Estelle Mirtz Byer
December 24, 2010
Estelle "Pat" Mirtz Byer,
96, of Scranton and Philadelphia, died Dec. 24th from acute
myelogenous leukemia. She was the beloved
spouse of the late Harold G. Byer Sr.
She was born in Scranton;
she spent many happy hours as a child with her sisters and friends in her
father's restaurant on Pittston Avenue. They
had a family of two brothers and five sisters. She
graduated from Scranton Technical High School during the depression and was a
member of the German Presbyterian Church on Hickory Street.
She reminisced about not being able to
afford a dress for the prom or graduation. Mom
found employment at the Postal Telegraph Service, sometimes delivering singing
telegrams on the telephone to help with the family finances.
"Pat" married in 1940 and
moved to Philadelphia because her spouse obtained employment at the Frankford
Arsenal. She was a member of the Wilkey
Memorial Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, where she was a deacon, taught
Sunday school and was youth adviser to the Christian Endeavor Society.
She and her husband were part of the
local transportation providers for the kids to camps, hymn sings and CE rallies.
For many years, "Pat" lovingly cared for
a bedridden neighbor. She was an avid fan
of the Phillies and the Eagles up until she could not concentrate on the games.
Family was priority for her, and all the
neighborhood children, along with their animals, were also part of the family.
Since neighborhood schools were important
and she was a stay-at-home mom at the time, there were many days when she had
the children and teachers in her home during lunch break, when they frequently
had waffles with ice cream. They all felt
like extended family to her.
After her spouse retired,
they moved back to Scranton to the little house on East Mountain at the end of
the road. Visitors continued to stop by
where they were always welcome. In recent
years, she was an independent-living resident at the Evangelical Manor on
Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia.
Surviving are two sons,
Harold G. "Butch" Byer and spouse, Susan, Philadelphia; and Charles C. "Chuck"
Byer and spouse, Cheryl, Palo Alto, CA.; two grandchildren, Amanda and Conrad;
nieces and nephews; and many grandnieces and grandnephews.
She was also preceded in
death by all of her brothers and sisters.
A graveside memorial
service will be held Saturday June11th at 10:30 a.m. in Abington Hills Cemetery,
South Abington Township with services by the Reverend Tom H. Collins, Pastor of
the Hickory Street Presbyterian Church. Those
attending the graveside services are asked to go directly to the cemetery.
