Cheryl Lucas Robinson, 78, loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital on Friday, December 1, 2023 surrounded by all of her children and big brother and sister-in-law after a 3 month complicated battle from a fall.

She was the loving wife of Louis N. Robinson for 35 years who passed in 2016 after a brave battle with cancer.

Cheryl was born at Garfield Hospital in Washington, D.C. on February 16, 1945 exactly one year after her older brother Thomas Lucas was born.  She, her parents, and her brother briefly lived in DC until moving to Bethesda where she spent the majority of her childhood.  After graduating from Walter Johnson High School, Cheryl earned an associate’s degree in English from the University of Maryland, and began a 20 year career working on the psych unit at NIH.  She always said her dream was to be a curator of an art museum.  During her high school years, she met her longtime best friend Kitty Hurley who she stayed close with her entire life.  After her first marriage, she married the love of her life Louis Robinson (Robby).  Together they traveled all over Europe and the Caribbean and frequently took their children with them.  Cheryl became a loving stepmother to Robby’s children and welcomed a son shortly after their marriage in 1981.  She helped Robby build Spartan Electric Co. from a small company working out of their home, to a very successful 200 employee electrical contracting company.

During this time, Cheryl was a part of a tennis league at Quince Orchard that she played in for years.  With the influence from her husband, Cheryl took up golf later in life.  After taking some golf lessons, she met her other best friend Cheryl Musser.  Together they joined a golf league and played together for years.  All the way up until Robby got sick, they would try to play golf together every Sunday at Little Bennett and tape the Redskins game, her favorite team, to watch afterward.

Cheryl lived for the holidays.  She enjoyed so much being around family (called Gran by her grandchildren) and sharing her delicious appetizers and meals she worked tirelessly to perfect.  Cheryl and Robby have a townhome at Deep Creek Lake, MD where they would spend many weekends during the summer after The Point View closed.  During that time she also rented out the property and managed it by herself.  One of her favorite times was this past summer where she enjoyed fireworks on her balcony with two of her grandkids, one on either side of her, after enjoying a filet mignon dinner.

She loved dogs, having had Prinz, Satan (Sate-bo), Nike, and briefly Bailey, Jaeger, and Tormund.  Almost every day of Nike’s life no matter the weather, Cheryl would walk him to the end of the neighborhood and back.  She belonged to several gyms and was always on the go.  Later in life she would go to physical therapy every Tuesday morning and would do her exercises every evening from 6-7 while watching Family Feud.  Her reward for working so hard was a glass or two of Pinot Grigio filled to the brim with ice while she made dinner.

Cheryl was a two-time cancer survivor. Robby frequently called her “the toughest lady he ever met.”  Cheryl was preceded in death by her parents, Lillian Lucas and Thomas Lucas, and her husband Louis Robinson.  Cheryl is survived by many - her brother Thomas Lucas and his family Ruya Lucas, Tayfun, Baris, and Filiz Cavusoglu; children Joshua Robinson of Waterford, VA, Daniel Robinson (Marianne Russo) of Hedgesville, WV, John Robinson of Hilton Head, SC, Pamela Stultz (Charles) of Middletown, MD, and Teresa Lemere (Kenneth) of Middletown, MD; grandchildren Zachary & Fiona Robinson, Travis & Dylan Robinson, Austin & Sean Lemere, and Dominic Stultz; great-grandchildren Isabella & Kaiden Robinson, and by three days, Graham Robinson. She was also survived by her two Godchildren; Chrissy Hurley Mireles and Ron Hurley, Jr.

The family will be receiving friends on Thursday, December 7, 2023 from 10:00am to 1:00pm at Hilton Funeral Home, 22111 Beallsville Rd, Barnesville, MD 20838 (hiltonfh.com).  Interment and a short service will be held graveside at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick, MD, next to her husband, at 1:45pm.

Finally, every year Cheryl worked tirelessly to raise money for The Robby Foundation and The Robby Invitational Golf Tournament which raises money for the pediatric and military divisions of Frederick Health Hospice and the Virginia Cancer Foundation who helps sick chemotherapy patients pay their bills.  We would ask, in lieu of flowers, for memorial contributions to be made in Cheryl Robinson’s name to The Robby Foundation or directly to Frederick Health Hospice or the VCF.  To make a donation to The Robby Foundation, please contact her son Joshua Robinson, (703) 687-7653 or therobbyfoundation@gmail.com.

Cheryl will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her!

On Friday December 8th, 2023, Danny Rosencrance (85), son of Cecil and Ethel, brother to Betty, Keith and Gary, passed away after a long fight with health issues.  He kept up a brave and courageous battle to the end and will be missed by his family.

 

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, companion, friend and loving cat dad.  Danny Rosencrance was wise, supportive, mentoring and had a great sense of humor.

 

Danny was predeceased by his wife Dorothy and by his long time companion Diane.  He is survived by two children, Janet (Bill) and Todd (Sheiyne).  He has many loving grandchildren and great grandchildren, all of whom will miss his presence in their lives.

 

Danny was a native son of Elkins, West Virginia.  He moved to the Washington D.C. area as a teenager and worked until his retirement with the U.S. Treasury as a plasterer and as a department supervisor.  During his career he received several awards from the Treasury Department for his restoration work on historic buildings in the Washington D.C. area, replicating original plasterwork detail.  Danny was respected as an artisan by all who knew of his work.

 

The family will be receiving friends on Saturday, December 16th from 10:00 AM - 12 Noon at Hilton Funeral Home, 22111 Beallsville Road, Barnesville, MD.

 

Danny's final resting place will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Silver Spring, MD.

Dr. Joan Barth Urban, leading expert in Communist studies and retired The Catholic University of America Professor Emeritus in the Department of Political Science, died on Dec. 10. She was 89. 

Dr. Urban was famous for her knowledge of politics in Russia, Italy, and China.  Due to various political changes she eventually focused solely on Russia.  Her students got to know Russia well through her lectures where she would show pictures of her family on trips to Moscow, political conferences, and pictures of current events she had attended.  She was adored by her students for her compassion and stories she would tell about her travels.  She wrote several books including ‘Moscow and the Italian Communist Party: From Togliatti to Berlinguer’ and ‘Russia’s Communists at the Crossroads.’

Dr. Urban’s interest in Russia started young.  She was able to travel to Moscow as a graduate student when she joined a trip encouraging American kitchen appliances.  In Moscow she was arrested and held - threatened with being a spy.  She appeared in newspapers all over the world.  She was eventually released and returned to the US.

Dr. Urban was a native of Garden City in Long Island, New York.  She adored Montauk, Long Island, NY and her parents eventually owned a house there.

Dr. Urban earned the rank of valedictorian at Northwestern University before going on to earn her Masters of Arts in Russian Studies from Harvard in ‘59 and her PhD in Government Studies from Harvard in ‘67.  Dr. Urban was a professor of political science at MIT.  There she met a teaching assistant, a recent immigrant from Hungary, Laszlo Karl Urban.   They married in December 1963.

Drs. Urban traveled quite extensively.  They lived in Italy for 2 years while she worked on one of her books.  She taught at The Catholic University of America for 34 years. Her research had been funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Ford Foundation, United States Institute of Peace, National Council for East European and Eurasian Research, and other institutions.

Dr. Urban retired from The Catholic University of America in 2009.  That same year, always looking for ways to help others, Dr. Urban and Naomi Kaminsky organized and started Chevy Chase @ Home to assist seniors with supports so they can continue to live independently.

Drs. Urban eventually moved to Poolesville, MD to live with family.  She was diagnosed with dementia.  Lucky for us, her wonderful personality remained until the end.  Her love, laughter, and hats will be missed.

Dr. Urban is preceded in death by her husband Laszlo Urban and brother Robert Barth. She is survived by her daughter Rebecca Grayson and grandson Dominic Grayson, her brother’s wife Kelly Barth, and her nephew and niece Duncan Barth and Laura Stock.

Joseph S. Payne, Sr., age 89 of Gaithersburg, MD, departed from this life on December 11, 2023 at the home of his son and daughter-in-law.

He was born to the late James I. and Golden Kegley Payne on September 29, 1934 in Wise County Virginia.

Joseph was a carpenter and member of the Carpenter’s Union.

Besides his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife; Regina C. Payne, sister; Ruth, brothers; Hubert, Ed, Don and granddaughter; Natosha.

He is survived by his son; Joseph (Jay), Jr. and Doris of Knoxville, MD and daughter Patricia (Patti) and Mike of Sharpsburg, MD and 3 grandchildren and 9 great- grandchildren and his loving dog Millie.

The family will be receiving friends on December 18th from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM at Hilton Funeral Home, 22111 Beallsville Road, Barnesville, MD, where a funeral service will begin at 12:30 PM.

Interment to follow at Parklawn Cemetery, 12800 Veirs Mill Rd, Rockville, MD 20853.

Steven “Mike” Michael Hough, 69, of Adamstown, MD, passed away on December 15, 2023.

Mike was the loving husband to Eleanor Hough.

Born on June 30, 1954 in Maryland, he was the son to the late Jasper Franklin and Doris Marie (Warfield) Hough.

Mike was a 1972 graduate of Poolesville High School.   He married his high school sweetheart Eleanor Matthews Hough in 1974.  Mike and Eleanor just celebrated 49 years of marriage.  In 1982 he started his own business and retired in 2017.  He enjoyed riding motorcycles and loved spending time with his family. 

Along with his wife Eleanor, Mike was survived by his children; Walter Hough (Tiffani), Amy Cole (Anthony), one sister; Sue Helmick (Mike), 2 grandchildren; Jaden Hough, Brooke Hough, one nephew; Zach Helmick (Alyson) and one great-niece; Abigail.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother; Mark Hough.

The family will be receiving friends on Wednesday, December 20th from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Hilton Funeral Home, 22111 Beallsville Road, Barnesville, MD, where a funeral service will be held on Thursday, December 21st at 11:00 AM. Interment to follow at Monocacy Cemetery, 19801 West Hunter Road, Beallsville, MD.

On Monday, December 18, 2023, David Jay Hyman passed away peacefully at the age of 93.  David, as he was known to his extended family, Jay as he was known to his multitude of friends, and Pop or Pops as he was known to those that were closest to him was born on November 29, 1930, to Helen James Hyman and Arthur Symeon Hyman.  He grew up in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, where he enjoyed debating and playing tennis. 

 

David wanted to be a veterinarian from the time he was six years old. At this young age, he began reading and collecting books and encyclopedias about dogs. By the time he became a Bar Mitzvah, his collection consisted of hundreds of books. He received a scholarship to the College at the University of Pennsylvania which also had a Veterinary School.  He found that he was unable to pass French (later discovering he was dyslexic) and switched to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in economics and real estate, after which he attended Harvard Law School.  Upon graduation he went with the Honors Program at the Department of Justice and then entered private practice in the DC/Maryland area for over 50 years.  He had a primarily local real estate practice representing owners.  Including in 1984, the largest sale of real estate for $167 million.  This is now known as Tyson’s II.  Upon retirement he engaged in a specialty of representing people involved in the breeding and showing of dogs throughout the United States and the world.  He was one of the few dog people who knew the law, and one of the few lawyers who knew about the dog show fancy.  This included mediating disputes between owners or backers and major veterinary malpractice cases. 

 

David started breeding Wire Hair Fox Terriers when he was eleven, and soon after his marriage, in 1957 he was one of the first breeders of Rhodesian Ridgebacks which was a relative new breed in the United States.  He was one of the most experienced and respected breeders of Ridgebacks in the world. He bred and showed these animals for over 60 years.  The dogs he bred were from the United States, South America, Europe, and India.  Grandchildren of the original buyers would return to David to purchase their own dogs.  He also owned, bred, and showed English Bull Terriers, Whippets, Greyhounds, and Australian Cattle dogs. David's dogs, were champions in all of these breeds.    David was a renowned judge of the entire Hound Group, and the Herding Group, Best in Show, and junior handlers under the auspices of the American Kennel Club, where he was also a delegate from the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States and the Whippet Clubs as well as being active in various other dog clubs.  This included judging dog shows throughout the United States, Europe and Australia.  This kind of activity and traveling was one of his most enjoyable pursuits. 

 

David was married in 1957 to Anne Berkley from Kansas City and they had three sons, Robert (Deborah Atwood), John (Kalin Hyman) and Andrew (Melissa Hyman) before divorcing. His primary concerns related to his sons, attending all of their athletic games, traveling to watch their motorcycle races and generally supporting all their adventures.  These continued with his grandsons Tucker (Kaeley Hyman), Montana, Dylan and Ryan as well as the daughters of Nicole Gurland (Allison and Dana) who were like his children and grandchildren.   Berkeley Rose, daughter of Tucker and Kaeley, is David’s only great grandchild and a constant source of happiness.  Not to be forgotten, Meryl Berrow whom he found late in his life.  The bonus member of the family he never knew he needed.   His primary enjoyment came from the activities of his sons, their wives, grandchildren and of course anything related to dogs.   

 

David, through his business partnerships during the 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1980’s, built several thousand apartments, townhomes, single family homes, and office buildings.  The best known of these were the Georgetown South townhome projects in Manassas, Annapolis, and Woodbridge. 

 

David maintained his many friendships and attended reunions with people he had met through high school, college, law school (where he was Chair of the 60th Reunion in 2015), dog clubs and local friends.  He enjoyed sharing dinners, vacations and hours of phone calls where he stayed up to date on all of the important goings on in their lives. His friendships continued for years and were very fulfilling.  During his life he collected cameras, fountain pens, furniture and watches, attending yard sales, estate sales, conventions and shows throughout the world, wherever he might be. 

 

Services followed by Shiva, will be held Thursday, December 28th from 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the Women’s Club of Bethesda, 5500 Sonoma Road, Bethesda, MD.  The family will also be receiving friends on Friday, December 29th from 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the home of Andrew and Melissa Hyman, 15810 Barnesville Road, Boyds, MD. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in David’s name to the Dove House of Westminster, MD (bridginglifecare.org) or to your favorite canine charity. 

Johnny F. Dove, Sr., 54, of Derwood, MD, died suddenly on December 20, 2023.

He was the loving husband of Inek Lashay Dove.

Born on December 10, 1969, he was the son of the late Ted Franklin and Linda May James.

 

Johnny was the Owner/Operator of Milestone Towing for 35 years plus.

He was a hard working loving, husband, father, pop-pop, brother and friend.

He enjoyed camping and fishing with his sons and best buddy Gunner.

He had always loved hunting and was proud of his 18 point monster trophy buck. 

He loved spending time with family and friends especially having them all together. This was evident with his yearly pig roast he and his wife planned for all to enjoy. #DOVETIME

At one point Johnny was the Governor of Rockville Moose Lodge 1540. During his tenure at the moose he turned a once stagnate establishment into a successful business. Johnny became President of the moose during this time and implemented many positive attributes to the moose that are still in place today. 

Moose International will always be grateful to Johnny’s dedication and commitment.

Johnny was always ready to lend a helping hand he has such a giving heart and that is what he will always be remembered for. 

 

Our hearts are broken but we will forever be grateful for his presence in our lives he was truly a gift from God. He was a hero to some and a legend to all and he will be remembered and missed every day. 

Try and take comfort knowing he is at peace and resting in the arms of our heavenly father.

 

Surviving besides his wife are his six children, Melissa Jones, Stephanie Dove, Johnny (Jay Jay) Dove, Jr., Amber Morton, Jodi Morton, David (Boo) Morton, Jr.; four sisters, Sandra  Cross, Crystal Thomas, Ginger Delph, Karen Delph; three brothers, Teddy Dove, Jr., Charles (Toby) Delph, III  and Robert (Robbie) Delph; 12 grandchildren, Ciara, Aryana, Natalia, Johnny III (LJ), Jaelyn, Jada, Brice, Makenzie, Aubriella, Bentley, Braelyn, Brynleigh; his best buddy, Gunner and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

The family will be receiving friends on Thursday, December 28th from 6-8 PM at the Hilton Funeral Home, 22111 Beallsville Rd., Barnesville, MD where funeral services will be held on Friday, December 29th at 11:00 AM.

Interment will follow in Forest Oak Cemetery, Gaithersburg, MD.