Earle S. Hughes, 91, of Maidencreek Township, formerly of Oley Township, passed away peacefully on August 4, 2016 in the Kutztown Manor. He was born in Danville, PA on December 27, 1924 to the late Edward and Maude (RiegeI) Hughes. Earle was predeceased by his loving wife, M. Jane (Kinsey) Hughes, with whom he shared 56 years of marriage. He is also predeceased by two sisters, Kathryn (Hughes) Bower of Philadelphia and Dollie V. (Hughes) Care of Fleetwood, formerly of Oley and two brothers, Clarence Hughes of Alsace Township and Theodore Hughes of Blandon. He is survived by his daughter, Anne E. (Hughes) Guinther wife of Harold L. Guinther of Maidencreek Township, with whom he last resided. He is also survived by his sister, Alice (Hughes) Gougler of Schuylkill Haven, and many wonderful nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and great-great nieces and nephews.
Earle was a 1943 graduate of Oley Valley High School. Upon graduation he joined the U.S. Army, proudly serving his country during World War II in the 978th Engineer Maintenance Company. The 978th EMC had the proud distinction of having served in both the European Theatre and the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Their company operated in England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. In the
Pacific they were stationed in the Philippines and then finally in Japan, before returning home in 1947. The total distance traveler by this unit was over 25,000 miles and may hold the record for the most distance traveled during the war than any other company.
Upon returning home from the war, Earle did some custom farming and then in 1951 he began working in retail sales in the hardware department of Sears on Penn St. in Reading, then in Shillington and finally at the Berkshire Mall, until his retirement in 1981. Earle also was the Secretary/Treasurer of Oley Township from 1959 until retiring from that position in 1989. Earle was a member of the Friedens
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oley and was the last survivor of the founding members of the Oley Valley American legion Post 878.
Earle was an excellent mechanic and enjoyed working on engines, motors, turbines and anything mechanical. He also greatly enjoyed wood working in his spare time making many beautiful wood decorations for his family and friends. Earle also enjoyed his flower and vegetable gardens, always looking forward the seed catalogues that came in the mail in early spring.
We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the Berks Visiting Nurse Association Hospice Team who took such good care of Earle during these past few weeks. Whenever we needed anything, they were always there to help us, and we greatly appreciate their kind service.
A viewing will be Tuesday morning from 10:00am to 11:00am followed by funeral services at 11:00am from the Mae A. Stump Funeral home, Inc., 117 West Main Street, Fleetwood. Burial will be in Pleasant View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to the Animal Rescue League, 58 Kennel Road, Birdsboro, PA 19508.