The Spruce Hill community lost a champion of civic engagement recently with the death of Barry Grossbach, a longtime resident and community advocate, who passed away December 18 at the age of 86.

Barry lived in the neighborhood for over 50 years and was actively involved in the community for decades. He participated in and supported several local organizations, including the Spruce Hill Community Association, where he was a board member and served as the zoning committee chair for many years. He was also a founding board member of the University City District (UCD) and co-founder of the Friends of Clark Park.

Continue Reading

Jim Roebuck speaking at a local event in 2012 (Photo West Philly Local)

UPDATE (5/31/24): Services for former State Representative Jim Roebuck, who passed away earlier this month, will be held Friday, June 7 at Calvary Center for Culture and Community, 801 S. 48th Street. Friends may call from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Alpha Phi Alpha will perform an Omega Service at 10:30 a.m., and the funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. Jim Roebuck will be interred next to his beloved wife Cheryl at Laurel Hill West Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, PA (Westlawn Lot).

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Garden Court Community Association’s Cheryl Roebuck Memorial Music Scholarship (P.O. Box 16654, Philadelphia, PA 19139, membership@gardencourtca.org) or to the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus’s James R. Roebuck Scholarship Fund (327 K. Leroy Irvis Office Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120).

5/16/24: We are sad to report that James R. “Jim” Roebuck, the former state representative from West Philadelphia, has passed away. He was 79.

Continue Reading

Fran Byers at a Clark Park re-opening event in 2012 (Archive Photo – West Philly Local).

We are sad to report that long-term Spruce Hill resident and community organizer, Fran Byers, 83, passed away this week. During almost all of her life in Spruce Hill, Fran was involved with local community organizations and neighborhood groups. She was a founding member of Friends of Clark Park.

“Fran… lived one block away from the park, and was an active member in many neighborhood groups, but her dedication to Clark Park knew no bounds,” reads a post dedicated to Fran’s passing on the Friends of Clark Park website.

“Fran had served as president many times and was still active at the time of her death. A threat to remove the internationally famous Dickens statue from removal triggered the original drive by Fran and fellow activists to create Friends of Clark Park; decades later, she still proudly served the cake at Dickens Birthday Party.”

For years, Fran headed many activities at Clark Park, like Bark in the Park, the Veterans Day celebration and Christmas caroling. She was also involved with St. Francis De Sales Church and the Calvary Center.

Continue Reading

Bob Christian/Facebook photo

Robert (Bob) Christian, a longtime publisher and editor of the community newspaper University City Review, passed away on Saturday after a prolonged illness, according to reports. Originally from New York City, Bob and his wife Claudia started the weekly newspaper in 1988. The couple also published the Philadelphia Free Press, which covered the news east of the Schuylkill River.

In the past two years, Bob was recovering from COVID-19 complications. A fundraiser to support him and his family was launched in January 2022.

A service for Bob Christian will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 30 at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 1325 Montgomery Ave., Wynnewood, PA. The burial will follow at 2 p.m. at The Woodlands Cemetery, 40th St. and Woodland Ave, Philadelphia. At Bob’s request, a New Orleans Jazz Band will perform at his funeral.

To read more about Bob and Claudia and their long-term service to the community, read this post from the UCD Blog.

The funeral of Monsignor Joseph J. Anderlonis, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Church, who passed away on Friday, Dec. 6 after a short illness, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14. A viewing will take place in the church, at 47th and Springfield Ave., from 9-11 a.m., followed by a Mass at 11 a.m., with a reception to follow in the parish hall. All are welcome.

Anderlonis, 75, was appointed to his position as pastor of St. Francis de Sales in June 2016. Prior to that, he served for many years (from 1982 to 2016) as Pastor at St. George in Philadelphia.  Continue Reading

Joe Clark volunteered for many years at the Walnut Street West Library Chess Club.

A well-known member of the community, Joe Clarke, 64, passed away on October 6th after a long courageous battle with cancer. Although he was struggling with cancer for years he was still out and about in the community until just a few weeks ago.

Joe was remarkable in his lifework of being a friend and mentor to many. He was on a spiritual journey that embodied religious and philosophical ideas always being spun through human relations and a great love of music and the arts. He was sometimes affectionately called “The Mayor of West Philadelphia.” This nickname came about because of how well known he was. A common complaint by his friends was that if you were sitting with him for a cup of coffee there would be constant interruptions as he seemed to know about every third person walking down the block.  Continue Reading