 10, 2005
- By JASON LAUGHLIN
Courier-Post Staff
STRATFORD -
A mailman who helped rescue an elderly woman who fell into a cesspool in her back yard will be honored next week by both the U.S. Postal Service and the borough. - Kevin Breitenstine, 49, will be given a plaque at a breakfast ceremony at the Stratford post office at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
- "I was very impressed, very pleased," said Danielle Varcarcel, Breitenstine's supervisor. "I'm a former carrier myself and we just feel like that's part of our job. Knowing how Kevin feels, I know he doesn't feel much like a hero, it's all part of our job."
- Breitenstine, a 24-year veteran of the Postal Service, recalled Wednesday how he found Catherine McCleary Monday afternoon while delivering mail.
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- It was her high-pitched scream that caught his attention.
- At first he heard it from a distance, he said. He thought it might be teenagers playing in a nearby ravine. But as he neared McCleary's ranch-style home, it seemed to grow louder and was coming at regular intervals, he recalled.
90-year-old woman freed from cesspool
Asphalt cover over empty hole collapses
By MATT KATZ
Courier-Post Staff
STRATFORD
A 90-year-old woman fell about 10 feet into her backyard cesspool after the asphalt covering gave way Monday afternoon, leaving her trapped for more than an hour, police said.
A mailman heard her cries for help and
called 9-1-1, Police Chief Ronald Morello said.
Firefighters arrived on the scene 10 minutes later to
get her out.
The woman, Catherine McCleary of the first block of Temple Avenue, was taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden. She was conscious when she was pulled out of the hole but complained of abdominal pain, Morello said.
Her injuries are not expected to be life-threatening, authorities said. No additional information about her condition was available Monday night.
Police believe McCleary, who is barely 5 feet tall and lives alone, was in the backyard checking on her gutters, which had been leaking. Water accumulation from the recent storm is believed to have eroded and weakened the asphalt covering, Morello said.
Beyond the mailman's call to 9-1-1, a personal medical alert system also notified McCleary's family in Pine Hill when she failed to respond to a periodic message, Morello said.
To rescue her, firefighters shored up the hole and pulled her out using a pulley system around 3:30 p.m., Morello said.
The cesspool was once used to collect household sewage as part of a defunct sewer system dating to 1965, Morello said. It sat underneath McCleary's asphalt back patio but was not filled in.
Kevin Barney, who
operates Barney's Waste Removal in Voorhees, said old cesspools can be
hazardous - particularly if homeowners are unaware of them.
Barney recommended keeping children away from cesspools and not bringing heavy equipment near it.
The hole in McCleary's backyard was 3 1/2 feet in diameter and between 8 and 15 feet deep, Morello said. After McCleary was taken to the hospital, workers from the Stratford Department of Public Works filled in the hole with dirt.
Len Alberta, a neighbor, mows McCleary's lawn and shovels her walk.
"I walked over there I can't tell you how many times," he said of the asphalt patio.
Alberta said McCleary is the original owner of the house and has lived there for 50 years. He said she was tough enough to withstand such an accident.
"She's on the ball," he said. "She's physically fit."
As for the mailman, Alberta said: "Thank goodness for him."
Lynne Maynard, another neighbor, said all of the houses in the area have holes in their backyards for cesspools but most of them are filled in.
She witnessed the rescue, and said she was happy that McCleary had her sweater jacket on while she was in the hole.
"And luckily today isn't freezing cold," she said.
Carrier called 9-1-1 for woman who fell into cesspool in yard