Brothers And Sisters

THE TWO WORDS I dread more than any others are: "Hockey fight!" Every evening after supper, those words clang through my house like a referee's bell, announcing another round. It means my 16-year-old son, having failed to burn off enough energy during seven hours of school and three hours of sports, has once again attacked his 14-year-old sister, who has learned to hold her own in a manner that would make Darwin blush. As I clean up the dinner dishes, I can hear them rumbling above me like wildebeests around a watering hole.

Do you have a friend, co-worker, relative, or neighbor who is gay? Are they not equal citizens and human beings? How can we deny them the same rights that we heterosexuals enjoy? If your religion prevents you from accepting our gay brothers and sisters into your congregation or accepting them as equals, then so be it. Remember this law - Question 6 on the ballot - is about civil marriage and does nothing, absolutely nothing to change your church or its religious rites. Read the law if you doubt this fact.

Patrick Duffy knows what it's like to step out of a shadow and try to carve an individual identity. Duffy knows because his path to cross country was created, in part, by his older brother Billy, a standout at Dulaney whose accomplishments on 3.1-mile courses earned him a spot on the All-Baltimore County team for three straight years and a position on the Bucknell University cross country team. "Everyone always asks me, `Are you going to be as fast as your brother?' " said Patrick Duffy, a sophomore at Dulaney.

A state appeals court has refused to revive a lawsuit against a Roman Catholic order based in Baltimore by two siblings who sued the order, claiming that one of its priests was their father. Carla A. Latty of New Jersey and her brother, Adrian Senna of British Columbia, sued the Saint Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart and others for $10 million in 2009. They contend that the order should be held responsible for failing to end a longtime relationship that began in the 1940s in Montgomery, Ala., between the Rev. Francis E. Ryan and their mother, Anna Maria "Ria" Senna, both of whom are now deceased.

On March 1, 2004; FLOYD EMANUEL WOODARD, JR. Surviving one son Floyd E., III, one daughter Brianna; mother Shirley Williams, father Floyd Woodard, Sr. Also survived by his brothers and sisters. Memorial Service to be held at a later date.

On December 5, 2003, MATTIECALLAWAY EAVES, beloved wife of the late Reuben E., Sr.; most loving and beloved mother of Reuben E., Jr., and his wife Eileen C. Shapiro; dearly loved by her brothers and sisters and by all that had the good fortune to know her. A private memorial service will be held at the Second Presbyterian Church of Baltimore.

Brothers and Sisters, I come to you this morning with the word. And the word this morning is not good, because the word this morning is blasphemy. The General Motors Corp. is trying to use Jesus to sell its cars. It is sponsoring an evangelical Christian concert tour as part of a marketing campaign called "Chevrolet Presents: Come Together and Worship." (There are no stops in the Baltimore-Washington area on the 16-city tour.) Selling heaven is not like selling automobiles, Brothers and Sisters.

On March 15, 2005, CATHERINE M. (nee Semler) SCOTT of Baltimore, beloved wife of the late Daniel J. Eisenstadt, daughter of Lillian M., and the late George H. Semler, mother of John H., Michael C., and Matthew J. Scott, grandmother of Jennifer, Shelby and Christian Scott. Also survived by nine brothers and sisters. Services and interment will be held at later date. Arrangements by Eline Funeral Home, 410-833-1414www.elinefuneralhome.com

On April 1, 2006, ERMA MISSOURIPICKENS, beloved sister of Clovis and Merrill Anderson, Christine Mattox, Norma Schul; also preceded in death by four brothers and sisters. The family will receive friends 10 A.M. Wednesday, April 5, 2006 at Fork United Methodist Church, with a funeral service at 11 A.M. Interment Fork United Methodist Church Cemetery. Memorial contributions in Erma's name may be made to the Fork United Methodist Church.

On December 15, 2007, Charles Edward Schlick, cherished fiance of Mary Will, loving father of 11 children, grandfather of 4 grandchildren & one on the way, dear brother of 8 brothers and sisters. Relatives and friends may call at the family owned AMBROSE FUNERAL HOME OF LANSDOWNE, 2719 Hammonds Ferry Rd, on Wednesday from 11am-1pm, with services to immediately follow. Interment in Holy Cross Cemetery. Please see Margaret or Mary Schlick for donation information.

Wells and Covie Stanwick were practically born with lacrosse sticks in their hands. By the time they could walk, they were trying to emulate their older siblings Sheehan, Wick, Coco, Tad and Steele, who were beginning to lay the groundwork that would make the name Stanwick synonymous with Baltimore lacrosse. All five helped their high school teams win championships and went on to stellar college careers -- four as All-Americans who played in at least one Final Four. Wells, 19, and Covie, who turns 18 on Sunday, carry on that legacy.

During a recent first-grade class session at the McDonogh School in Baltimore, 7-year-old Aidan Wade gave an impromptu discussion on what it's like to have a sibling with autism. "My brother Conor is 11, but his brain thinks he's 5," said the Baltimore boy. "He acts kind of different, but that's OK." Aidan's words reflect a broad spectrum of attitudes that one might find in siblings of children with autism, a complex set of developmental brain disorders. How a sibling reacts is often dependent upon the severity of the autism, where the child with autism falls in the birth order and how parents model behavior they expect from each of their children.

On March 21, 2009, DAVID KARL WAIN; beloved husband of Jean Marie Wain (nee Biser); devoted father of Eugenia Benton D'Elia and father-in-law of Lawrence Nicholas D'Elia III; lovng grandfather of Zachary Benton D'Elia, Drew Dorsey D'Elia and Molly Lawrence D'Elia. He was preceded in death by eleven brothers and sisters and survived by one brother. A memorial mass will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2009, in the chapel of the Church of the Resurrection, 3175 Paulskirk Drive, Ellicott City, MD, 21042 at noon.

On December 17, 2008, MARGIE M., loving companion of Harry Rea, dear mother of Angela Jacobs and Kathy Brady, grandmother of Siera Brady. Also survived by brothers and sisters. Friends may call at the Gonce Funeral Service, P.A., 4001 Ritchie Hwy on Thursday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Services on Friday at 11:30 A.M. Interment in Druid Ridge Cemetery.

The hammer hits the metal with well-placed strikes. Plink, plink, plink. In our mass-produced, throw-it-away society, it's tempting to hear the sound as the quaint signature of yet another dying art. But at her studio in an old Baltimore carriage house, silversmith Martha Hopkins has a more optimistic view as she begins fashioning six silver bar measures used for mixing drinks. To this 48-year-old artisan, the sound is the heartbeat of a craft that, while fading, still has a lot of life left beyond the nostalgic trappings of Colonial Williamsburg.

Two Eastern Shore residents - a man and his sister - died yesterday after a car the brother was driving was struck by a state police cruiser en route to investigate a traffic accident, state police said. The accident happened about 3 p.m. near a shopping center in Talbot County. Greg Shipley, a state police spokesman, said Tfc. Phillip W. Willoughby, 28, was eastbound on Route 33 in St. Michaels on his way to an auto accident when he approached the entrance of a shopping center on Madison Avenue with his lights and siren on, according to witnesses.

On December 17, 2008, MARGIE M., loving companion of Harry Rea, dear mother of Angela Jacobs and Kathy Brady, grandmother of Siera Brady. Also survived by brothers and sisters. Friends may call at the Gonce Funeral Service, P.A., 4001 Ritchie Hwy on Thursday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Services on Friday at 11:30 A.M. Interment in Druid Ridge Cemetery.

RUSSELL A. LOHR, 92, of Freeland, MD, died November 21, 2007. He was the husband of the late Rose (Thompson) Lohr and the late Margaret E. (Oden) Lohr. He was preceded in death by ten brothers and sisters. At Russell's request, there will be no services. Interment will be private. The J. J. Hartenstein Mortuary, Inc., 24 Second Street, New Freedom, PA. is in charge of arrangements.

Suddenly, on August 11, 2008 LOU ANN STINE (nee Fenters) beloved wife of the late Raymond E. Stine; loving mother of Kelly Earhart, Buffy Stine-Weitzel and the late Terri Lynn Jones-Arnold and Timothy Neighoff; devoted daughter of Richard and Betty Fenters. She is survived by grandchildren Lauren, Alexis, Lynzie, Joshua, Jeffrey, Gabriel and Tony, Jr. and five brothers and sisters. Friends are invited to call at the Burgee-Henss-Seitz Funeral Home, Inc., 3631 Falls Road on Saturday from 3-5 and 7-8 at which time funeral services will be held.

I was right. My parents were tougher on me than they were on my three younger sisters. I was in seventh grade when the James Bond movie Goldfinger was released, and all my junior high friends had planned a giant group-date. It took many days and many more tears to persuade my parents to let me see such an "adult" movie. I'd have died if I had to tell my friends I wasn't allowed to go. My sixth-grade sister saw the movie the next weekend. I don't think she even asked permission. According to a study published in this month's issue of Economic Journal and written by university researchers at Johns Hopkins, Maryland and Duke, my parents were using me to establish their reputation among my younger sisters as powerful disciplinarians.