Obituaries-Nov. 23, 2006

Pamela Minford

   NEW HOPE — Pamela A. Minford, 81, died Monday, Nov. 13, at Doylestown (Pa.) Hospital after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis.
   She was born in New York City, the daughter of Levis W. and Rita May Hornbrook Minford.
   Raised in Scarsdale, N.Y., she lived in Forked River and Toms River before coming to New Hope in 1952.
   Her latest project was the Pamela Minford Charitable Foundation.
   It was her antique shop in Toms River that brought Ms. Minford to New Hope. Her best customer was Ruth Page, owner of the Antique Flea Market on Mechanic Street in New Hope. In 1955, when Ms. Page wanted to retire, she convinced Ms. Minford to buy the property.
   The first of many properties she would own, over the years it grew from an antiques and pine furniture shop and Terrace Grill to the El Patio Restaurant and then into the Hacienda Inn and Restaurant that became a hideaway for stars such as Maurice Chevalier, Liberace, Burt Reynolds, Dina Shore and Ella Fitzgerald.
   Through the 1960’s and 1970s, she bought and renovated 13 houses on Ferry Street, opened New Hope’s first ice cream parlor and ran the Studio of World Imports, which she stocked on yearly buying jaunts abroad.
   Her restoration of the Fountainhead in the late 1970s, in which she created the wedding and banquet facility known at the Fabulous Fountainhead, was the culmination of years spent as a entrepreneur, restaurateur, builder, importer, architect, interior designer and party caterer.
   In 1981, Ms. Minford was the first woman to receive the Business Achievement Award from the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce in recognition of her success in business and her contributions to the Bucks County community.
   Surviving are her niece, Deborah Minford Dailey; her husband, George, of Doylestown; her sister, Tess Sands of Doylestown; two nephews, Timothy Sands and his wife, Joanne, of Louisiana and Thomas Sands of Pipersville, Pa.; four grandnephews, Brian and Kevin Dailey and Michael and Scott Sands; and a grandniece, Katie Sands.
   She was predeceased by her brother, Levis W. Minford III, a sister-in-law, Barbara Minford; a brother-in-law, Dick Sands, and a nephew, Todd Sands.
   Services were held Friday at Reed and Steinbach Funeral Home, Doylestown. Burial followed at St. Martin of Tours Cemetery, New Hope.
   Memorial donations can be made to the Pamela Minford Charitable Foundation, in care of 8 Riverstone Circle, New Hope, 18938.
Dennis Cook

   TRENTON — Dennis W. Cook, 47, died Sunday, Nov. 12, at St. Francis Compassionate Care Hospice in Trenton.
   Born in Trenton, he was a lifelong area resident.
   He was employed by New Jersey Bank and Trust for several years.
   Mr. Cook was a member of Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Immaculate Conception. He was a Eucharistic minister, lector and a member of the parish council.
   He was the son of the late Edward L. and Barbara Schroeder Cook.
   Surviving are three sisters, Barbara Ann Cook of Trenton, Dorothy Marie Russ of New Hope and Katherine Monus of Trenton; a brother, E. Brian Cook of Trenton; two nieces, Julia Monus and Jenifer Tarbay; and a nephew, A. Jason Tarbay.
   A memorial mass was held Friday in the church. Burial was private.
   Arrangements were under the direction of the Buklad Memorial Home, Hamilton.
   Memorial donations may be made to American Cancer Society, Mercer County Unit, 3076 Princeton Pike, Lawrenceville, 08648.
Myrtle Lodewick

   LUMBERVILLE, Pa. — Myrtle G. Lodewick, 81, of Lumberville, Pa., died Wednesday, Nov. 15, at Chandler Hall Hospice in Newtown.
   She was born in Williamsport, Pa., and was the daughter of the late Myrtle and Alan Lodewick. She attended Girls High School in Philadelphia and graduated in 1942.
   She worked for Merck & Company for more than 40 years and retired in 1990.
   A life celebration was held Monday followed by a funeral service at Leaver-Cable Funeral Home, Buckingham, Pa. Interment followed in Northwood Cemetery.