The Lost Children of the Poconos

There are many people that I grew up with who met with a tragic end very early in their lives.  I pray for a large group of them daily.  There are several of them whose deaths have truly haunted me over the years.  I've since reached a time in my life where I want to remember and memorialize these people, so I started a group on Facebook for this purpose and named it "The Lost Children of the Poconos".

MICHAEL JOSEPH ROVLENCHIK

One of my first posts was about a young man named Michael "Rover" Rovlenchik.  Michael was one of a group of us who lived at the Tobyhanna Village Apartments in Tobyhanna, PA back in the 60s.  He also belonged to a smaller subset of us who attended Pocono Central Catholic School (PCC) in Cresco, PA.  Michael was almost a decade older than me, but we all used to ride a big Army bus to school daily, courtesy of Colonel Edward Holland, Post Commander at the Tobyhanna Army Depot. Back then, people from Grades 1 through 12 rode the bus together, which was a very interesting experience.  Michael was also a member of St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church, which is where my family and I went to church.

Michael was a very nice young man and was well liked by all who knew him.  One evening during the 4th of July weekend in 1968, Michael and his friend Billy Flaherty were hanging out at Gerrity's, which was a greasy spoon restaurant in downtown Tobyhanna back then. Apparently they were having a great time and didn't realize how late it had become.  According to my brother-in-law Blake Flaherty, (Billy's brother) they were worried about violating their curfew, so they both started running on foot to get home.  They split off at the corner near St. Ann's Church and their last words were "see you tomorrow".  Micheal's way home up to the Tobyhanna Village Apartments involved crossing the railroad tracks and running mostly uphill along about a mile of a very dark road with double lanes.

The 10:07 PM train was riding through Tobyhanna as Michael approached the railroad tracks and apparently he thought that he could safely make it across the tracks. Unfortunately, he misjudged the train's distance and was hit and killed.  Billy said that he heard the train's whistle right after he and Michael split up.  The whole community was stunned by his death!  Micheal was the first person that I knew to die and his death really rocked my world!

One of the girls who lived in the Village at that time and a PCC alumna said that after Micheal's death, his parents moved away from Tobyhanna because they couldn't bear the sound of the whistle of the 10:07  PM train as it rolled through town every evening.

Another one of our PCC Alumni said that Michael used to date the girl who lived next door to him in Gouldsboro. He said that he could hear that ten o'clock train whistle blow that tragic evening back in 1968 and Mike's girlfriend being brought home that night crying uncontrollably.

Here is a tribute page dedicated to him in the 1969 PCC Yearbook:

Micheal's Tribute Page in the 1969 PCC Yearbook - Courtesy of Danielle Rake

I'd like to thank my PCC alumna Danielle Rake for being so kind and taking the time to go to the school's library and scan this memorial out of the 1969 Yearbook!

Here's the article in the Pocono Record, which I clearly remember reading back then.  

WARNING:  This article is extremely graphic about the details of Micheal's death!!!!  If you're sensitive, please don't read it!!

Pocono Record Article about Micheal's Death

Michael was laid to rest in St. Catherine's Cemetery in Moscow, PA, which is the same place where my mother, father and brother John are buried. 

He is gone but not forgotten!

DAVID ALLEN GROSS 

Birth:	Aug. 2, 1956 East Stroudsburg Monroe County Pennsylvania, USA
.Death:	Aug. 10, 1977 Delaware Water Gap Monroe County Pennsylvania, USA

David Gross was a young man that I knew from High School who died tragically at a young age.  He  was the cousin of Janice Gross, a friend of mine in the 5th grade at Coolbaugh Elementary School.  He also dated a High School friend of mine named Jaye Ann Miller.  

The last time that I saw Dave was at the graduation ceremony for my class, the Pocono Central Catholic High School Class of 1977.  He and his parents came to see Jaye Ann graduate from High School.  After the ceremony, Dave walked up to Jaye Ann and handed her a present and she was really nasty to him!  It made me feel pretty bad, partially because of something that occurred earlier on that year.  My Aunt Mary Jeanne was really good friends with Dave's mother Pat.  Sometime earlier that year, Pat had complained to my Aunt that she was tired of Jaye Ann making food for Dave at their house and leaving a mess in the kitchen. My Aunt told my mother and I about this one evening at our dining room table.  Unfortunately, I ended up telling Jaye Ann about it and she went ballistic!  She ended up breaking up with him not much longer after that. I hope that my telling her about that wasn't part of the reason for their breakup! 

One August evening several months later, the story is that Dave was seen flashing some money at a party.  Despite the fact that he had no apparent enemies, he was found beaten to death at 1:37 a.m. the next morning under a rubber tarpaulin in the back seat of his 1975 Chevrolet Nova hatchback. The car was in a parking area known as the Arrow Island Overlook at Delaware Water Gap. Somebody had bashed his head in with a tire iron. The method of murder definitely indicated that the killer was enraged.  To this day, I don't think that his killer(s) have ever been caught. Although I have my suspicions about who might have been involved in his murder, I'm just going to keep them to myself. What a senseless tragedy!

Here's David's senior portrait from the 1974 Pocono Mountain High School Yearbook:

David Gross in his 1974 Gradation Picture

Here is his obituary from the Pocono Record:

David Allen Gross, 21, of Winona Road, Mount Pocono, PA died on Thursday, August 10, 1977. He was a murder victim.

He was born in East Stroudsburg on August 2, 1956, the only son of George R. and Patricia (Kemmerer) Gross of Mount Pocono. He lived in Mount Pocono all of his life.

He was employed as a carpenter by Ervin W. Gross & Sons of Mount Pocono. He was a member of the Mount Allen Hunting Assn and was a graduate of the Pocono Mountain High School Class of 1974.

In addition to his parents, he was survived by his maternal grandfather, Norman Kemmerer of Allentown and his paternal grandmother, Mrs. Lillian Gross of Mount Pocono.

David was laid to rest at Arlington Memorial Park Cemetery in Whitehall, PA.

Rest in Peace, Dave!

9/6/2014 Update on David Gross 

I just found this article written by Bryan Hay from the Morning Call, 2 June 1996

Murder Baffles Police * Few Clues Surface Since Mount Pocono Man Was Found Dead.

State police are working to end a 19-year-old homicide investigation that began with a Mount Pocono man found bludgeoned at a scenic overlook along Route 611 in Upper Mount Bethel Township.

Shortly after 1 a.m. on Aug. 11, 1977, Upper Mount Bethel Township Patrolman Jack Nolf discovered the body of David Allen Gross, 21, at Arrow Island Lookout in the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area.

Gross was in a pool of blood under a tarpaulin in the rear of his locked 1975 Chevrolet Monza hatchback.

Nolf, now police chief, declined to reminisce about that day and deferred to state police, who have been handling the case.

Gross' death, the most recent installment of the Lehigh Valley Crime Stoppers program, resulted from strangulation and a severe beating about the head and body, according to the autopsy.

Because there was no sign of a struggle at the scene, police suspect the murder may have happened somewhere else the day before.

A rope, the kind used with pulleys on exercise equipment, was tied tightly around his neck. The body was fully clothed and the car keys were missing. No weapon was found at the site, about two miles north of Portland.

Trooper Andrew Canepa of the Belfast barracks, who has been on the case for about two years, believes Gross was robbed.

Gross had celebrated his 21st birthday with a big party at his family's home in Cresco six days before police discovered his body.

"We are constantly trying to put everything together to make a proper arrest and still need as much help as we can get," said Canepa, who was at the Limerick, Montgomery County, barracks last week working on the case.

"We know for a fact that there are people in the Lehigh Valley who are aware of or have some information or rumors as to what happened to this victim," he added. "We encourage them to please call."

Gross' mother, Patricia, said she and her husband, George, do not have any new information about the murder of their only child. She said Canepa has been vigilantly following the case and keeps close contact with them.

Even though their son's murder devastated their lives, Patricia Gross said she and her husband have tried to put it behind them and shy away from contact with the media.

Gross worked as a carpenter in his father's contracting business in Mount Pocono.

"He (George Gross) doesn't like talking to reporters," Mrs. Gross said. "He was our only son, our only child. We hope that somebody would come forward."

"To have an only child brutally murdered is a trauma none of us ever want to live with," added Canepa, who says the crime is solvable. "What's worse, there has been no justice."

Tipsters can call Lehigh Valley Crime Stoppers at 1-800-426-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous and could be eligible for an award up to $1,000.

I pray that one day David's murder will be solved!

04/11/2015 Update 

A Facebook friend of mind and fellow Pocono Mountains native Cameron Texter recently shared this article about David on my Lost Children of the Poconos Group.  The article was in the Pocono Record on November 12, 1977, Page 19:

Article in the Pocono Record on November 12, 1977, Page 19:

 Unfortunately, David's killer still remains at large.





DAVID CHARLES SCHMITT

Birth:	Jun. 1, 1959
Death:	Aug. 11, 1987

Dave Schmitt was a classmate of mine during Middle School at PCC. He and I learned to play guitar together from Sister Kathleen, one of the teachers at PCC during that time.  We had fun sneaking cigarettes, skipping an occasional class or two, and cutting up in class. He eventually ended up going over to Pocono Mountain High School and I think that he graduated from there.

Dave lost his brother Ned in a motorcycle accident in 1986.  This plus other events in his life led up to what must have been an extreme moment of despair on August 11, 1987, when Dave committed suicide at his home in Tobyhanna. 

Here are a few pictures that I got from Teresa Kelly, a girl who I sat with in Chemistry class at Pocono Mountain High School, who was close friends with Dave:

Dave Schmitt in 1978 - Courtesy of Teresa Kelly

Dave in a hat, circa 1978

Here is his obituary that was in the Pocono Record on Wednesday, August 12, 1987

TOBYHANNA - David Charles Schmitt, 28, of Tobyhanna, a singer and guitarist for several local groups, died Tuesday at his home from a self-inflicted injury.

Born in Bethlehem, he was a son of Edward T. and Olive (Schaffer) Schmitt of Indianapolis, Ind. He had been a Mount Pocono area resident since 1968.

He was a self-employed contractor, operating New Additions of Mount Pocono. He had been a singer and lead guitarist for "Golden Fleece", "Band Teaser" and "Sirens Cry." He was also an avid skier, golfer, fisherman and outdoors man.

He was a member of St. Mary of the Mount Roman Catholic Church, Mount Pocono.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by his paternal grandmother, Bertha Schmitt of Levittown, Long Island, N.Y.; and three sisters, Mrs. Arthur (Ellen) Anderson, Mrs. Gregory (Sally) Bush, and Barbara Schmitt, all of Stroudsburg.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM Friday at St. Mary of the Mount Roman Catholic Church, Mount Pocono, with Monsignor Arthur J. Kaschenbach as celebrant.

A viewing will be held from 7 to 8:30 PM Thursday in the William H. Clark Funeral Home, Stroudsburg, where a wake service will be held at 8 PM.


David was laid to rest next to his brother Ned in the Buena Vista Cemetery, Broadheadsville.

Rest in Peace, Dave!

DAVID SCOTT KEIPER

Birth:	Jan. 5, 1962
Death:	Feb. 25, 1975

I'll never forget one of the saddest days ever at school back on February 25, 1975. Pocono Mountain School, or "The Jointure" as it was called back then, had an indoor swimming pool which was incorporated into the school's physical education program. I hated gym class in that pool for more reasons than I want to get into here! Needless to say, the water was heavily chlorinated and the pool area was always thick with mist and humidity. It was hard to breathe in that environment and everybody's eyes were always bloodshot for the rest of the day after swimming in it.

On this day back in 1975, a Middle School student named David Keiper was attending gym class in the pool. The story is that he was swimming with his classmates when he suddenly fell down into the shallow end of the pool. One of the gym teachers performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him, but he died in the ambulance on the way to the General Hospital of Monroe County. I remember several of our gym teachers walking through the halls at school that day crying. It was assumed that David had drowned, but an autopsy ruled out drowning and determined the exact cause of death to be cardiac-respiratory failure.

This hit us hard at home as David and his family lived right down the street from us in Tobyhanna. Everybody in town was shocked and saddened by his death! He was only 13 years old! My family and I attended his funeral at Tobyhanna Methodist Church. I felt so sorry for his family!

David was such a nice young man that his classmates eulogized him as a "friend to all who needed one" and planted a Japanese cherry tree in front of the school with a commemorative plaque underneath it. They also purchased an oil painting of a Pocono Mountain scene and dedicated it in his name and established a Student Government fund to sponsor an eighth grade boy at the Tobyhanna Basketball Camp every summer.

David was far too young to die, but God had other plans for him. Here's a picture of him along with his obituary from the Pocono Record, Wednesday, 26 February 1975, Page 10.

David Scott Keiper

  Rest in Peace, David!

 

A Reason, a Season and a Lifetime

I came to my blog today and looked at the date that I last posted and it was June 26th, which was almost 3 months ago!  I have went through some very significant life changes since that date.  Two days after that last post, I walked out of my house in Wylie and never returned there to live.  On July 28th I filed for a divorce from my husband of ten years, which should become final sometime in October. 

We've since put our house up for sale and had a serious offer lined up with hopes for settlement on or before October 23rd.  Unfortunately, the buyer backed out earlier this week, so it looks like I'll be doing a divorce buy-out.  This stressed me out badly earlier this week, but I'm now realizing that it's probably for the best as the house truly is a lovely place.  It's fully furnished, beautifully decorated, and the mortgage payment is low by today's standards. The buy-out will make things tighter, but I'll deal with that.

If someone had told me a year ago that this was how things were going to turn out, I would have told them that they were nuts!  My marriage was a very good one for 8 years. The marital woes began in 2011 and became intolerable this past 6 months.  It's all very sad!  As far as stress levels go, I can tell you that divorce is right up there with death and it requires all parties to go through the grief process.

I did a post on Facebook a few days ago in honor of my father's birthday.  I nearly died when I realized that my father's birthday is August 14th and the day I posted his memorial was September 14!  I always pay my bills early, but recently noticed that I was a couple of weeks late on one that I've been paying for a long time because I thought it was still August. What in God's name happened to the month of August?  I've never had problems like this before and attribute it all to the extreme stress that I've been enduring.

As I think back on my life, I remember the different people who have come in and out of it. Most of these relationships were short lived, a few were long term, and even fewer were for a lifetime. I put the following video in one of my posts from September of last year called "The Passing Parade".  This video meant a lot to me then and it means even more to me right now:

My husband was in my life for a season.instead of what I thought would have been a lifetime. The season was a very full one . . . we traveled to many places near and far, ate gourmet meals on a frequent basis, moved around the country, and had a very comfortable and nice life.  But this season has come to an end and it's time to move on.  I'd like to be on amicable terms with him and I wish him all of the best of luck, health and happiness.

This made an impression on me when came it up in my news feed the other day on Facebook:

This is a new beginning into a lifetime of being true to myself, which brings to mind a very meaningful quote from Richard Bach:

A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.

- Richard Bach

Let No Good Deed Go Unpunished

It just came to my attention yesterday that a very wise and seasoned gentleman that I've had the pleasure to work with for the past few years will be retiring several weeks from now.  I have a lot of respect for Bruce and I do wish him the best of luck and health for his retirement.  However, I will miss his professionalism, wise counsel and well-placed smart-ass comments here at work! 

I clearly remember a time not too long ago, right after I had successfully led a very complex task involving many people to closure.  At this time, another tough task needed to be done and Bruce came to me with his characteristic smirk on his face and said, "Mae, let no good deed go unpunished".  He then proceeded to tell me that management was wanting for me to lead this tough new task.

His very words are the subject of my blog today, but don't pertain to my working environment. Over the past decade or so, I've bent over backwards to ensure the very best of care and feeding for a person close to me and their family.  Throughout most of this time,  I put my own wants and needs last in order to take care of them and make them happy.  As always in life, there was some rough and easy sailing throughout that decade. But that was all made possible because I truly believed that there was mutual trust and respect to back it up.

As life has it, during the past couple of years some things came my way that prompted a need for me to reach out to find a good friend or two. Once this happened, I found out that the mutual trust and respect that I thought was at my back was largely conditional.  Those conditions strictly entailed that I not have any friends or interests outside of an invisible circle that had been drawn around the group of people I had taken care of during the past decade. 

How dare I have wants and needs that didn't adhere to these conditions!

Needless to say, it's been very tough sailing lately and I don't think that there will ever be another clearing on this course that I've been following for the past decade.  The only thing that I can say right now is a direct quotation of Bruce's words:

"Mae, let no good deed go unpunished!"

Bruce, your wise words have reached beyond the boundaries of work and into the epicenter of my life!  However, this time I'm going to decline taking on another tough task   I think I'm going to set my course for some smooth sailing . . . one with solid trust and respect to keep it on the right path.

I'm setting my course for Smooth Sailing!

The Graduate

Adeline graduated from the Children's Lighthouse's Private Kindergarten last Thursday, May 23, 2013 in a lovely evening ceremony held at Miller Elementary School in Richardson, Texas.  We headed to the school around 7:30 PM and had a photo session outside with all of the family after we arrived.  All of the graduates wore a white cap and gown with a 2013 tassel on the hat. Here's Adeline in her cap and gown out in the front of the school before the ceremony:

In cap and gown outside before the Ceremony

Here she is standing with Mommy:

Adeline and Mommy

Then she posed for a picture with Daddy:

Adeline and Daddy

Here she is with her maternal side of the family:  Granny Tina, Mommy (Catie), Uncle Joe-Joe, Grandma Karen and Grandpa Jim Horkey.

Adeline and the Horkey Family - left to right, Tina, Catie, Joe, Karen, and Jim

Next was her paternal side of the family:  Daddy (Alex), Abuelito (Hernan), Mimi (Mae West) and Miss Meghan.

Adeline and the Home Gang - Left to Right, Alex, Hernan, Mae and Meghan

Here's Daddy in the Auditorium showing off his "Adeline" tattoo on his neck:

Daddy and his "Adeline" Tattoo!

The Graduation Program was really cute but they didn't make enough copies to go around.  I put my copy down on my purse and somebody actually took it!  Fortunately, Grandma Karen had grabbed an extra one and gave it to me!  Thank you Grandma Karen!  Here's what it looked like:

Graduation Program

The Program had the cutest poem on the back of it!  Here is the poem:

Sticky fingers, freckled nose,

Head, shoulders, knees, and the toes, 

Shapes and colors, ABC's,

Taking turns, and 1, 2, 3's, 

Toothless smiles, hugs and giggles,

Circle time, many wiggles, 

Wooden blocks and dress-up clothes, 

Learning how a flower grows, 

Milk and cookies, first-time friend,

Thinking days like these won't end.

Tiny chairs give way to desks,

Book Reports and spelling tests,

So take off now; spread your wings;

Soar to new heights; learn new things.

Just remember, as you do,

Someone's very proud of you.

The presentation during the ceremony was impressive beyond words!  The children started out by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance; said Hello in ten different languages; recited all of the seasons, months and days of the week; counted to one-hundred in English then in Spanish; recited their times tables; performed a sign language routine; recited their colors in Spanish; named all of the continents and oceans; named all of the states and their capitols; named all of the presidents of the United States; and then recited poetry.

It was absolutely amazing that children who will be going into public school Kindergarten this Fall could know so much!!!!  The Children's Lighthouse has a wonderful staff and a fantastic curriculum!

Here's a picture of the 2013 Private Kindergarten in their caps and gowns doing their graduation presentation:

 The 2013 Private Kindergarten Class

Several of the children had speaking parts during the program.  Adeline was one of them and she was the first one up.  Here's a video of her presenting and of most of the program:

Here are Adeline and her friend Ava doing a Sign Language presentation:

Adeline and Ava doing Sign Language

The young lady in front of them wasn't signing.  She was just trying to keep her graduation cap on!  Several of the children had a hard time keeping their caps on.

After the presentation, Adeline was the first one called to receive her diploma from her teacher, Mrs. Kenya and the School Director, Mrs. Emily.  Here is a picture of Adeline receiving her Diploma:

Adeline receiving her diploma

Adeline's Diploma is very nice and we plan to hang it on her bedroom wall with some of her graduation photos.

The proud Graduate with her Diploma

Here is Adeline taking a photo-op with her teacher, Mrs. Kenya.  Mrs. Kenya is one of the loveliest and best teachers that I've ever known!  She is so caring and brings out the best in all of her students!

Adeline and her Teacher, Mrs. Kenya

Here is Adeline and her best friend and classmate Ava.  They are such cute little friends!

Adeline and her best friend Ava

Adeline sat and posed with her Diploma and several family members.  Here she is with Daddy:

Sitting with Daddy holding her Diploma

Then she sat with Mommy:

Sitting with Mommy holding her Diploma

Abuelito was next in line in the photo session:

Sitting with Abuelito holding her Diploma

And then Grandma Karen!

Sitting with Grandma Karen holding her Diploma

After the ceremony we went to Dairy Queen to eat some Dinner and have some ice cream. Here she is posing in her pink and black polka-dotted skirt:

Celebrating at Dairy Queen after the Graduation

What a wonderful evening we all had at Adeline's Graduation!  We are so proud of her and her accomplishments and look forward to many more graduations to come!