Last of a Generation – Walter A. Drusedum

Walter A. Drusedum | 1931 – 2024 | Obituary

Walter A. Drusedum

Celebration of Life
Saturday, Mar 1, 2025
11:00 AM

Walter A. Drusedum

February 6, 1931 – November 26, 2024

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing on 26 November 2024 of Walter A. Drusedum of Lansdale, PA. He was 93 years old.

Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late Albert E. and Marion B. Drusedum. He met the love of his life, Elizabeth S. Drusedum, while on duty as a police officer in Lansdale. They were married for 69 years until Betty’s passing on Christmas Day last year. He will be greatly missed by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

When he was in 11th grade, Walt joined the Naval Reserve with his older brother, John. The Monday after he graduated from Hatfield High School, he was told to report to the Naval Recruiting office at 8:30am where he was given a train ticket for the 11am train to Chicago and boot camp. He was eventually stationed in Rhode Island at Quonset Point Naval Air Station and assigned to the Photography Division which had been his goal when he enlisted. Photography would have an important place in his life both professionally and as a hobby. He was stationed on the USS Midway during the Korean War working on the flight deck. During that time he had the opportunity to cruise the Mediterranean and experience post-war Italy and France up close.

After being discharged, he returned to Lansdale and joined the Lansdale Police Department. He and Betty married and moved into their home of 67 years where they raised their five children and provided a home to others in need over the years. Walt rose to the rank of sergeant and was the official police photographer for many years during which he had the opportunity to study at the Kodak Institute in Rochester. He was also an expert marksman and won many trophies for his shooting ability. During his time as a police officer he saw a lot of the good and bad in people, but never lost his faith in their inherent goodness. He always thought of himself as a Peace Officer first, and then a police officer.

After retiring from the police force, Walt worked at local businesses in Lansdale and remained an active member of the community. He was involved with the North Penn YMCA Men’s Club and the North Penn Baseball League. In addition to serving as a Board Member and President of the North Penn Symphony Orchestra, he took pride in providing the realistic cannon accompaniment for their performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.

An active member at Montgomery Baptist Church, and later First Baptist Church – Lansdale, you could always find Walt in the kitchen running the dishwasher. He enjoyed walking, woodworking, traveling, breakfast with the ROMEOs (Retired Old Men Eating

Out) and participating in the lives of his children and grandchildren. He will be remembered by many who loved him for his perfectly timed “dad” jokes, his calm demeanor, sense of humor, cookies, an amazing whistling ability and his love of singing, even if the song was out of season.

Walt was a man of deep faith who walked the talk everyday and always had a ready smile and a “howdy do” for everyone who crossed his path. He showed us how to be generous and loving to all by being there when you needed him – even if you weren’t aware that you needed him – without expecting anything in return.

A celebration of his life will be held in the Community Center at Foulkeways at Gwynned 1 March 2025 at 11:00 am.

Memorial donations can be made to Foulkeways at Gwynned Stewardship FundSERVICES

Celebration of Life

Saturday, March 01, 2025
11:00 AM Community Center at Foulkeways at Gwynned

April 16, 2024

The Incredible Octopus

Dr. Erin Spencer has done it again. Her recently released book “The Incredible Octopus: Meet the Eight-Armed Wonder of the Sea” is a beautiful book with lots to learn and colorful photos. Did you know that octopuses have three hearts? They can change color, are very smart, and play with toys. Would you like to take on an octopus at Jeopardy? They have 9 brains compared to your one. Each arm has an independent brain that can function on it’s own.

This is a great book for parents and teachers alike. Erin corrects the idea that the plural of octopus is not octopi, but actually is octopuses, “like how bus becomes buses”. This is Erin’s second book. If you read my blogs (I know I don’t post often) you know that her first book “The World of Coral Reefs” is equally as beautiful and filled with facts.

If you get a chance to watch the PBS special on hammerhead sharks, you will see her bravely swimming with the sharks. You wouldn’t catch me anywhere near a shark, let along studying them in the wild.

Erin has her PhD in marine ecology and is living in southern Florida where she can continue her research. She received her PhD from Florida International University. She also graduated from William and Mary as well as University of North Carolina. Congratulations, Erin, on your many successes.

January 16, 2024January 16, 2024

Elizabeth “Betty” Spencer Druesdum Last of the Cousins

It is with much sadness that I share the passing of Elizabeth “Betty” Spencer Drusedum on Christmas Day, 2023. She was the last of the Howard and Mary (White) Spencer children and probably the last of her generation of Alex and Mary Ella (Hess) White’s grandchildren.

Elizabeth S. Drusedum

November 11, 1930 – December 25, 2023

Elizabeth “Betty” Drusedum was a remarkable woman. The matriarch of the Drusedum family, she was an exceptional artist, teacher, musician, and business woman who graced our lives with unconditional love, creativity, and kindness. She passed away peacefully on Christmas Day 2023 with her beloved husband of 69 years by her side. Betty was the loving wife of Walter Drusedum and a treasured mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend who will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Passionate about art from a young age, she attended Penn State College graduating with a degree in Art Education. A proud Nittany Lion alumna, she moved to Lansdale after graduation where she taught Art to grades 1- 8. She met her husband, Walter, her first year in Lansdale and they celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary in 2023. She was a founding member of the North Penn Symphony Orchestra for 33 years and an active member of First Baptist Church of Lansdale. In 1988, she opened the Lamb’s
Wool yarn shop with her daughter that they ran for 25 years.

Betty touched the lives of so many. A born educator, she always knew her calling was teaching, which manifested itself in many forms. Over the years she taught art, painting, knitting, crocheting, weaving, spinning, and dying to countless students. She believed that everyone was creative. Her legacy lives on not only through her impressive works, but also through the trove of cherished memories from the individuals she inspired to embrace their own creativity and the memories of her warmth and encouragement she offered all who had the privilege of knowing her.

Betty enjoyed making art, watercolors, ceramics, knitting, playing the violin, her local sports teams, traveling and most of all, spending time with friends and family. We are eternally grateful to have known her, to have loved her, and to have been loved by her.

A Life Celebration will be held at Foulkeways at Gwynned on March 30, 2024, 11:00AM in the Community Center. In lieu of flowers, we kindly ask you to channel your creativity and create a piece of art that would have made Betty smile.

Memorial donations can be made to Foulkeways at Gwynned Stewardship Fund or to
The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Obituary | Elizabeth S. Drusedum | Huff & Lakjer Funeral Home, Inc. (huffandlakjer.com)

December 18, 2023

Gr. Gr. Gr. Grandma Emily Morse Packard’s Rocking Chair

Cousin Bob Seelye had been a treasure trove of information for the Brown side of the family. I could depend on him to remember people from long ago and explain their connection. Over time he has given me photos, letters and Gr. Gr. Gr. Grandma Emily Morse Packard’s Rocking Chair.

Bob had talked about the chair on a number of occasions, that he wanted me to have it, but passed away before we could get together. Some months ago his daughter Brooke, met me in Horseheads, NY to give me the chair. The rockers had been removed as well as the reed seat, but it is an adorable chair with an interesting history and worth saving.

I found a wonderful person, Brian Kilmer at Next Generation Funiture Refinishers who restored the chair to it’s original beauty. He matched the rockers with old wood and replaced the reed seat as it would have been.

The story goes that the chair belonged to Emily Morse Packard. “During the 1820’s , around 1825 or 26, perhaps, Ziba Morse and family including the four or five year old daughter Emily, emigrated from Connecticut to Bradford County, Pennsylvania. Several other families also made the journey overland and Emily sat in the chair, placed in a wheelbarrow and was wheeled thru New York City on her way to Bradford County.”¹

“It is my understanding that the settler brot (brought) cattle, horses and what household possessions and farm implements they were able to carry as well as seed for planting.”²

“Great grandmother, Emily Morse never forgot this wheelbarrow trip thru New York City and often mentioned it during her later years. She married Jerome Bonaparte Packard who passed away in 1896. Emily Morse Packard died in 1902”³

Reference:

Letter written May 11, 1967, probably by Ruth Brown Seelye, mother of Bob Seeyle
Ibid
Ibid

July 22, 2023

Philip Howard Spencer dies at 96 years old

Yesterday I attended the memorial service for cousin Philip (with one L like the disciple- he says) Howard Spencer at the Media Presbyterian Church in Media, PA. It was a wonderful celebration of his life with many of his paintings, photos and great stories told by his sons and grandchildren. Cousin Phil, born 24 Jan 1927, died 10 Jun 2023 at Maris Grove Retirement Village, in Glen Mills, PA, was the son of Howard and Mary (White) Spencer.

“He is survived by a sister, Eizabeth Drusedum and three sons, Blake Spencer (Jennifer Brown) of Strafford, VT; Scott Spencer (Barbara) of Rehoboth, MA and Stuart Spencer (Leslie) of Moorestown, NJ. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Christopher McGrath (Catherine), Robin Spencer, Katies Spencer, Annik Spencer Allen (Danny), Samuel Spencer, and Miles Spencer, and one great grandchild, Thomas McGrath. He spent his career as a partner of Spencer Stationary Company in Chester, PA and was a Navy veteran of World War II.

A man of deep faith, Philip was a longtime Elder and Bible teacher at Media Presbyterian Church where he fostered his love of music by singing tenor in the choir. He also volunteered with the Salvation Army for more than five decades. Always charming and quick with a joke, Philip loved to be around people and people loved to be around him. Anyone who met him couldn’t help but feel the warmth of his open heart, curious nature, honorable character, and compassion for others. He loved jazz music, had a nearly encyclopedic memory for song lyrics and could always be found spinning people around the dance floor at weddings and family gatherings, eye twinkling in his signature bow tie. A self-taught, talented watercolorist, many have Philip’s paintings proudly displayed in their homes. Philip will be profoundly missed, but his spirit will live on in the impact that he has left on so many.” ( From memorial program)

His many likes and talents were incorporated in his service, with the City Brass band playing jazzy songs, finalizing with “As The Saints Go Marching In” sung by those in attendance and Rev. Rose Sparrow lifting her glorious voice above all.

I love catching up with the cousins and they were there in multiples. It was a chance to find out who has gotten married, had babies and extended the family, since we were together for Phil’s brother’s memorial service (Robert White Spencer). I will be one of the many who will greatly miss having lunch with Phil and hearing his stories. RIP, Phil

June 5, 2023

William and Hannah (Milliken) White Tombstones in Pana, IL

Al and I went on another adventure to visit friends and relatives in our motorhome. We visited with Cousins Mark and Colleen Myers in Cleveland, TN. Always fun to hear about Marks latest birding trips. He has been all over the World banding birds and taking wonderful pictures.

Our next stop was Plano, TX to visit Nephews Jeff and Rob. We stayed in a RV park nearby and had the pleasure to meet a group of Venezuelans who were celebrating their friend’s birthday. We talked with one of the couples who gave us a dining suggestion, Hola Cafe. It is in nearby Carrollton, TX. They were absolutely correct that their country’s cuisine is delicious.

On to Tucumcari, New Mexico then heading home. Since we were going across the upper corner of TX and OK then through Kansas we stopped in Kansas City, MO to visit my boss from Adria Laboratories, Karen and husband, Kevin. As far as boss’ go, she was the best. She always championed her employees plans for their career and would take the heat to see that everyone was fairly treated.

On our way through Illinois, we were very close to Pana, IL where three times great grandparents William and Hannah (Milliken) White are buried. I cleaned their stones as good as possible. The rain, if it comes, will help to further clean their stones. I will be contacting a local stone mason to right their stones.

William M. White Tombstone Linwood Cemetery, Pana, IL

Hannah Milliken White Tombstone Linwood Cemetery Pana, IL

I have DAR supplements for both of these ancestors. Thomas White is the grandfather of William and his brother, Thomas’ son, James great grandfather. James also married Sarah White, daughter of previously mentioned and pictured above William and Hannah White. Making two supplements for the same ancestor. Hannah Milliken’s grandfather was Samuel Milliken. I proved him as a new Ancestor.

February 28, 2023

Samuel Milliken Added as New Ancestor in DAR

What a struggle to get 5 x great grandfather Samuel Milliken proven as a Revolutionary War patriot, but it’s done. Samuel was born in Ireland c. 1727, married Sarah Jardine, sister to Mary Jardine the wife of Thomas White. They lived in Cumberland County, later Perry County that broke off of the former in 1820. Samuel and Sarah are buried in Bixler, Perry County PA

Their son, David Milliken moved west to Braddock Fields, Allegheny County, PA where he and some of his family are buried. The big question for DAR is how did Hannah, daughter of David Milliken marry William White if the family had moved west and William was still in Perry County. They were concerned about Hannah being only about 10 years old, must have stayed behind and not moved to Allegheny County with her family. Why would a 10-year-old not go with them? A lot of speculation, but probably to help with relatives’ children.

I thought that none of the Whites went west from PA, however Hannah Milliken married William White. They moved west through Indiana and finally settled in Pana, Illinois. Al and I took a trip on Route 30 west. Pana, IL is not far off of Rt 30, so we went on what I call “grave digging” looking for William and Hannah’s burial site.

We arrived in Pana, found the cemetery rather quickly and began the search. There was a caretaker working and I stopped to ask if he knew where they were buried. Since they were among the earlier people buried in the cemetery, he directed us to the older section. We parked the motorhome, and I began to look for their tombstone. I knew from FindAGrave what the stone looked like and started up and down the rows. No luck out the driver’s side door, going up and down the rows, so I crossed the road to go up and down that side. After about a half hour, I was back at the motorhome and you guessed it, the tombstone was right beside the RV. AHHHHHHHHHHHH! I figured Hannah and William must have had a great sense of humor to let me do all that walking when they were right there.

Their stone is not in bad shape; however, it needs to be cleaned and reset to be in good shape for many more years. I am calling a local tombstone company to see if they can fix the stone.

July 28, 2022

Erin Spencer on National Geographic

It was a big surprise when I turned on National Geographic station this week to see our cousin, Erin Spencer, swimming with the sharks on Shark Fest. If you have On Demand you might want to catch the show.

Erin is a PhD student, in marine ecology, at Florida International University, studying sharks, specifically hammer head sharks. I wouldn’t get in the water any place with a shark, let alone a hammer head. They are quite large. Erin and her research group actually spend many hours on the water looking for them.

She is a very courageous person to put herself in that kind of danger to help an apex predator to survive in the ocean. She bravely takes laser measurements while the shark swims around her, looking for a meal, hopefully, something a other than the researchers.

Author of award winning “Explore and Protect the Natural wonders of the Sea: The World of Coral Reefs”, Erin is also an accomplished writer. If you would like a very colorfully illustrated, down to earth, kids book (even adults can learn from it), I would suggest you order one of her books from www.storey.com.

It is wonderful to see what our next generation cousins are doing to impact the world. Catch her blog by googling her or go on her Facebook page.

February 5, 2022

HowManyofMe.com

Strolling through Facebook you can find many unusual items to read. I found this one particularly interesting because I frequently get asked if I am related to Milton S. Hershey, Founder of Hershey, PA and infamous for his chocolate town. Most people will recognize the name of Hershey. As a genealogist, I can tell you, my husband is a first cousin three times removed. When you tell most people this relationship, their faces go blank. I could explain this, but then I can imagine you would change to another blog.

Back to HowManyofMe – I found this website and thought I would find out how many Deborah Hershey’s there are in the United States. The results:

I thought this was a little low as I know there are 4 Deborah Hershey’s in the Hershey area, but there are also, last time I checked, 100 Hershey families in the local phonebook (back when you were listed in a phonebook). As we have traveled around the USA we have stopped in other towns named Hershey, but I didn’t think to look in their phonebooks. There is a Hershey, Nebraska, for one.

This is a fun exercise, how many of you are in the United States?

January 7, 2022January 7, 2022

Sargent William Walter White (1894-1953)

Co. H, 314 Infantry World War I Taken April 1918

List of men, not necessarily in order: Eister, Stipler, B.Brown, Bolle, Longo, Laux, Kocher, Decker, C. Smith, Cleon Smith, Sgt. Culver, Ferrera, Brady, Hackenburger, J. Kelly, Krocto, Corp. White, Hartzel, Burns, Corp Sally, Heims, Corp. Reed, Howley, Gardner, Fritz, Cathers, Murphy, Edwards, Barefoot, Booker, Crozier

The picture above was sent to me after Christmas, 2021, by Cousins Bill and Kathy McCord. Our grandfather is pictured third row up on the right, peaking around the soldier standing in the second row. This is Company H, 314 Infantry group at Camp Mead, MD in 1918.

Grandpa White enlisted in the Army Nov. 2, 1917 and was discharged Mar. 13, 1919. At the time of the photo he was a Corporal, however on discharge was a Sargent in Co. 35 153 Depot Brigade (formerly 191 Hoboken Casual Co. ). He served overseas for seven months. He participated in the Battle of Montfaucon (France) that was part of the Meuse-Argonne Champaign. This was the first battle to use chemical warfare and was considered one of the most significant of the campaign.

Corp. White also fought in the Malancourt and Nantillious, France battles before returning to the United States for discharge at Camp Dix, New Jersey. His discharge states that he did not have any wounds, however my mom (Martha White) stated that he had burn scares on his arm from the chemicals that were released in the battle of Montfaucon.

According to the CSI Battlebook for the Battle of Montfaucon, “the sector (304) facing north toward Malancourt, Montfaucon and Nantillious , covered not only the most impossible terrain in all the Meuse-Argonne area, but was also placed in front of the greatest obstacle in the sector – the village and area around Montfaucon…. Sector 304 was part of the battlefield of Verdun, fought over by the armies of France and Germany for four years. ” “Within the Avocourt-Malancourt sector, the Germans held on to their most formidable positions on the entire Western Front.

I hope descendants of the 314th Infantry find this photo and can identify their relative. If you would like to share that information feel free to contact me.