Catherine J. (Vrabel) Pudliner, 83, of Bethlehem, passed away March 28, 2024. Born in St. Clair, she was the daughter of the late Eugene and Veronica (Lundergin) Vrabel. Catherine graduated from Central Catholic High School and Bethlehem Business School. She worked for Berg, Schultz and Green CPA, Chemical Leaman Tank Lines, and then retired from the City of Allentown. She was a member of Notre Dame of Bethlehem Catholic Church. Catherine was a major Philadelphia sports fan, especially of the Philadelphia Phillies. But most of all, she loved her family. She will be deeply missed.

Survivors: children- Karen Carr and husband Sean, Bruce Pudliner and wife Sheri, Keith Pudliner; sister- Veronica Cheek; nephews- Mark & Jim Cheek.

A calling time will be held on Friday, April 5th 9:30-10AM in Downing Funeral Home, Inc. 1002 W. Broad St. Bethlehem, PA 18018. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30AM in Notre Dame of Bethlehem Catholic Church 1861 Catasauqua Rd Bethlehem, PA 18018. Burial to follow in Holy Saviour Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Catherine’s memory to the Lehigh Valley Humane Society 640 Dixon St Allentown, PA 18103 or to Covenant House 31 E. Armat Street Philadelphia PA 19144.

Donna M. Posivak, 68, of Bethlehem, died Wednesday, March 27 at Lehigh Valley Hospice. She was the beloved wife of Francis “Frank” J. Posivak, with whom she shared 44 wonderful years of marriage. Born in Wilkes-Barre, she was the daughter of the late Edward J. and Dorothy A. Saukulak. A graduate of DeSales University and Moravian College, Donna served as Chief Technology Officer at several of the area’s top colleges for over 30 years.

Donna possessed a diverse range of interests and talents, extending beyond her professional achievements. Her love of nature was reflected in many of her hobbies which included photography, painting, hiking, and kayaking. Additionally, she was also a skilled jeweler, crafting pieces that reflected her creativity and attention to detail.

Above all else, Donna’s greatest joy came from her family. She was a loving mother of two children and an adoring grandmother to two grandchildren. Her strength, humor, and adventurous spirit live on through all of them. She will be dearly missed.

Survivors: Donna is survived by her husband, Frank; daughter, Leah, and her husband Ronald; son, Brett, and his longtime partner, Avalon; and two grandchildren. Additional survivors include her sister, Joanne, and brothers, Gregory and Edward.

Services: Private services for the immediate family.

Contributions: In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital (https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/TR?px=8347390&fr_id=154020&pg=personal).

Curtis E. Pass, 80, of Bethlehem, passed away October 25, 2022. He was the loving husband of the late Elizabeth Ann (Hearn) Pass. Born in Williamsport, he was the son of the late Harry and Helen (Braster) Pass. Curtis proudly served in the U.S. Army. After the Army, he received a degree in Electronics from Harrisburg Area Community College. Curtis worked as an electrical engineer for Bell Labs and its various new company names, retiring with Agere after 30 years of service. While at Bell Labs, Curtis was granted two patents for equipment related to the telecommunications industry. He enjoyed reading, golfing, bowling and coached Jr. bowling at the Boulevard Lanes for many years. He will be deeply missed.
Survivors: son- Christian Pass and wife Jennifer and sister- Sheryl Pass. He was predeceased by his infant son- Christopher.
A Calling Time will be held on November 1st 9:30-11:00AM with a Service at 11:00AM in Downing Funeral Home, Inc. 1002 W. Broad St. Bethlehem, PA 18018. Burial to follow in Cedar Hill Memorial Park, Allentown.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Lab Rescue LRCP P.O. Box 1814, Annandale, VA 22003.

Priscilla Ann Phillips, of New York who currently resides in Allentown was born February 25, 1955 passed away on July 12, 2021. Born in Camden, SC she was the daughter of the late Marie (Tillman) Phillips. She graduated from Washington Irving High School. Priscilla worked for many years as a legal secretary. She loved fashion, reading, dancing and decorating. Priscilla had a passion for plants, animal and children. She will be deeply missed.
Survivors: daughter- Veronica Cannon; son-Jamaal Phillips; grandchildren- Shaquasia, Jania, Terena, Jordan, Nya, London; siblings- Marie, Mary, Carol, Ronnie, Casey and Cass; former husband- Hodari Peters.

Kenneth W. Pickell, 31, of Bethlehem, passed away February 23, 2021. Born in Rumford, Maine he was the son of Kenneth A. and Leanne (McPeek) Pickell. He was a graduate of Phillipsburg High School. Kenneth enjoyed fishing and traveling and being surrounded by his family whom loved him very much.
He is survived by his parents, son- Kane David Pickell, sister- Nicole Pickell and grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Services will be Private.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Leanne Pickell to be put aside for Kane. Donations can be sent to the funeral home to be delivered to the family.

Charles M. Peters, 93, of Bethlehem, passed away February 13, 2021. He was the loving husband of 71 years to Elizabeth “Betty” (Zamadics) Peters. Born in Bethlehem, he was the son of the late George and Anna (Mingora) Peters. Charles served in the U.S. Navy after high school. He then graduated from Moravian College and attended Lehigh University. He was a high school teacher for 33 years for BASD. Charles was an assistant football coach at Moravian for 14 years under Rocco Calvo. He was an avid golfer and coached golf for 12 years at Liberty High School. He was a devoted member of Saints Simon and Jude Catholic Church, where he served as a Reader, Eucharistic Minister, sang in the Funeral Choir, participated in the church Senior Group and was part of the Cursillo Movement in the church. Charles will be deeply missed.

Survivors: wife- Betty Peters; daughters- Susan Crawford (Kenneth) of Santa Fe, NM, Jane Murphy of Hellertown, Stephanie Peters of Northampton; grandchildren- Charles Tyson, Doulas “Rory”, Elizabeth Jane Crawford (Luke Scalastico); great grandchildren- Emily Grace, Warren Charles, Maggie Elizabeth, Hannah Marie Crawford; step-great grandchildren- Reagan and Hagen Scalastico. He was predeceased by his daughter- Terri Peters, 3 brothers and 2 sisters.

A Celebration of Life Mass will be held at a later date. Arrangements are entrusted to Downing Funeral Home, Inc.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Charles’ memory to Saints Simon and Jude Catholic Church 730 W. Broad St Bethlehem, PA 18018.

Francis “Pat” Petruny, 86, of Bethlehem, passed away on August 20, 2020 in his home, surrounded by his family. He was the loving husband to Nancy (Gubich) Petruny. Born in Hellertown he was the son of the late Michael and Agnes Petruny. Pat has a distinguished 38 year career as an educator in the Pennsylvania State School system, with 28 of those years in the Hellertown/ Saucon Valley School District. He graduated from Hellertown High School in 1951, and during that time he was a three year letter winner in both boys basketball and baseball. During his senior year, he was a co-captain of the basketball team that won both the Lehigh-Northampton League title, the District 11 Class “B” crown, and participated in the state playoffs. Pat was named to the Lehigh-Northampton all-star team, and received all state recognition.
Pat continued his baseball and basketball careers at Moravian College, and graduated with degrees in both History and English in 1955. Upon graduation, he entered the U.S. Navy and was appointed First Petty Officer. Upon discharge, Pat began his teaching career in 1957, which ultimately led him back to the Hellertown School District in 1968 as a junior high school teacher, and assistant varsity boys basketball coach. He earned his Master’s degree in Education from Temple University and Secondary Education Principal Certificate from Lehigh University.
Pat was appointed Faculty Manager of Sports in 1968, and became the first ever-titled Athletic Director in the school district in 1973. He had been the only educational professional at Saucon Valley to hold both the Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Positions simultaneously at the high school level, form 1975-1989. He remained Assistant Principal until his retirement in 1996. During this time, he also started the golf program as the head coach, and more than doubled the amount of girls’ sports offerings in the district at the high school level. Pat was awarded Athletic Director Emeritus status by the Saucon Valley School Board in 1989, and received the District 11 Athletic Director of the year during his tenure. He was also the Colonial League referee and official assignor for both football and boys basketball for many years.
While athletic director from 1973 to 1989, many team and individual student athletes achieved titles and recognition. These accomplishments included 37 team League Championships; 23 District 11 Team Championships; 7 Regional and 9 PIAA State Individual titles. Pat was a long-time member of Brookside Country Club where he enjoyed weekend golfing and social events.
In addition to his wife Nancy of 64 years, he is survived by his son Michael and wife Rene and two granddaughters Kendra and Morgan. He was predeceased by his son Christopher.
A viewing will be held on Monday, August 24th 9:30-10:30AM with Mass of Christian Burial to follow in Notre Dame of Bethlehem Catholic Church 1861 Catasauqua Rd Bethlehem, PA 18018. Burial to follow in Holy Saviour Cemetery. Arrangements are entrusted to Downing Funeral Home, Inc.
In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to Four Diamonds Fund 1249 Cocoa Ave Suite 115 PO Box 852 Hershey, PA 17033 in memory of Pat’s son Christopher.
PO Box 852 Hershey, PA 17033 in memory of Pat’s son Christopher.

Joseph Gerard Prah, of Bethlehem, PA, died on June 26, 2020 from complications stemming from COVID-19 at Lehigh Valley Hospital- Muhlenberg.
Joe was born in Uniontown, PA, the son of Theresa Kristof Prah and the late Dr. Joseph Prah. He was a graduate of Bethlehem Catholic High School and then Northampton County Area Community College, where he earned degrees in photography and the culinary arts. He was a member of Notre Dame of Bethlehem Catholic Church his entire life.
In the 1990’s, fresh out of college, he did website design and data processing for NetCasters, Inc. based in Massachusetts. Joe then settled down to a culinary career, working in the food industry for over 15 years throughout the Lehigh Valley.
Joe had a variety of hobbies, most of which centered on his family. He enjoyed frequent success during family poker nights, fishing with brothers and cousins and collecting various keepsakes that he would pick up in his travels. He showed great patience and perseverance while tackling the most complex of jigsaw puzzles and that perseverance proved helpful while sleuthing family genealogy, helping to fill the family tree. His greatest joy, however, came from photography. Joe took his equipment everywhere, documenting his family during vacations, holidays and everyday life. This will no doubt be one of his lasting legacies.
He is survived by his mother, Theresa Prah of Bethlehem; his sister, Mary P. Counts of Bethlehem and three brothers, Christopher Prah of Topsfield, MA, Gregory N. Prah of West Chesterfield, NH and Theodore M. Prah of Newburyport, MA as well as numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the family will be having a private service for Joe at Holy Saviour Cemetery in Bethlehem.