Northampton Press

Wanda M. Kurtz, 66, of Northampton, died Oct. 12, 2013, in Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township. She was the wife of Louis J. Kurtz. They celebrated 25 years of marriage on Sept. 23.

Born in Coaldale, she was the daughter of the late Ferdinand and Ester (Reis) Kratson.

She worked at Hickory Grove Nursery, North Catasauqua for the last 22 years. Before that, she worked for Revlon in Edison, N.J., and Square D in Emmaus.

She was a member of Queenship of Mary Church.

She enjoyed gardening and spending time with family and friends.

John E. Stasiw, 90, of Fullerton, died Oct. 22, 2013, in his home. He was the husband of Lena (Reck) Stasiw.

Born in Brynci Cerkowni, Ukraine, he was the son of the late Theodore and Katherine (Jacyszyn) Stasiw.

He was a mechanic and foreman at Quaker Shoe for many years.

A survivor of the Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald, he was the author of "In The Claws of Nazi Tyrants."

He was a member of St. John The Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church, Northampton.

He was a member of Organization for the Defense of Four Freedoms of Ukraine.

Catherine D. Mayer, 91, of Coplay, died Nov. 1, 2013, at home. She was the wife of the late Julius Monk Mayer Jr.

Born in Northampton, she was a daughter of the late John and Katharine (Matits) Orban.

Until 1945, she was an assembler for Mack Trucks of Allentown and, subsequently, a sales clerk for Hess's, Zollinger's and H. Leh & Co. department stores until retiring in 1992.

She was a member of St. Peter's Catholic Church, Coplay.

Margaret "M.J." J. Mayer, 86, of Coplay, died Oct. 17, 2013, at Fellowship Community, Whitehall. She was a daughter of the late Julius and Maria (Kranz).

She was a graduate of Joyce Art School of Cosmetology. She owned and operated her own beauty salon for 50 years.

She is survived by a daughter, Maria and her husband Larry Spaihts; and a grandson, Benjamin and his wife Bianca Conrad of Austin, Texas.

She was predeceased by two brothers, Edward and Julius Mayer Jr.

Richard W. Appleton, 69, of Northampton, died Oct. 14, 2013, at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg. He was the husband of Joyce J. (Harder) Appleton for 32 years.

He was born in Allentown.

He was a Morning Call delivery person in south Allentown. He drove for Indian Valley Trucking Inc. and worked for Elite Limousine for many years. After retirement, he worked part time for Aramark Food Services at the George D. Steckel Elementary School.

He was a volunteer at Linda Ann's Greyhound Rescue, Allentown.

Elvira J. Padlaszek, 82, of Kintnersville, died suddenly Oct. 24, 2013, in her home. She was the wife of Joseph J. Padlaszek. They celebrated 61 years of marriage in May.

Born in Allentown, she was the daughter of the late Stephen and Mary (Misak) Dorka.

She graduated from Central Catholic High School.

She is survived by her husband; son, Michael and his wife Yvonne of Barto; daughters, Mary and her husband Dean Dedopoulos of Bethlehem, Diane, of Kintnersville; four grandsons; one great-grandson.

Stephen J. Gratzel, 96, formerly of Northampton, died Oct. 13, 2013, in Schervier Pavilion Nursing Home, Warwick, N.Y. He was the husband of Ethel D. (Frumolt) Gratzel.

Born in Northampton, he was the son of the late Anthony and Anna (Ressler) Gratzel.

He was the owner and operator of Gratzel's Bakery, Teaneck, N.J., for 30 years.

He honorably served his country in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a member of the Catholic War Veterans, Post 454 of Northampton and the VFW Post 8441 of Vernon, N.J.

Donna Marie Gerancher, 63, of Whitehall, died peacefully Oct. 11, 2013, at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salsbury Township.

Born in Hazleton, she was the daughter of the late Franklin and Dolores (Stecker) Hines.

She worked for more than 30 years at The Pet Shop in the Whitehall Mall.

She was a wonderful mother, grandmother and sister.

William J. Najpauer, 82, of Whitehall, died Nov. 4, 2013, in Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township. He was the husband of Dorothy (Schloffer) Najpauer for 54 years.

Born in Northampton, he was a son of the late Michael P. and Julia (Farkas) Najpauer.

He was a 1949 graduate of Northampton High School.

He was an inspector for Azar Iron Works, Bath, for several years before retiring in 1994. Previously, he worked for Bethlehem Steel Fabricators.

Richard J. Gilliard, 74, of Bethlehem, died Oct. 14, 2013, at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg, Bethlehem. He was the husband of Sandra (Bernini) for 50 years.

Born in Allentown, he was a son of the late Frederick W. and Anna C. (Milkovitz) Gilliard.

He was a Central Catholic High School graduate. He earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education at Millersville University.

He was a U.S. Army veteran and was in the 82nd Airborne paratroopers from 1958 to 1961.