As many of us enjoy the beach, pool, and barbeques this Memorial Day, let us also take time to remember and honor those who have lost their lives protecting and serving our nation and their families. We also honor and thank all our Veterans and those actively serving. 

As a reminder: the Delaware County Courthouse and Government Center will be closed on Monday, May 30, in observance of Memorial Day.

Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor and Delaware County’s Register of Wills Rachel Ezzell Berry joined local football players, coaches, and cheerleaders participating in the 2022 Delaware County All-Star Hero Bowl during a Pep Rally at Ridley High School to kick off the upcoming game. 

The 44th annual Delaware County Hero Bowl will be held on June 2 at Cardinal O’Hara High School and features 100 All-Star football players, coaches, and cheerleaders from across the county. 

The All-Star football players were selected by the Delaware County Football Coaches Association and trained by teachers and coaches of outstanding record.

The annual Hero Bowl raises money to support the Hero Scholarship Fund of Delaware County, Inc., which offers scholarships to children of police officers, firefighters, and EMS who have died in the line of duty. To date, 37 children of Police Officers and Fire Fighters have received educational benefits from the Hero Scholarship Fund.  

Pre-game festivities start at 7 p.m. and kick-off is at 7:30 p.m. More details about the Hero Scholarship Fund of Delaware County, Inc. and the annual Hero Bowl can be found on the Hero Bowl website.

On Monday, May 16, at the Drexelbrook Event Center in Drexel Hill, forty-six centenarians — born the same year that the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington D.C., the Soviet Union was formed, Readers Digest debuted, insulin was first used as a treatment for diabetes, and a gallon of gas cost 25 cents — were honored at Delaware County’s 20th annual Centenarian Birthday hosted by the Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging (COSA).

Barbara S. Nicolardi, Director of COSA, was joined by Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor, District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer, Controller Joanne Phillips, Register of Wills Rachell Ezzell Berry, and Sheriff Jerry L. Sanders, Jr., in congratulating the attendees and presenting each of the residents with a ceremonial proclamation of exemplary citizenship. Cake, a fresh flower corsage, and souvenir photos were provided, with live music adding to the festive atmosphere.

“Older adults play vital, positive roles in our communities — as family members, friends, mentors, volunteers, civic leaders, members of the workforce, and more,” said Ms. Nicolardi “Ensuring that older adults remain involved and included in our communities for as long as possible benefits everyone.”

Over 250 Delaware County residents were identified this year by COSA as 100 years of age or turning 100 in 2022. 

The County’s oldest Centenarian is Rose Mirman, 106, of Media (who was unfortunately unable to attend). Throughout her life, Rose has been involved with many charitable and civic organizations. She volunteered with the American Red Cross in a variety of departments including blood donation, service to military families, and natural disasters. Her secret to longevity: “Stay involved in life every day!”

The eldest woman in attendance, Lucy DeCoursey, 102, has been very active in her church, ran a landscaping business, and has nearly 100 great grandchildren, while the eldest gentleman in attendance, Herman Whilby, 104, shared that his secret to longevity was to “treat everybody good and, as you go along in life, just do the best you can.”

Seven U.S. Veterans were in attendance. John Greeley, 100, of Ridley, Sergeant in the U.S. Army; John “Jack” Kelly, 99, of Media, Sergeant Technician 4th grade in U.S. Army; Aaron Lipson, 99, of Drexel Hill, Corporal in the U.S. Army Airforce; Henry Marini, 100, of Glen Mills, T4 Sergeant in U.S. Army; Joseph Passaretti, 103, of Collingdale, Corporal with 133rd Field Artillery Regiment in U.S. Army and Purple Heart recipient; Ralph Perkner, 101, of Broomall, Lieutenant in U.S. Navy; Elizabeth Zwijsen, 100, of Glen Mills, pharmacist mate 1st class, U.S. Navy WAVES.

Other Centenarians in attendance included Dolores Reigle, 100, of Aston, who attended Carnegie Tech to study architecture and was the only woman at Carnegie in that field of study at the time. She interviewed for a job at Socony Vacuum Oil Company (now Mobil) and was told “they never hired a woman before”. Impressed with her credentials, she was hired and worked at Socony designing gas stations. Later in life, she worked for contractors and herself designing homes. 

Two school librarians were in attendance. Caroline Emplit, 101, of Morton, worked at Amosland Elementary School for fifty years and retired at the age of 96! Virginia Wakefield, 99, of Media, worked in the Garnet Valley School District for over thirty years.

Three former Delaware County employees were in attendance. Helen Gillespie, 100, of Springfield, worked in payroll department at the courthouse; Lena Jackson, 99, of Chester, worked at Fair Acres as did Viola Kilson, 101, of Chester.  

Anne Taylor, 99, is a lifelong resident of Brookhaven. Her grandfather was the first to own a business in the borough- a gas station. When new homes were being built in Brookhaven, the borough was looking to name a new street and decided to honor the oldest person in the borough who lived in the borough the longest. The new road was named after her mother. It is called Whiteley Road. 

Mary Dempsey, 100, of Havertown, Maxine Martorelli, 100, of Media, and Aaron Lipson, 99, of Drexel Hill, and Nannie Dixon, 100, all have interesting secrets to longevity. Mary enjoys a piece of cake every night, Maxine drinks a Manhattan every day, Aaron doesn’t play in traffic, and Nannie Dixon explained she loves red wine and “stays away from men.” 

Delaware County Council congratulates the County’s centenarians on their milestone birthday and wishes them continued good health and prosperity. 

Lucy DeCoursey, 106, with County Sheriff Jerry L. Sanders, Jr.

Herman Whilby, 104, eldest gentleman in attendance

Delaware County senior athletes will have the chance to showcase their athletic skills in the Delaware County Senior Games, being held June 13-24 at venues throughout the county.

Hundreds of athletes will compete for medals in a variety of sporting events including golf, bowling, table tennis, corn hole, horseshoes, pickleball, and track & field. This year’s theme is “Play My Way” and residents 50 years and older of every skill level are encouraged to participate.

Physical activity, even moderate, can help seniors by improving mental capacity, preventing disease, improving healing, increasing balance, and increasing life expectancy. The games encourage older residents to stay socially and physically active throughout the year and achieve their personal best. The games also foster friendships among the athletes.

The 2022 Senior Games will kick off with Bocce on June 13, at Rose Tree Park. The Community YMCA of Eastern Delaware County is once again partnering with the Delaware County Senior Games by not only hosting the swimming events at Ridley High School; but is also offering athletes a free one-month membership at one of three local YMCA’s to help prepare for the games.

The Delaware County Senior Games are sponsored by Delaware County Council, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging (COSA). Co-chairs for the 2022 Senior Games are Marc Manfre, Director of Parks and Recreation and Barbara S. Nicolardi, Director of COSA.

Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded in every age category and all participating seniors and volunteers receive a free Senior Games t-shirt. A Winner’s Circle Luncheon celebration will be held at the Drexelbrook Event Center on Tuesday, July 19, 2022.

Registration for the games is $15 and is open to all Delaware County residents 50 and older. Registration is required for all events. Registration forms, schedules and more information on the games are available at the Parks and Recreation Office in Rose Tree Park, at local libraries and senior centers and online.

Game dates and locations can be found on the registration form, accessible from the registration tab of the Delaware County Senior Games website.

Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor presented a resolution to The Foundation for Delaware County during a celebration held on May 19 at the Ellis Preserve to celebrate the organization’s fifth anniversary.

The resolution was presented to Frances Sheehan, President of The Foundation for Delaware County and Dominic Pileggi, Board Chair for The Foundation for Delaware County, in recognition of the exceptional work the foundation has done over the past five years.

The Foundation for Delaware County was formed in July of 2016 with a goal to partner with nonprofits, businesses, government, and generous individuals to address the challenges in Delaware County. Since its founding, the foundation has been building a permanent civic endowment to benefit Delaware County and offers philanthropic services, convening, grantmaking, and community health programs to address unmet needs in Delaware County including those in food insecurity, affordable housing, racial inequities in birth outcomes, public health, the environment, and crisis response.

“The County is extremely grateful for our partnership with The Foundation for Delaware County,” said Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor. “Over the past few years, I have worked directly with Frances Sheehan and her team on projects and initiatives that are vital to our residents including Census outreach, supporting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy outreach, supporting the County in our launching of the Delaware County Health Department and working in the community since we launched the Health Department earlier this year.”

Since 2016, the Foundation has:

• Distributed $9M in grants, scholarships, and charitable care
• Raised and awarded $1M through the COVID-19 Response Fund
• Awarded 193 grants to nonprofits
• Raised $100K to support 2020 Census outreach for the county
• Assisted Delaware County Council in administering $3M in Delco Strong grants funded through the federal CARES Act
• Connected more than 2,600 generous individuals in Delaware County with opportunities to have an impact in their local community
• Served over 10,000 people each year through the foundation’s community health programs
• Launched Housing Opportunities Program for Equity (HOPE) to address housing instability through financial assistance to families, case management, financial literacy education, and advocacy for housing reform
• Helped to launch the Delaware County Health Department, providing both funding and counsel to the County

“While the amount of donations and people served can be tracked and counted, the impact that the foundation has made on Delco residents cannot be measured and nor can their level of passion and dedication,” said Taylor.

More information on The Foundation for Delaware County can be found on the Foundation's website.

Delaware County Govt Official 2022 Calendar

Meet your Delaware County Council members

The Delaware County Health Department website