The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 12

Wednesday, September 3, 1997 THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER North R3 Obituaries I I i- Weather Weather conditions are updated throughout the day or Philadelphia Online, www.philtynewt.com 1 at ha An tnfflav iSJ. 1 niguiun icmijcidiuica CANADA com, I I Willie Mae Leake, 65, key leader in Chester 'V Toronto 5837,., Boston notr, 7450 6645 7452 A Pittsburgh: t- 7o 6843. www I "1 A 7652 7654 YjS 8560 -J---rf Fr0flte: I Atlanta-' 8767 Stationary Warn 9269 New Orleans 9269 New Orleans I Pileggi said. Mrs. Leake was born in Philadelphia, and graduated with honors from Simon Gratz High School in 1950 and from the Eckles College of Mortuary Science in 1952.

She moved to Chester at age 19 and began her career with the former Lewis M. Hunt Funeral Home there. In 1959, she opened her own funeral home at Third and Broomall Streets in Chester, and in By Bill Price INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Willie Mae James Leake, 65, a leader of Chester's African American community and the city's first black mayor, died of cancer Thursday at; her home. Leake, who also was the first woman to serve on the City Council, had owned and operated the W.M. James Leake Funeral Home at 10th and Pusey Streets for the last 38 years.

She was a very generous person who helped quite a number of people both jmblicly and privately people who were financially unable to pay for funerals, who needed education money, or money for food," said the Rev. Norman E. Gant, pastor of the Bethany Baptist Church in Chester, of which she was a member. i Willie James For The Inquirer ELIZABETH ROBERTSON Nean E. Fountain of Deptford, by her husband's grave at Woodbury Memorial Park in West Deptford, sneaked flowers onto the grave.

At these cemeteries, conformity is the law The bereaved are angry: Items are removed. Mae Leake "She also provided com- munity fellowship activities at her home. She was a kind and giving, and sharing person," Mr. Gant said. "The residents of Chester, especially the African American community, looked up to her.

Many felt they could aspire to her achievements and accomplishments," he said. As mayor, he said, she completed a number of projects, including helping to develop jobs for young people and adults. "Her death is a tremendous loss to the city of Chester," said Dominic Pileggi, Chester's deputy mayor and a member of the City Council. "She was dedicated to the city and to the Republican Party. "She was a very warm-hearted person who went out of her way to help people in times of need," Pileggi said.

In her honor, the flags over all municipal buildings in Chester have been order to fly at half-mast, WsAttiAr ana forecast mm I Seattle 7455 Portland 7957 San Francisco 7460 Houston Today's highs and tonight's lows; Scranton l3s 6843 CONN. 74-52. Allentown UI4b Harrisburg 7246 7248 ,7550 tic iooubi I PA. MD. Philadelphia 7454 i Atlantic City Baltimore Wilmington km 74in 7452 iw'Y ocean i tamrmrahira- 71 Washington nFI -J 7656 Today's Forecast A dramatic change will take place today as we head into October-like weather.

A strong cold front will come through early this morning. Some rain and a few thunderstorms will be ahead and just behind the front as it moves off the East coast today. Much cooler, less-humid air will follow. The wind will also be gusty today and probably even stronger tomorrow. Temperatures today will stay in the 70s and then drop into the upper 40s to lower 50s tonight.

We can expect chilly nights and pleasant afternoons for the next three days. Temperatures will begin to moderate by this weekend. Five-Day Forecast TODAY Morning showers; breezy and dramatically cooler 74c 54 TONIGHT Becoming mainly clear and chilly THURSDAY Windy and quite cool 6950c with clouds and sunshine FRIDAY Mainly sunny, breezy and still cool 72752 SATURDAY Mainly sunny; cool 8056c morning and a pleasant afternoon SUNDAY Sunny to partly cloudy and warmer 8460c Sun and Moon Sun Rises Moon Rises 6:30 a.m. Sets 7:29 p.m. 7:55 a.m.

Sets 8:21 p.m. Philadelphia Almanac Temperatures High yesterday 84 (3:50 p.m.) Record high for yesterday 100 (1953) Low yesterday 70 (4:47 a.m.) Record low for yesterday 47 (1 963) Normal high 'low 8263 Yesterday's barometer 6 a.m 30.19 steady Noon 30.17 falling 6 p.m 30.05 falling 10 p.m 30.02 steady Daylight sky conditions yesterday 40 clouds with 60 sunshine. Precipitation Tuesday 0.00 in. Month through Tuesday 0.21 in. Year through Tuesday 22.73 in.

Normal through Tuesday 28.89 in. Deficit 6.16 in. Degree days for cooling Tuesday 12 Month through Tuesday 24 Season through Tuesday 940 Normal through Tuesday 971 Last season through yesterday 952 A degree day for cooling is an index of energy consumption tor healing. It indictates the number of degrees the mean temperature was above 65 degrees. Yesterday In Philadelphia Billings 4 B9S Chicago I Los Angeles 8054 f-j Uw OHlahCXiviSfBil Dallas High: NJSjtJAJ 8069 ED" NV J'T" Thunderstorms Houston LJSnow m' MEXICO Vi Minneapolis 7048 By Russell J.

Rickford INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT EAST GREENWICH Which is more precious: A cemetery showcasing uniform graves devoid of balloons, pinwheels or plastic flowers; or a graveyard sporting statuettes of cherub angels, headstones draped with baby blankets, and burial plots rimmed with other eclectic trinkets left by mourners? Which is more appropriate? These delicate questions are at the core of an escalating conflict between the owner of three Gloucester County cemeteries and a group of angry area residents with family members and friends buried at those sites. Jesse R. Pebley last year became the sole owner of Eglington Cemetery in East Greenwich, a historic parcel with roots in a pre-Revolu-tionary War family burial ground. Responding to an "avalanche" of complaints from other plot owners about gaudy grave sites, he recently began tightening enforcement of long-standing company rules governing grave "ornamentation" at Eglington and his other area cemeteries. Pebley said he posted fresh signs at each graveyard in mid-July announcing a cleanup campaign that would prohibit "landscape gravel, borders of brick, wood, or stone, boxes, toys, hanging baskets, theme or seasonal flags and similar articles." When workers at Pebley's cemeteries began stripping keepsakes, gravel edging, and other items from the cemeteries three weeks later, mourners who had become accustomed to embellishing graves with symbols of sentiment were outraged.

"Now it looks like a golf course," said Nean E. Fountain of Deptford. She said that in order to honor her 50th wedding anniversary, she recently had to "sneak" a pot of Francis J. Canning, police and security official new TorK 907S Miami 9078 Cold Regional Forecast Poconos Windy, much cooler with clouds and peaks of sun, a brief shower. High 62.

Mainly clear, chilly tonight. Low 40-44. Windy, chilly tomorrow. High 60. Jersey Shore Some morning rain; windy and much cooler with some clearing in the afternoon.

High 77. Cool tonight. Low Quite winds and cool tomorrow. High 67, Delaware Some rain and a thunderstorm to start, then breezy and much cooler. High 76.

Clearing and chilly tonight. Low 50-54. Windy and cool tomorrow. High 73. Marine Forecast Manasquan to Cape Henlopen Winds becoming northwest and increasing to' 15-25 knots today.

Waves 3-5 feet. Visibility under 2 miles in morning showers. Delaware Bay Today, winds becoming northwest and increasing to 12-25 knots. Waves 1-2 feet. Visibility under 2 miles in morning showers, then unrestricted.

Cape Henlopen to Virginia Beach Winds east becoming northwest at 10-20 knots today. Waves 3-5 feet. Visibility under 2 miles in showers and thunderstorms. Tides Today Philadelphia (Chestnut Street) High tide 3:15 a.m., 3:41 p.m.'' Low tide 10:19 a.m., Delaware Breakwater High tide 10:12 a.m., 10:28 p.m."; Low tide 4:01 a.m., 4:10 p.m. Cape May (Municipal Pier) High tide 9:32 a.m., 9:38 p.m.,; Low tide 3:14 a.m., 3:25 p.m.

Atlantic City (Steel Pier) High tide 9:04 a.m., 9:10 p.m.' Low tide 2:54 a.m., 3:05 p.m.., Beach Haven (Little Egg Harbor) High tide 8:30 a.m., 8:36 p.nv. Low tide 2:26 a.m., 2:37 p.ffj:,; Barnegat Inlet High tide 9:10 a.m., 9:16 p.rru Low tide 3:10 a.m., 3:21 p.nv NWS radio forecasts: 162.475 VHF-FM. In the Region Weather indicalons sunny; pc partly cloudy; cloudy; sh showers; thunderstorms; si snow Hurries; sn snow; i 35 ice. City Yesterday Today Tomorrow Allentown 8463pc 7246pc Atlantic Cily 8569s 7754c Baltimore 8866pc 7462pc Harrisburg 8965pc 7246c 6845s New York 8572pc 74 52pc 6752s L' Pittsburgh 8559pc 68'43sh 69458 Salisbury, Md. 8769s 8053pc 68 49sr Scranton 8260pc 68 43c Washington 8971 pc 7654 'pc 7052's Wilmington 8470c 7450c 6848s U.S.

Cities City Yesterday Today Tomorrow Albany, N.Y. 8560'pc 67'43pc 6443pc Albuquerque 8964s 8463pc 8258pc Anchorage, Alsk.5943pc 60'46pc 6148 pc Atlanta 9070'pc 8767pc 7854s Billings 87538 89'59'pc 86'54s--- Boston 8366c 7450pc 6449-pc Buffalo 7561 'pc 60'43s 6546 i Charleston, S.C. 8473 sh 8767c 7856'pc 7344pc 7145s Chicago 7564c 6645s 7250s Cincinnati 8864s 7044s 70483 Cleveland 8460s 6444s 6846s Dallas 9777pc 8069pc Denver 6757c 8054pc Des Moines 7869'r 7347s 75'52's Detroit 8159r 66448 7149s' Honolulu 9076pc 8975'Pd Houston 9471 pc 92'69pc 8957pc Indianapolis 87 67pc 7144s 7348 Jacksonville 8874pc 8870c 8359c Kansas City, Mo. 8372, sh 7253s Las Vegas 86'68pc 9476pc Los Angeles 9566pc 9068s 8868s Memphis, Tenn. 9474pc 85607! Miami 8878 pc 9078c 9078'pc Minneapolis 70'59pc 7048 7455.8 New Orleans 9477, pc 9075'pc 8663 pc" Orlando 9175'pc 9275r 88 69.

r. Phoenix 9979pc 10281 pc 104 80s Portland, Maine 72 62pc 6946 pc Portland, Ore. 8060'pc 7957pc 79 55pc Richmond 95'65pc 8051pc St. Louis 9373pc 7652s 76548- Salt Lake City 8170pc 8663c 8958'pd San Diego 8271 'pc 7968s 7967s San Francisco 79'62'pc 7460s 7657s San Juan 9079'pc 89'75'pc 89 76 pc Seattle 7458 pc 7455 'pc 7253. Tampa, Fla.

8876pc 9174'r 88'70'sh Cities Abroad City Yeiterday Today Tomorrow Acapulco 9177pc 9376pc 9177r Amsterdam 6853pc 7360c 7154pc Athens 8769 pc 7661 pc 77618 Auckland 5647c 6352pc 6354pc. Bangkok 9176T 9075pc 8974sh Barbados 8874 88.74'pc 8875C Beijing 88 59 90 65 9272 Beirut 82 65s 8273 78 65's Berlin 83 64 pc 81 '63. 78 61 pc Bermuda 8678 8579'sh 8780 'c Bogota 7247pc 7148c 69.48sh Brussels 6752pc 7358pc Budapest 8261 pc 8159pc 7760pc Buenos Aires 5955c 6657c 7054pc Cairo 8863s 8873s 91'65s Copenhagen 7762c 7257pc 7457'pc Dublin 6563r 68 50c 63-47c Geneva 73.57'r 72'56'sh 73'57'sh Havana 9077pc 89.75 pc 89 76 Hong Kong 8677c 84'74pc 8174, Istanbul 75'56pc 79 54 75 59 pc Jerusalem 74 53s 75-55s 7956 Johannesburg 7553pc 7350C 7649'pc London 70'58pc 7257sh 6950po Madrid 8051 9059 's 9163pc Manila 8674c 8773'pc 85 73 Melbourne 64'50r 6148 sh 5547r rviexico uiy rjD'pc ooo pc rDO'pc Milan 85 '64 86 64 PC Montego Bay 9076 9075s 89.78 Montreal 74.63sh 58-42'c 54 44'sh Moscow 55 '34 'pc 6137 pc 57 45 pc Nairobi 78 51 pc 79'50pc 8251 -pc Nassau 9277s 9176'pc 9176 pc- New Delhi 9679pc 9679'pc 9879pc Oslo 6857r 7055c 75'57sh Paric fiftiQnp lOlinr Perth 5544pc 5947pc 5954'c Prague 8059'pc 7861 pc 8159pc Rio de Janeiro 86' 67 81'66's 7565'pc Rome 86 67 8264-pc 83-64. pc St. Petersburg 56'44-s 60'49s 6553'pc Seoul 83'61C 79 59 pc 80'61S Singapore 8873'c 8671 'r 8771c Stockholm 7158 pc 67'58'r 68 59c Sydney 6950r 6753 6555r Taipei 9077pc 8875'C Tokyo 9079pc 8982c 8374r Toronto 7559sh 6143s Vancouver 73 5' pc 6952pc 6044c May 1972 moved the business to its current location.

Her interest in politics began in 1972, when she served as a poll watcher at the Hunt Funeral Home. She later was appointed to the Chester Upland school board and subsequently ran for a seat on the board in 1977, receiving the most votes among the Republican candidates. Mrs. Leake was appointed city treasurer in 1982, and a year later became the first woman elected to the City Council. In 1985, she was appointed mayor to fill the unexpired term of Mayor Joseph Battle, now a Delaware County judge, and in 1988 she began a four-year elected term as mayor.

She is survived by her husband of 33 years, Willie Ralph Leake, two brothers, and four sisters. Calling hours will be from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and tomorrow at W.M. James Leake Funeral Home.

A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Bethany Baptist Church, 12th and Tilghman Streets. Burial will be in Haven Memorial Park, Chester Township. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Willie Mae James Leake Scholarship Fund, the Education Committee of Bethany Baptist Church, 12th and Tilghman Streets, Chester, Pa. 19013.

the main police garage, and was credited with designing an electric motorcycle starter. "He had a background in electronics and could build a TV on his own," said his son, Richard Canning. "The electric starter saved the energy of crank starting." As a detective, Mr. Canning was cited by Police Commissioner Thomas J. Gibbons for his help in solving a series of burglaries and robberies.

When he became area security director for Acme, he succeeded former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Albert N. Brown Jr. His memberships included the Southeastern Pennsylvania Police Chiefs Association, which he was a member of the executive board. He was a communicant at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church in Feaster-ville and at St, Bede the Venerable Church in Holland. Besides his wife and son, he is survived by daughters Patricia and Lorraine Rodgers, and four grandchildren.

A viewing will be held at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, where a Funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, 5201 Hulmeville Bensalem. The family suggests contributions to Memorial Fund, co Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Meadowbrook and Bristol Roads, Feasterville, Pa. 19053.

and other commendations. After military service, he helped family members build the Colonial Mobile Home Park on his father's 96-acre farm. The park was constructed to provide affordable housing for returning servicemen. He was the widower of Vera Humphreys Childs. He is survived by children Patricia Ann Gilton, Mark, Jonathan and Mary Ann Brooks; three sisters; two brothers; eight grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren.

A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. today at Leaver-Cable Funeral Home, 4886 Route 202, Buckingham Township. Burial will follow in Whitemarsh Memorial Park, Limekiln Pike (Route 152) and Horsham Road (Route 463), Prospectville. The family suggests contributions to Deborah Heart and Lung Center, 200 Trenton Browns Mills, N.J. 08015.

4, By Herb Drill INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT Francis J. Canning, 76, of Holland, a former inspector with the Internal Affairs division of the Philadelphia Police Department and a former corporate security chief, died Sunday at St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown Township, Bucks County. He had been affiliated with the Philadelphia Police Department for nearly 25 years, retiring as an inspector in 1969. He then was director of security in a five-state area for Acme Markets for a decade.

Mr. Canning was born in Philadelphia, graduated in 1939 from La Salle College High School and attended what is now La Salle University. During World War II, he served with the Army in Europe, attaining the rank of technician fifth grade with a psychological warfare unit. His unit took part in the Battle of the Bulge, and he received several commendations. After military service, he joined the Philadelphia Police Department as a clerk, then became a patrolman.

He was made a detective in 1951, and two years later was promoted to lieutenant, said his wife of many years, Lucy M. Tilli Canning. He was promoted to captain in-1958 and was named a staff inspector in 1965. Later, he became head of Internal Affairs, and in 1968 was named a full inspector. During his years with the department, Mr.

Canning was in charge of flowers onto her husband's gravestone in Pebley's Woodbury Memorial Park in West Deptford and remove it a day later. "It's ridiculous," said Rose Perdi-kouris of Deptford, who had lain religious mementos on several of her deceased family member's graves in Eglington. "I had a hanging basket, and a Blessed Mother and the Infant Jesus. Everything was destroyed. This guy has no heart." Some plot owners complained that they were not notified by letter of the new focus, but Pebley said he could not do so because of a "woefully inadequate" mailing list.

But he noted that all his cemeteries' policies are outlined on the deeds and the contracts signed by all plot owners. He said his push for a uncluttered graveyard is neither cruel nor unusual. "The rules and regulations at this cemetery are like virtually every other in the country," he said. "I don't know a compelling reason for us to be a maverick and do some-, thing totally outside the norm of the industry. A spokeswoman for The New Jersey State Cemetery Board, the body that regulates state burial grounds, said cemeteries hold the final authority on matters of grave embellishment.

And Leon Tartaglia, superintendent of the Crescent Burial Park in Pennsauken, echoed Pebley's assertion that all cemeteries have guidelines, though they range from lenient to stringent. But, Tartaglia added, he wasn't surprised that plot owners found Pebley's swift strengthening of the rules hard to swallow. "I think that there should be a compromise," he said. "Usually you'll see stuffed animals and balloons on the graves of kids. We'll leave them there for a week.

When the balloons start to deflate, we'll take them away." level, Battle's monthly hearings. Chadwick's behavior has infuriated and frustrated his estranged wife, Barbara Jean "Bobbie" Chadwick, who left him in 1992 after 15 years of marriage and remains engaged in rancorous divorce proceedings against him. Through her attorney, Kevin C. McCullough, she contends that her ex-husband is a pauper in appearance only. Beatty Chadwick, who lived in Radnor, has maintained that he lost his millions in a failed investment scheme with a Gibraltar real estate firm called Maison Blanche.

He reiterated this position yesterday, telling Battle that those funds are now irrevocably beyond his, or the court's, grasp. "The question is, can those funds come back?" he asked Battle. "I know of no way to get those funds back. I do not control this party. I do not know, even at this point, what happened to this company." missing some patches of hair," said Taylor.

"The good news is she's fine and out of the hospital." The governor spoke to her daughter about 5:30 a.m. Philadelphia time after Kate Whitman left the hospital, and was "very relieved," Taylor said. Whitman's daughter was struck by an elderly female driver around dusk Monday, about 11 a.m. Philadelphia time, Taylor said. The governor did not want to disclose just where the accident occurred, or where her daughter is living.

Back to jail for Delco man who holds contempt record By Douglas Herbert INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT In what has become a courtroom ritual, Main Line lawyer H. Beatty Chadwick emerged from his prison cell yesterday to plead poverty before a Delaware County judge who believes Chadwick is hiding $2.5 million in marital assets from his estranged wife. "I can't comply with an order to pay money, because I neither have nor can pay money now," Chadwick, 61, told Judge Joseph F. Battle Jr. It is a refrain that has served as Chad-wick's prime defense since he was yanked from a dentist's chair by two Montgomery County sheriff's deputies in April 1995 and incarcerated for contempt of court.

Twenty-nine months later, Chadwick has earned himself a place in Pennsylvania's penal lore for the longest time served on a contempt order. During this time, he has weathered six habeas corpus petitions, nearly a dozen appeals to state and federal courts, and, on a lower Temp. Hum. Temp. Hum.

1 a.m 7293 1 p.m 8178 2 a.m 7293 2 p.m 8373 3 a.m 7293 3 p.m 8466 4 a.m 7196 4 p.m 84 '64 5 a.m 7196 5 p.m 8271 6 a.m 71100 6 p.m 8273 7 a.m 71100 7 p.m 78 70 8 a.m 7296 8 p.m 7478 9 a.m 72100 9 p.m 74-81 10 a.m 7396 10 p.m 7487 11 a.m 7593 Noon 7787 George W. Childs? helped build Air Force base in N. J. Whitman daughter released after accident Air Quality Ozone, produced mainly by sunlight reacting with vehicle emissions and other sources, is usually the region's worst pollutant in summer. It is torecasl to remain below unheallhful levels today.

The first column in the table shows yesterday's code and Pollution Standard Index, the second column shows yesterday's highest pollutant. Good (G) 0-50 Carbon monoxide. CO Moderate (M) 51-100 Nitrogen dioxide. NO 101-200 Suspended particles SP Very Unheallhlul (V) 201-300 Sullur dioxide SO Hazardous (H) 301-400 Ozone OZ When the Pollution Standard Index exceeds 100. the general population begins to experience irritation and other unheallhful etlects.

Yesterday's High Pollution Pollutant Standard Index Yesterday Bristol 52 OZ Burlington 54 OZ Camden 47 OZ Chester 59 OZ Norristown 56 OZ Philadelphia 66 OZ Trenton 50 OZ Wilmington 52 OZ Source: Clean Air Council, 215-567-4004. Yesterday's pollen, count and discomfort levels: Trees 2 low Grasses 2 low Mold spores 581 very high Source: The Asthma Center, 1-800-4-POLLEN. By Herb Drill INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT George W. Childs, 75, whose construction career spanned military service and civilian employment, died Friday at his Morrisville home. He retired as a manager in 1987 after a combined 35 years with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Turnpike Commission.

Mr. Childs was born in Doyles-town Township and graduated from Doylestown High School. During World War II, he served in the Army and received his engineering degree through his work with an aviation engineers regiment in England. There, he was involved with designing and building airfields. After the invasion at Normandy Beach, he served in France and Germany, building airfields.

He attained the rank of sergeant and was a Purple ASSOCIATED PRESS Gov. Whitman's daughter was released from a hospital in the Cape Town, South Africa, area yesterday after being treated for cuts and bruises she suffered when hit by a car while jogging, a spokeswoman said. Kate Whitman, 20, had X-rays and other tests before leaving the hospital, and "everything's fine," said Becky Taylor, spokeswoman for the governor. "She does have a bump on the head, anr the governor says she's.