J. Philip Kesecker 1929-2024 J. Philip Kesecker, a Morgan County, West Virginia real estate broker & developer, died on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at Westminster Canterbury in Winchester, Va. Born August 29, 1929, in Morgan County, he was the son of the late Hattie I. (Weber) & J. Lawrence Kesecker. A graduate of Berkeley Springs High School, he served four years in the United States Air Force & then attended Hagerstown Junior College & Pittsburgh Barber College. In 1956 he began selling real estate, obtained his broker’s license in 1958 & established an insurance & real ..read more

by Geoff Fox Seeing a need for students in Morgan County to stay warm and comfortable in the winter months, one member of the Knights of Columbus at St. Vincent de Paul and his wife created an outreach to help those students in need. Patrick McBee created Hoodies From Heaven as a way to collect and distribute hoodies to students in Morgan County. Hoodies From Heaven is a Knights of Columbus apostolate, McBee said, as a way to use the KofC tax exempt ID. This way, if someone were to give 100 hoodies, McBee said a receipt can be written for that person to be deducted. McBee is a substitute aide ..read more

?????????? Alton Lee Rinard 1947-2024 Alton Lee Rinard, age 76, of Hancock, Md., died on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at his home. Born August 18, 1947 in Hancock, Md., he was the son of the late Alton William and Martha Pauline Potter Rinard. He was faithful to the House of God and was a devoted member of Hancock Assembly of God Church where he sang in the choir and loved his Lord and Savior. Alton was a graduate of Hancock High School. He served with the United States Army from January 30, 1968 until his honorable discharge on January 29, 1970 during the Vietnam War. Alton retired from Rayloc, In ..read more

Fern Hook 1938-2024 Fern Hook, 85, of Paw Paw, West Virginia departed this life on Monday, April 15, 2024 surrounded by her family at her home. She was born July 28, 1938 at Bethel (Hampshire County) and was the daughter of the late Deskin Woodrow Abe, Sr. and Alma Opal Kidwell Abe. In her younger years, she worked in the apple orchards in Levels, W.Va. She was a homemaker and devoted mother. Mrs. Hook enjoyed farming, nature walks in the woods, gardening, crocheting, flowers, birds, the piano, painting, Scrabble, playing cards and most of all having her grandchildren and other family members ..read more

Screenshot Tony Joseph DiPietro, Sr. 1932-2024 Tony Joseph DiPietro, Sr., 91, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., died peacefully at home on April 9, 2024, surrounded by his family. Born in Morgantown, W.Va., on September 1, 1932, he was the son of the late John and Carmela DiPietro. He was a graduate of Morgantown High School and after graduation, he joined the Army, where he served in the Korean War. Once his tour ended, he started working as a carpenter and became a Construction Superintendent in the Washington, D.C. area before retiring to Berkeley Springs. Tony was extremely knowledgeable with gu ..read more

George “Joby” Blankley, Jr. 1937-2024 George “ Joby” Blankley, Jr. age 86, of Hancock, Md., passed away Friday April 19, 2024, at Meritus Medical Center , Hagerstown, Maryland. Born Thursday, December 16, 1937 in Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late George W. and Hilda H. Bishop Blankley. He attended Warfordsburg Schools, he was a mechanic retiring from U.S. Silica in 2004 after 38 years of service. Joby was a member of Warfordsburg Presbyterian Church the Cumberland Valley Antique Tractor Club, enjoyed hunting, fishing , woodworking, restoring antique John Deere tractors, at ..read more

Daniel Leroy Eddy 1953-2024 Daniel Leroy Eddy, age 70, of Hedgesville, W.Va., died on Sunday, April 21, 2024 at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Martinsburg, W.Va. Born November 14, 1953 in Hagerstown, Md., he was the son of the late Ray Weller and Theabelle Elizabeth Harnish Eddy. He was a graduate of Hancock High School. Daniel served with the United States Army from September 24, 1971 until his honorable discharge on September 23, 1974 during the Vietnam War and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Marksman Badge M-16, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Marksman Badge ..read more

John M. Kielek 1923-2024 John M. Kielek, age 101, died on April 27, 2024, at War Memorial Hospital, Extended Care Unit, Berkeley Springs, W.Va. He was born February 13, 1923 in Baltimore, Md. John was a WW II Army Veteran, and fought bravely in the Battle of the Bulge. John worked as a sheet metal mechanic at Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Company in Middle River, Md. This aircraft plant produced aircraft during World War II and the Cold War for the defense of the United States and our allies. His last fifteen years of work was as the head custodian at St. Elizabeth School in Baltimore, Md. Everyone ..read more

by Jamie Harris Last Friday, April 26 the Berkeley Springs High School track and field team traveled to Hedgesville for the annual Hedgesville Journal Invitational. The event featured Class A A A teams Hedgesville, Hampshire, Washington, Spring Mills and Class AA Berkeley Springs. On the girl’ s side, the Lady Indians finished in fifth place with 41 points. Spring Mills (98), Hedgesville (81), Washington (78) and Hamp- shire (59) rounded out the top four teams. The following track and field athletes led the Lady Indians in their respective events. Kayleigh Coulter (fifth place, 800 meters, 2 ..read more

National osteopathic leader Ira Monka will provide keynote speech during West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine graduation LEWISBURG, W.Va. – The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) will welcome Ira P. Monka, D.O., as its keynote speaker during the school’s 47th annual Commencement Ceremony. Ira P. Monka Monka, who is the American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) president for 2023-24, will deliver the speech during the 2 p.m., May 3, ceremony on the WVSOM campus in Lewisburg. The AOA is the representative member organization for more than 186,000 osteopathic physicians a ..read more