Stopper
A memorial celebration service was held on Saturday for Patricia M. Worthington Stopper, a local historian and member of the Northeast Philadelphia Hall of Fame.
Stopper, known to everyone as Pat, died on Sept. 9. She was 87.
Stopper was predeceased by her husband, Frederick. She had seven children: Patricia, Diane, William (deceased), Sally, Frederick, Helen and Louise. She had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Stopper came from a family whose roots in the Northeast go back more than 300 years. She spent many years collecting, preserving and sharing local history.
A longtime resident of Bustleton, she researched and wrote about the neighborhoods of Bustleton, Somerton and Byberry, and gave presentations to schools, libraries and historical groups.
In the early 1990s, she was a founding member of the Northeast Philadelphia History Project and worked with fellow historians on two books on the history of the Northeast. She also published two pictorials, volumes I and II of A Pictorial Glimpse into the Past: Bustleton-Somerton-Byberry, published in 1995 and 1999, respectively, which contain a wealth of images and information on the history of these neighborhoods. She was also active in researching and preserving the history of her church, Pennepack Baptist, where Saturday’s service was held.
In 2013, she donated her historical collections to the Friends of Northeast Philadelphia.
Last October, she was inducted into the local Hall of Fame. She signed copies of her books before the ceremony.
Donations in her memory can be made to Pennepack Baptist Historic Foundation, 8732 Krewstown Road, Philadelphia, PA 19115. ••
