Data source is Lester K. Mumma. E-mail CamperCatz@peoplepc.com
Erma J. Kaylor
-------------------
Erma J. Kaylor, 83, of ?Lancaster passed away ?unexpectedly on Wednesday, May 16th, at her home.
She enjoyed spending time with the neighborhood children, her Jack Russell terrier, and, of course, watching her Philadelphia Phillies.
She will be missed deeply by her family which includes: two daughters; 10 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and 2 great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a son and 3 great-grandchildren.
A private graveside service was held at the convenience of the family. To leave an online condolence for the family, please visit: KaSnyderFuneralHome.com
[Sunday News -Updated May 27, 2012]
http://lancasteronline.com/obituaries/local/656794_Erma-J--Kaylor.html
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Killing leaves a void in Lancaster city neighborhood
Friends fondly remember Erma Kaylor"
Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
May 21, 2012 23:40
Lancaster
======================================
By TOM MURSE
Staff Writer
======================================
Erma Kaylor lived a simple life.
She obsessed over her beloved Philadelphia Phillies.
She adored her 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier named Jill, chocolate-covered cherries and the music of the late country star Conway Twitty.
Mostly, though, she cherished time spent with the neighborhood children, who affectionately called her "Nan" or "Tweety Bird."
"To her, my three kids were her great-grandkids," said Holly Unger, a 33-year-old West Strawberry Street resident who helped take care of Kaylor.
"She was a kind, loving, caring person. If you were cold, if you were hungry, you would go to Nan and she would help."
Kaylor, an 83-year-old widow who lived alone, was found dead in a first-floor apartment at 235 W. Vine St. on Wednesday. Police are investigating her death as a homicide.
They have made no arrests and have released little information on the case, other than to say Kaylor had visible traumatic wounds on her body. A search warrant obtained by police has been sealed from public inspection.
Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen G. Diamantoni has said Kaylor died from a traumatic injury. The office has not yet ruled on the manner of death, though Diamantoni said, "It's perfectly appropriate for the police to be doing a homicide investigation."
Neighbors and friends, meantime, described Kaylor as a wiry woman whose feistiness and appetite ? she once ate two chicken potpies and a sheet pan of macaroni and cheese and then asked, "What's for lunch?" ? belied her age.
She had a shock of brilliant white hair, crystal blue eyes that one friend said reminded her of diamonds and occasionally wore tie-dyed T-shirts, which drew some good-natured ribbing from friends.
Still, they said, Kaylor was alone most of the time and didn't bother anyone, making her slaying difficult to comprehend. She slept on a couch in her living room, next to the television and radio, and didn't change clothes every day.
Kaylor didn't drive, and never ventured downtown or far from the apartment she'd lived in for more than two decades. She relied on friends and neighbors to buy groceries and walk her dog.
"She was a tiny little person ? 4 feet 9 and about 80 pounds," said neighbor Zina Craig, 51, who found Kaylor's body. "She minded her own business and only came out on her front step to say hello to people.
"But she was feisty. If anybody started something with her, she wasn't afraid to put people in their place. It would just crack me up," Craig said.
Craig once urged Kaylor, a heavy smoker, to quit ? a suggestion Kaylor didn't take kindly.
"She said, 'Please don't tell me that. I've got to die of something!' " Craig recalled.
Craig, who had been running errands and making dinners for Kaylor, said she walked outside one day to find a handwritten letter from Kaylor posted on a neighbor's house. It complained, sarcastically, that nobody was feeding her.
"I asked her, 'What's this all about?' " Craig recalled.
Kaylor simply brushed the matter aside. End of discussion.
Neighbors said Kaylor often spoke of her family, which includes a sister who lives in a neighboring county and a daughter who lives in the Lititz area.
But they said Kaylor had few visitors. On Easter Sunday, a neighbor cooked dinner for Kaylor. And on Mother's Day, friends said, they saw Kaylor watching passersby from her front porch.
Three days later, Craig walked up the street to Kaylor's apartment to take the dog for its morning walk and found the elderly woman on the floor, unresponsive, she said.
There was a large amount of blood on the couch on which Kaylor spent so much time watching the Phillies on TV, listening to Conway Twitty and sleeping, Craig said.
Since then, neighbors have been talking nonstop about who might be responsible for the crime. There are a few theories, but little understanding of why anyone would target Kaylor.
"How could anybody do this?" Craig wondered as police cruisers occasionally drove by the two-story stone-facade house Monday.
"This woman didn't bother anybody."
Possible living individual, birth date and location removed!