Rev. J.A Areo was an epitome of meekness. He was a minister of the gospel with heavenly focus. By the grace of God through Christ Jesus,and with the help of the holy spirit, he manifested both the fruits and the gifts of the spirit.
The life of Christ was a template for his living. A disciplinarian per excellence. He was indeed a blessing to many lives. Continue resting in the bossom of our lord Jesus Christ till we meet to part no more.

Gino Lee Cecchetti, age 63, of Sterling, died Sunday, April 14, 2019, at his home.

Gino was born on January 18, 1956, in Dixon, the son of William and Elizabeth (Fane) Cecchetti. He worked at Rhodes Feed Service and Quebecor during his lifetime. Gino was an avid Chicago Bears and Chicago Cubs fan. He was a free spirit and lived life to the fullest.
 Survivors include two daughters, Dana and Jana Cecchetti; two brothers, Louis Cecchetti (Bobbi Darr) and Tom (Karen) Cecchetti; four sisters, Teresa (Dennis) Coomes, Tina Popkins, Lori Goodeill (Todd Rosquist), and Gina Cecchetti (Ken Otten); his daughters’ mother, DeeAnn Cecchetti; sister-in-law, Sally Cecchetti VanCura; special friends, Dee Norman and Angie Troxell; many nieces, nephews, grand nieces, and grand nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Anthony Cecchetti; and brother-in-law, Tom Popkins.

Cremation rites will be completed with the McDonald Funeral Home and Crematory in Rock Falls. An announcement for his celebration of life will be made at a later date.

Maxine Cunningham Slater of Clayton, Georgia was called home by our Father on Wednesday March 27th, 2019.

Maxine was born October 6, 1934 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to Arthur and Ruth Cunningham. She was raised in Durhamville, New York. She graduated from Oneida High School in 1952. While in High School, she met the love of her life, Martin "Marty" Slater. After high school, she went to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York to study Home Economics.

After marrying Marty Slater she moved to Matlacha, Florida in 1954. Maxine received a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education at the University of South Florida.

Maxine worked as a teacher's aide and later a teacher for Lee County Schools in Florida from 1965-1980. In 1980, she moved to Clayton, Georgia. She worked as a teacher for Rabun County Schools from 1980 until she retired in 1999.

Maxine loved her husband, reading, and dogs. She is survived by her three daughters and son-in-laws; Holly and David Keener,Tracy and Albert Posey, and Lorelei and Shelley Bearden; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.


A memorial service will be be held Saturday, March 30th at 10:00 AM at Liberty Baptist Church in Tiger, Georgia. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to Rabun PAWS 4 Life or a Charity of one's choice.

Jimmie was born in Falfurias Tx on July 6,1959 to Jerald Wayne Ellett (father), and Darlene Yvon Cowan (mother) and has 3 brothers, Joel Hawk,Larry Ellett,Richard Gilmore, and one sister, Ida Cowan. He was raised in Westbrook, mostly with his grand parents. He graduated from high school at Jetson High in Live Oak, San Antonio area. He began his career in the oilfield in West Texas. At the age of 21 he married Teresa Lynn Rogers (wife of 38 years) and had one son ( Daniel Wayne Ellett). His family was always his top priority and he worked hard to support them always. A major back injury led to a career change and relocation in the late 80's. He moved to Corpus Christi,Texas and became very successful in the tire and Auto industry. He was well respected and liked by people from all over.

Beloved Wife, Mother, Nana, Nonnie, Great Nana,
Great-Great Nana,and Friend
November 27, 1928 - February 16, 2019

Little blue-eyed blonde curly haired Lois Marie Standafer was born in Seattle to Stephen Douglas Standafer and Roseileen Marie Hoffman Standafer. Her mother's family were Yakima Valley homesteaders. Her great-great-grandparent's Mattoon cabin still stands in Yakima, WA. Her father's people were from Kentucky. He and his 4 brothers all served at the same time in WWII. Both families were originally in this country from Virginia.

At age 5, her mother died and she became the ward of her grandparents, Edwin and Winona Hoffman. At age 7, they moved to Juneau, Alaska. The story goes that a 14 year old driver whose dad owned Yellow Cab, picked up her family from the steamship and took them to their new home. Ten years later, he'd be her husband. He'd chuckle that he remembered her because she looked like Shirley Temple.

Even though she had a loving extended family and a network of lifelong friends, she felt the stinging loss of her parents. She lived in her books and movies. She found her name too common and added perceived sophistication by tacking on an e and an m in high school. She was 17 when she married handsome Army Air Corps Lt. James V. Hickey (remember the cabbie?), newly returned from the war. She muffed senior year and received a blank diploma. It ate at her.

After divorcing and moving to Seattle in the 60's she chose Amy as her start-over name.

She was lovely, friendly, tiny, feisty, artistic, determined, and had a brilliant and curious mind for all things esoteric. She rose as high as most uneducated women could in her time. She started as a cord board telephone operator and her skill at shorthand and typing allowed her to become an accomplished executive secretary. Her varied career led her to supporting lauded scientists and engineers. At Ramo-Wooldridge in Los Angeles she was privy to cutting-edge top secret aerospace and intercontinental ballistic missile projects, at Ketchikan Pulp Mill she held her own with chemical engineers, worked for execs at the Boeing Company, supported the owner of Penberthy Electromelt, renowned for industrial glass innovation, and was even secretary in Chicago to Andy Granatelli, CEO of the STP corporation and noted Indy 500 car racing figure.

She finished her working years as a medical transcriptionist at the University of Washington, which allowed her to take classes, one or two at a time, focused on her loves of Archaeology and Anthropology. Two great joys were a summer spent on an dig in Eastern Washington and a tour to The Great Pyramids of Egypt.

There's a love story. Jim and Amy (he called her Lois-e) found their way back to each other in 1994 and created a sweet life together in Oregon until his death in 2006. After his passing, she returned to Seattle and buckled down on her studies. In 2008 at age 79 she graduated from the University of Washington on the same day as her grandson, Drew!

In later years, she joyfully reunited with her half-sister, Betty Standafer Shaw. She delighted in and treasured her 2 children, Pat and Bridget (Tim), 5 grandchildren, Neil Getty, Riley Cole (Bricky), Drew McMillan (Andréa), Christopher (Emily) and Erin Hickey, 6 great-grandchildren, Tommy and Ally Getty, Avery Collins-Getty, Caitlyn Cleven Patrick (Brandon) Alex Cleven, Ewan McMillan, and one great-great granddaughter, Hazely Patrick. She was tremendously delighted by and proud of the thoughtful, kind and GOOD people they are.

She loved as her own the family that grew from her children's relationships and marriages...sons and daughters-in-law, their parents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins, boyfriends, girlfriends. She adored and was admired by her primary care physician, oncologist, infusion team, case manager, acupuncturist, hospice social worker, nurse, and chaplain. Everyone who had the good fortune of spending time with Amy felt heard, appreciated, and had their eyes and hearts opened to music, literature, history, possibilities...as well as finding a dear and trusted friend for life.

Amy was an avid learner and reader. Profound hearing loss and macular degeneration changed how she was able to continue her thirst for knowledge, which she pursued till nearly her last day.
She would be pleased if remembrances were made to the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library
https://bit.ly/BooksinMemoryofAmyHickey

David A. Jungwirth passed away on February 8th, 2019 at home with his family by his side. He was 51 years old.

David was born on March 26th, 1967 in Edina, MN to David and Barbara Jungwirth. He grew up in Richfield, MN where from an early age he showed great musical abilities and learning guitar at 4 years old was just the beginning of his musical journey. Although he could play many instruments, keyboards were his true passion. Over the years he played in many bands and performing always came naturally to him. Through his music he met the love of his life, Tammy. They got married on Christmas Eve 1996 and began building their life together with their 4 daughters. Aside from music he enjoyed spending time with his family, decorating for holidays, watching movies, and sharing his never ending knowledge.
David was a loving husband and father with a heart of gold who is survived by his wife Tammy and their daughters Brittany, Breanna, Deborah, and Deanna.
He is preceded in death by his mother and father.
David will live on in the hearts of everyone who had the honor of knowing him.

Charlotte Volage, an award-wining writer and actor in film, theater and television, passed peacefully in her NYC home on January 11th, 2019 at the age of 72. Her passing was due to complications brought on by the re-emergence of cancer after over a year of hospice care. Charlotte is survived by her daughter Sarah, grandson Wyatt, and her siblings and nieces. Her loyal dog, Towee survived her for 9 days and decided to be with Charlotte by passing peacefully on January 20, 2019, the day of Charlotte's memorial service.

She was the oldest of three children and spent her formative years in Naugatuck, CT where she was raised by her mother, father and grandmother. She spent much of her childhood enjoying the outdoors - watching her grandmother take care of the animals they had in the backyard, fishing with her father on the Connecticut sound and enjoying sunny summers at the beach. From a very early age she developed a passion for the performing arts and the stage. In high school, she began writing poetry and exploring different ways to express herself artistically.

At Wagner College she successfully completed her bachelors degree, majoring in English and minoring in Visual Arts. After college she worked as a social worker for Connecticut family protective services, but left the profession after a few years when she found herself getting too emotionally involved with the families, finding it difficult to tear children away from her parents. She then was awarded a full scholarship at Penn State University for the doctorate program in Sociology, but didn’t complete the degree.

She accepted a summer fellowship at the renowned Westport Country Playhouse, where she worked on exciting productions that got optioned for transfer to the Broadway stage. Soon thereafter she decided to move to NYC to pursue her passion for acting and the theater. Her first professional theatre experience occurred on the national tour of That Championship Season starring Danny Aiello and academy award winner Broderick Crawford. She also worked along side Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Marsha Norman on Lunch with Ginger and legendary director Elia Kazan on one of his final directorial projects The Chain (produced by Cheryl Crawford). She worked on the original production of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Old Wicked Songs written by Jon Marans.

On screen, her acting work include films that have been screened at film festivals (Cannes, Zurich, and Ascona) as well as television shows NBC's 30 Rock, ABC's Six Degrees of Separation, and FOX's New Amsterdam.

Charlotte spent decades honing her acting craft and never stopped studying and working towards perfection. Over the years she studied with many different acting teachers including Sande Shurin, Ruth Nerken, Larry Conroy, George Morrison, Ruth Berkowitz, David Cadyn, Tom Grail, and finally with Matt at the Matthew Corozine Studio. She has performed with Obie-award winning theatre companies such as Mabou Mines and The Threshold Theatre. In addition to her acting work, she was an avid painter and writer. She wrote and performed a number of one-woman shows, which were presented at P.S.122, Dixon Place and the Joyce Theater Annex. She recently finished her full-length screenplay called The Silver Sword. She also wrote the one-act play My Golden Girl which received numerous productions and included in the 45th Annual Festival of One Acts in 2018 . During her last year of life, she completed 5 plays and was working on a rewrite of her still un-produced full-length play The Cracked Castle up until a few weeks prior to her passing.

In the early 80s, she met Robert Bellin while out to dinner with a close friend. They immediately hit it off when they realized they grew up a few towns apart in Connecticut. They married and had their beloved only daughter, Sarah.

A renaissance woman who in addition to her work on stage and in theatre and film, also trained and worked professionally as a graphic designer for various corporate events, companies and organizations. Charlotte had a video editing studio in her apartment, where she worked with documentary filmmakers and created videos for private and corporate occasions. She was able to teach herself anything, and during the computer boom of the 90s taught herself how to use graphics programs and create websites.

An incredibly determined woman who never gave up on her passions. Her love of performing and the theatre did not get derailed because of her illness. Despite her health challenges in the past few years, she always found opportunities to perform on stage. She is probably one of the only hospice patients to ever have performed in 3 different plays and get her own play produced professionally in NYC. Recently she was in the Dream-up Festival playing Henrik Ibsen in "Eleanora Dusa Dies in Pittsburgh" and most recently performed on Halloween at Theater for the New City as the Starfish Queen in a political piece about pollution and clean water.

Aside from her family and artist life, she is also a member of the Noho District of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), an organization dedicated to the spreading of world peace through culture and education based on the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. Charlotte enjoyed chanting "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo", having encouraging dialogues with other members in the neighborhood and showing off photos of her daughter and grandson during her final months of life. Even when she couldn't attend SGI meetings in person towards the end of her life, she would participate via Face Time to share her experiences and undeniable fighting spirit.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in the memory of Charlotte Volage to THE ACTORS FUND (https://actorsfund.org/)

Catherine Ann Roppo (Cathy) was born March 5, 1947 in Tacoma, Washington to Mary Olive and John Robert McNeall. She was raised in Seattle, Washington. Cathy was blessed as a young child to have lived next to Irene and her parents. The family welcomed Cathy and she spent as much time there as she did her own house for many years. Irene married Tom, and had their own children – Patty and Robert. Patty and Cathy were raised as sisters with only a few years separating them. Mary, Cathy’s mom had a 2nd marriage while Cathy was in grade school adding a step sister and brother, Barb and Harold, to her life. After a few years, Mary remarried for a 3rd time and Wally Quamme joined her life for years to come. Meanwhile, while growing up Cathy did not have the opportunity to spend time with her biological father. That changed later in her adulthood, and she became close to her father John McNeall and his wife Claire.

Cathy married Steve Dobbs in her late teens and had her first child – Mary. After a divorce and a few years later, she married Robert (Bob) Marquard who had one child—Charlie. They added a 3rd child to the family—Susan. The family moved south to Des Moines Washington to raise their family. During that time, boating was one of the family activities. Bob was involved in owning, and driving race boats. Friends would spend time at Cathy and Bob’s house while working on cars and boats. One of the family annual vacations included camping, boating and waterskiing at Banks Lake in Eastern Washington. They also enjoyed a special Thanksgiving travelling to Arizona for a boat race and visiting Disneyland on the way there.

In her 30’s, Cathy remarried to Frank Roppo who she met at parents without partners dance in Normandy Park. After a joyful courtship, they married, adding Frank’s sons Mark, Frank Jr and Todd to the family. This is when Cathy reconnected with her father who loved to travel. He soon invited Cathy and Frank to join him and his wife on various vacations. During this same time Mary, Cathy’s oldest daughter, married and brought lots of joy into Cathy’s life with 2 grandchildren—David and Andrew Eck. Over the years, Cathy was blessed with many grand children.

Cathy enjoyed family, cooking, travelling, reading, motorsports, and soccer. She travelled with many family members and friends over the years for pleasure and to watch races of all kinds. She enjoyed cruises exploring Tahiti, British Virgin Islands, Alaska, New England and Mexico. Cathy also explored many parts of the U.S. with her travel partners, including South Carolina, Florida, Hawaii, California and Arizona as well as several trips to Canada.

Soccer and basketball both had a special meaning to Cathy. She enjoyed cheering for her family members as well as helping coach soccer teams. She also enjoyed playing soccer as an adult.
Cathy had a strong work ethic and enjoyed working. Employed in the automotive industry for many years for Victory Auto Bumpers in Seattle and Nordan in Lynwood, she eventually found work closer to home in Des Moines supporting mobile home sales. She became a city clerk for the City of Des Moines, later. After Cathy retired from the City of Pacific as a Court Administrator, she joined the Soroptimists International of Anacortes, volunteered at their local thrift shop and at the boys and girls club. She was also an active member of the Bayside Homeowners Association. Cathy enjoyed the nurturing, caring community of Anacortes and the friends she made.

Cathy was known for her generosity and kindness, always welcoming guests into her house and making them feel at home. She was a dear friend to many, while overall she was shy – she would easily and quickly become friends with those around her and contributed much laughter and joy.

Cathy passed away at the age of 71 in her Anacortes home surrounded by family on November 29, 2018 after a series of hemorrhagic stokes.

She was proceeded in death by her husband, Frank Roppo and her grandson David Eck (2017). She is survived by daughters Mary, Susan (spouse Craig), sons, Mark (Lori), Frank (Jenny), Charles (Bonnie), Todd (Jennifer), and 13 grandchildren (Andrew & Deedee, Mikeala, Jimmy, Taylor, Gabrielle, Alana, Kyle, Kierra, Jake, Conner, Trey, Hannah), and 7 great grandchildren (AJ, Aubrey, Bannon, Mason, Brooke, Austin, Jojo).

Memorial contributions may be made to Mary’s Place – Mary’s Place provides safe, inclusive shelter and services that support women, children and families on their journey out of homelessness. https://www.marysplaceseattle.org

My Dad - Desmond Young.

Where do I start?

I had a loving father, the husband of my lovely mother Claudia and father to me (the first), Yvonne, my sister and Reg (now deceased), my brother.

Dad was not your typical dad. In most ways he was but he hard a very hard life. He grew up poor in Barbados, in the rural part of Barbados, one of the most unspoiled and underdeveloped areas of Barbados but a Parish that I came to love, his home - St John.

In his very early twenties, he left home, his Mum, Ivy Odessa Young to head for London just after the Windrush generation had landed some years earlier, to make a better life for himself and his family and siblings. He joined my uncle Gordon (his brother) who was married to my mother's sister Aunt May. son, Mum and Dad were married and I came along in the late 1960s followed by Yvonne and Reg.

Life in the UK was not easy in those times. He had left the calm of pre-Independent Barbados with no opportunities but lots of familiarity to make a better life but he was greeted with racism, hate, hard times for black people. He was called a nigger, a wog, his wife called a Paki and spat at as she made her way home with her children from Norman Park School but life was not all bad. He had the love and support of his siblings and mother back home in Barbados and the love and support of his brother and brother in law Lloyd, his sister Loretta and her husband Ted and some friends.

Dad was incredibly bright, inquisitive and worked hard to provide a life for his children and his wife in the UK. As time went on, my parents grew tired of the bombings of the IRA and instability of the UK and returned home to Barbados to resettle. We lived in St John for a while and we ran amok in Martin's Bay, Newcastle, Wilson Hill, crabbing and spending time at the beach with our family on Mum's side and hanging out with our aunts and cousins and friends in Wilson Hill, playing with livestock, rolling down hills, going at Ma Moore's shop and enjoying life. Dad made us veritable tourists and he took us everywhere sightseeing and enjoying his home and our British-ness slowly evaporated and we became real Bajans, eating Bajan food, being a part of his culture spiced with a tinge of things British. But he did tell us our history. He was a phenomenal teacher schooled at the knee of his wonderful mother, our grandmother Ivy Odessa.

He was strict while we grew up but he was reasonable, always explaining why he needed to protect us. He was not talkative, he did not wear his heart on his sleeve but we knew how much he loved us. He was an old-school kind of Dad, the type one respects for his sense of principle, his values and his love, his commitment to his wife (our Mum) until death stole him from us, committed to his children until he breathed his last breath.

There is so much I can say about Dad - his endless trials, illness, his incredible triumphs, his endurance, his love, his defiance, his sense of self determination and pride to be a black man. He was proud to be African and we imbibed that; he was proud to serve his God and we imbibed that; he was proud of us and for that we are grateful. He was the greatest dad one could ever ask for and the best we ever could have had. hank you Dad.

His life was filled with ups and downs but he was a wonderful father, a prince, he helped the poor, he loved God, he loved us and really that is enough. We don't need to say more about Dad. He was a genius and he engineered his inventions, he worked hard all his life to provide for us, he was born way ahead of his time, a bit like his son, my brother, Reg, who died at only 49 years old a month after our mother died in 2015. It has been too much.

But we thank you Dad for being a great Dad, we love you and miss you more.

We wish you were still here and that so was Mum and Reg but if there is a heaven, I thank God you are all together.

Thanks for being our Dad.
Rest in peace, Dad. I love you so much.