Mrs.Minnie Graham Wilkins;formerly of Monessen;died Thursday;July 8;1976;at 6 a.m.in a Cleveland hospital after becoming ill while visiting her brother. She was born in Lincoln County;N.C.;the daughter of Thomas and Mary Graham. Mrs.Wilkins was a member of the Oakland Ave.Baptist Church;Cleveland. Her husband;Louis Wilkins;died three years ago. Surviving are three sisters;Mrs.Elizabeth Hunter of Westgate Manor;Monessen;Mrs.Dora Simmons of Belle Vernon and Mrs.Nettie McLain of Lincolnton;N.C.;two brothers;Baldie Graham of Philadelphia and Lonnie Graham of Cleveland and a number of nieces;nephews and other relatives. Friends will be received at the William R.Taylor Funeral Home;645 McMahon Ave.;Monessen;Sunday from 1 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Services will be held Monday;July 12;1976 at 11 a.m.at Union Baptist Church;Monessen;pastor L.D.Wiley officiating. Burial will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery. Dubois Carter is the funeral director in charge of arrangements.

A Belle vernon man died in a Pittsburgh hospital Friday;June 18;1976;after suffering a gunshot wound in the chest earlier in the day at his home. Eugene Williams;28;of 213 Frederick St.;died at 11:15 a.m.in Presbyterian University Hospital after he was treated and transferred from Charleroi Hospital at 3:36 a.m. The shooting occurred about 3:05 a.m.;according to Rostraver twp.police;who arrived on the scene at 3:20 a.m.and immediately arranged for Mr.Williams to be taken to Charleroi Hospital by the Shelby D.Ferguson ambulance. Mr.Williams lived in a duplex home which he shared with another man;but police say the victim was alone in the house at the time of the shooting. Mr.Williams was born in Fayette City and was an employee of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel at the Allenport plant. He is survived by his parents;George and Annette Williams of Belle Vernon;and his wife;Diane. Also surviving are four sons;Eugene;George;Scott;and Chris;all at home;two brothers;George and Harry;both of Fayette City;a paternal grandmther;Mrs.Stella Williams of Fayette City;and a maternal grandfather;Harry Tiernan of Richeyville. Friends are being received in the McCrory Funeral Home of Fayette City after 7 p.m.Saturday and until 11 a.m.Monday;the hour of service with Rev.George McNeel officiating. Burial will be in Belle Vernon Cemetery.

A 17-year-old Belle Vernon youth drowned while swimming across the Youghiogheny River in Cedar Creek Park;Rostraver Twp.Monday;April 19;1976. Westmoreland County Coroner Stephen D.Yoney said William Russell Weitz of 406 Mutich Ave.;Belle Vernon;was swimming with four companions when he went under at about 4 p.m. Yoney said the body was recovered by members of the Greensburg Fire Company and their scuba divers at 7:25 p.m. and he was pronounced dead of suffocation due to drowning at 7:30 p.m. by Yoney and Deputy Coroner James Stump. He was swimming with Frank Rebel;16;of 415 Mutich Ave.;Belle Vernon;and three other companions;Walt Strychalski;Kim Owens and Kevin Rich;all of Belle Vernon. According to Yoney;the three pulled Rebel;who had lost consciousness;out of the water and revived him; They probably saved his life Yoney added. Rebel had attempted to reach Weitz who may have developed cramps;but was unsuccessful. Rostraver police said divers from Sunnyside and Gallatin were also at the scene as well as fire companies from Rostraver Central;Webster;Collinsburg;West Newton and Smithton. Rstraver Police Chief Carl Jones said the youths had entered the water on the Cedar Creek Park side of the river and were attempting to swim across. He was not sure of the distance or the exact location where Weitz went under. The body was pulled from the water on the opposite side of the river;Jones said. Weitz was born in Pittsburgh on December 31;1958 and had attended Belle Vernon Area schools where he was a member of the senior class. He had enlisted in the delayed enlistment program of the U.S.Air Force and was to have been inducted in June. He attended the First United Methodist Church of Belle Vernon. Surviving are his parents;Mr.and Mrs.William E.Weitz;a sister;Leah Carol;at home;and his maternal grandparents;Mr.and Mrs.Russell B.Smith of Monessen. Friends will be received at the Shelby D.Ferguson Funeral Home;700 Broad Ave.;Belle Vernon;Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Burial in Belle Vernon Cemetery on Thursday.

Susan Madeline Walters of Carson St.;Pricedale;died Sunday;April 11;1976;at 3 a.m.in the Waddington Convalescent Home;Fayette City after a lengthy illness. She was 62. Born in Star Junction on Sept.8;1913;she was a daughter of the late Frank and Katherine Rabatin. Mrs.Walters worked as a nurse’s aide at the Charleroi Division of Mon Valley Hospital for 25 years. She was a member of St.Sebastian Catholic Church;Belle Vernon. Surviving are her husband;Vernon w.Walters;two daughters;Mrs.Harry (Loretta) Malone of Monessen and Mrs.Charles (Joan) Schaum of Monongahela;two sons;Vernon E.Walters of Monessen and George A.Walters of Belle Vernon;three brothers;Steve Rabatin of Star Junction;Andrew and Joseph Rabatin;both of Cleveland;Ohio;three sisters;Mrs.Anna Evans of Pricedale;Mrs.Louis (Kathryn) Hornyak and Mrs.Earl (Anna) Tiedman;both of Cleveland;Ohio;and nine grandchildren. Friends will be received at the Gerald R.Essey Funeral Home;Belle Vernon;after 7 p.m. Monday and from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 .m. Tuesday. Blessing services will be held at the funeral home on Wednesday at 10 a.m. with the Rev.Edward Gearing;pastor of St.Sebastian Catholic Church;Belle Vernon;officiating. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery. David R.Rhome is temporary supervisor.

Jean Smith Wilcox;86;of 304 Vine St.;Monongahela;formerly of Fayette City;died Sunday;Jan.25;1976;at 12:30 p.m.in Monongahela Division of Mon Valley Hospital after a lengthy illness. She was born in Washington Twp.;on Jan.15;1890;daughter of the late Samuel and Jane Givens Smith. Mrs.Wilcox was a retired restaurant employee. She is survived by one son;Richard Wilcox of Allenport;two daughters;Mrs.Jean Helmken of Monongahela;with whom she made her home;and Mrs.Joseph (Irene) Vent of San Diego;Calif.;nine grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. Friends will be received at the Howard W.McCrory Funeral Home;Fayette City;after 7 p.m.Monday. Services will be held Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.at the funeral home with the Rev.Robert Shaw of First Christian Church;Monongahela;officiating. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery. Howard W.McCrory is funeral director in charge.

Steward Wells of 500 Green St.;Belle Vernon;died in the Brownsville General Hospital Tuesday;Dec.30;1975;at 11:25 a.m. He was 94. Born in Rendville;Ohio on July 24;1881;he was a son of the late Joseph and Jane Marks Wells;and had lived in Belle Vernon the past 75 years. Mr.Wells was retired from the Monessen-Southwestern Railroad of the Monessen Plant of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. He was a member of First Christian Church of Belle Vernon. Preceding him in death were his wife;Lilly Hopkins Wells;two sons;Earl and Charles;and a daughter;Olive Palfrey. Surviving are a son;Curtis G.Wells of Belle Vernon;one daughter;Mrs.Samuel (Mabel) Stedman of Orlando;Fla.;one brother;David Wells of Arcadia;Fla.;one sister;Mrs.Annie Robson of Markleysburg;11 grandchildren;18 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. Friends will be received at the Shelby D.Ferguson Funeral Home;Belle Vernon;after 7 p.m.Wednesday and from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.Thursday. Services will be held at the funeral home on Friday at 11 a.m.with the Rev.John Bowers officiating. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery. Shelby D.Ferguson is funeral director in charge.

Mrs.Rosazetta Washington;79;of Pricedale;died Wednesday;Dec.17;1975;at 10 a.m.in Charleroi Division of Mon Valley Hospital. She was born March 28;1896;in Belle Vernon. Mrs.Washington had been a member of Pleasant Green AME Church;Pricedale. Surviving are one sister;Essie Johnson of Greensburg;and many nieces and nephews. Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.on Friday at the William R.Taylor Funeral Home;645 McMahon Ave.;Monessen. Services will be held on Saturday at 1 p.m.at Pleasant Green AME Church;Pricedale;with the Rev.Bertha Sydnor;pastor;officiating. Interment in Belle Vernon Cemetery. William R.Tayor Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

William E.Williams;61;of Belle Vernon R.D.1;died Saturday;July 26;1975;at 6:41 a.m.of an apparent heart attack in his Rostraver Twp.home. He was born Nov.12;1913;in Monessen. Survivors include his widow;Anna;one daughter;Mrs.Robert Waggoner of Charleroi;one son;William Jr.of West Chester;Pa.;four brothers;Vernon Williams of Belle Vernon R.D.;Arthur Williams of Levittown;Pa.;Lyman Williams of Monongahela and Frank Williams of Monessen;one sister;Miss Genevieve Williams of Monessen and eight grandchildren. Friends will be received on Sunday after 7 p.m.and from 2 to 4 and 7 t o 9 p.m.on Monday at the Stephen D.Yoney Sr.Funeral Home;155 Schoonmaker Ave.;Monessen;where services will be held Tuesday;July 29;1975;at 11 a.m.with the Rev.W.S.VanArsdale Jr.pastor of the First Christian Church of Charleroi;officiating. Interment will be in Belle Vernon Cemetery. Stephen D.Yoney Sr. Funeral Home is charge of arrangements.

Kathryn B. Welch; 77; of
Century Inn; Scenery Hill;
died Monday morning ;July 7;1975 in the
Scioto Crest Convalescent
Center in Milliard; Ohio.
Mrs. Welch had been a Belle
Vernon resident for many
years.
She was born in Pittsburgh;
daughter of the late Thomas
and Josephine Goodall Beggs;
and was graduated from
Bethany College. She received
a master’s degree from the
University of Pittsburgh and
had been a school teacher in
Monessen at one time.
Mrs. Welch was a member
of the First Presbyterian
Church of Belle Vernon; Alpha
Xi Delta Sorority of
Bethany College and Order
of the Eastern Star; Belle
Vernon Chapter 196; of which
she was a past matron.
Her husband; Eldred A.
Welch; died in November;
1957.
Surviving are one son;
Frank E. Welch of Scenery
Hill; two daughters; Mrs.
George (Travella) Roosz of
Worthington; Ohio and Mrs.
James (Mary) Summers of
Milliard; Ohio; and four
grandsons.
Friends will be received at
the Gerald R. Essey Funeral
Home; 626 Broad Ave.; Belle
Vernon; from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.Wednesday. Services will be held at the funeral home on Thursday at 11 a.m.with Dr.S.Arthur Talman;pastor of First Presbyterian Church;Belle Vernon;officiating. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery. Belle Vernon Chapter No.196;Order of Eastern Star;will conduct services at the funeral home on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Gerald R.Essey is funeral director in charge.