J-P Duncan
I was saddened when I heard today that Esther had passed. My heart goes out to Ralph and the whole family. Esther and Ralph were an inspiration to me growing up at St. Anthony's. Our families were close. Many years ago my family would make a yearly visit to the Koontz homestead in Hastings PA for the St. Bernard's church picnic. Through those trips I came to fall in love with PA, and eventually made it my home for 36 years. Esther and Ralph were kind enough to attend the renewal of my wedding vows at St. Anthony's last year. I felt truly blessed. Today I'm comforting myself by thinking that there's a pretty neat reunion above, with my mom and dad, Esther and "Ralphie" and others who walked well the way of faith. I thank God for them all.
