Della Marie (Ayers) Furman

                Della Marie (Ayers) Furman, 86, of (Mainville) Bloomsburg passed away on June 6, 2015, at her home surrounded by her family. Born September 9, 1928 in Port Allegany, PA, she was the daughter of the late Clyde and Fern (Buchanan) Ayers. She was preceded in death by a sister, Doris (Ayers) Mervine, and brothers Howard, Leo, Jack, Dale, and Stacy. Her family moved to Summit Township in Potter County the summer between her third and fourth grades, 1936. There she attended Sweden Valley Elementary School, a two room schoolhouse for grades one through eight. There she also met her future husband, Richard C. Furman. After finishing the eighth grade she and Richard went to Coudersport High School together where they graduated in 1946. Richard entered the U.S. Marine Corps for a twenty year career. Della and Richard were married shortly afterwards on February 11, 1947.

                Della was a devoted military wife, mother, and grandmother who kept the home running smoothly during her husband’s overseas deployments to Korea, Japan and Vietnam as well as numerous short term training maneuvers to various stateside locations and Puerto Rico. In addition Della was a career Civil Service telephone operator for the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Marine Corps Auxiliary Air Station, Santa Ana (later Tustin) CA. She finished up her career at the El Toro (Santa Ana) Marine Corps Air Station where she transferred from Communications to the U.S. Naval Hospital as a medical appointments secretary. She retired from Civil Service in 1988. After retirement, Della and Richard moved back to Pennsylvania where they made Mainville their home.

                Della was a member of the Mifflinville United Methodist Church and active for many years on the Easter Egg Committee until her Parkinson’s Disease forced her to retire from the activity. Della and her husband loved RVing and they traveled extensively throughout the U.S.

                In addition to her husband, Della is survived by their four children: Gregory Furman (Kathy), Mainville; Suzanne Tomlinson (Jim), Mainville; Loretta Meers, Pittsburg; and Patricia Pomeroy (Jim), Coudersport, PA. She has six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. She is also survived by a sister, Grace Musser, Lancaster, PA, and a brother, Joe Ayers, of Coudersport, PA.

                Services will be private and held at the convenience of the family. The family is being assisted by the James L. Hinckley Jr. Funeral Home and Geisinger Columbia Montour Home Health and Hospice. Friends and family may send online condolences to jameslhinckleyjrfuneralhome.com

 Service Information