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Obituaries

Debra K. Garber

Debra K. Garber, 66, of Hesston, passed away Tuesday at Penn Highlands, Huntingdon. She was born in Williamsburg, a daughter of the late Benjamin F. Lear Jr. and Verna Mae (Beck) Lear-Garber. She was married to Marvin L. Garber for more than 44 years. He survives, along with a son, Brian Garber (Kim) of Altoona; and a sister, Mae Louise Lear of Huntingdon. She was preceded in death by two sisters, Patricia Blankenship and Cheryl Jane Crawford. Debra was a homemaker most of her life, and enjoyed her Yorkshire Terriers. Arrangements are by Fink & Stone Funeral Home and Cremation Services ...

Judith Anne Marcinko

Judith Anne Marcinko, 86, of Lewes, Del., formerly of Altoona, passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones on Monday. She was born in Altoona, the daughter of the late Thomas A. and Mary E. (Gibbons) Irwin. Judith married Richard J. Marcinko, who preceded her in death. She is survived by ...

Karl R. Palmer

Karl R. Palmer, 80, of Altoona, died late Sunday evening, March 22, 2026, at UPMC Presbyterian, Pittsburgh. Friends will be received from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at Myers-Somers Funeral Home Inc., 501 Sixth Ave., Altoona. A complete obituary will appear in Saturday-Sunday’s Mirror.

Eleanor Darlene ‘Annie’ Shaffer

Eleanor Darlene “Annie” Shaffer, 89, of Tyrone, passed away surrounded by her family on Monday. She was born in Cresson, a daughter of the late Ernest and Gertrude “Goldie” (Murtiff) Wertz. On Nov. 1, 1961, in Maryland, she married William E. Shaffer Sr., who preceded her in death on ...

Suzanne G. Stehley

Suzanne G. Stehley, 81, formerly of Bellwood, died early Monday morning at Embassy of Hearthside, State College. She was born in Altoona, a daughter of the late George A. and Lorna (Riley) Woomer. She married Dale A. Stehley Sr. on Sept. 9, 1963, at Altoona First Church of the Brethren. He preceded her in death in 2016. Surviving are three children: son, Dale A. Stehley II (Felicia) of Bellefonte; daughter, Dawn M. Mills (Mark) of Tipton; and son, Patrick G. Stehley (Pam) of Pittsburgh; four grand-children: Ciara Stehley, Caelan Mills, Daman Mills and Eliza Stehley; and a sister, Alma ...

Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer-winning author, dies at 80

Tracy Kidder, an award-winning narrative nonfiction writer who turned everything from computer engineering to life in a nursing home into unexpected bestsellers, has died. He was 80. Kidder’s longtime publisher Random House confirmed his death in a statement Wednesday: “Tracy’s gifts for storytelling and tireless reporting are an enduring reflection of the empathy, integrity, and endless curiosity he brought to everything he did.” Kidder won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for his 1981 work “The Soul of a New Machine,” which delved into the work of a ...