L Vol. 122 No. 51 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 February 19 - 25, 2012 *The- TR 50¢ WILKES-BARRE, PA. www.mydallaspost.com AN EDITION OF THE TIMES LEADER Daddy's home from Afghanistan Dallas Marine meets his daughter for just the second time since she was born. By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Mia Ellis met her father for the first time in August when she was just 5 months old. Now, she can’t stop saying “da da.” This week, the toddler got a chance to see her “da da” in person for just the second time since she was born. Dennis El- lis, a corporal in the U.S. Ma- rine Corps, flew home late Wednesday after a yearlong de- ployment in Afghanistan. “She has yet to say ‘mama,” said Mary Ann Ellis, Mia’s mother, of Dallas. Four generations of the Ellis family, as well as close friends, were at the Wilkes-Barre/Scran- ton International Airport Wednesday night to welcome their favorite military man home. Sharon Ellis, Dennis’ mother, said her son enlisted when he was 25, shortly after graduating from Wilkes University. She said he always wanted to be a Marine. “We told him not to do it at first because it wasn’t the best time, with everything that’s go- ing on right now,” she said. “But now we couldn’t be more proud of him.” Corporal Ellis’ father is Dr. Jack Ellis. Mary Ann Ellis said she and Dennis, now 27, began dating shortly after he enlisted in the military, but didn’t expect the relationship to get as serious as it did. The pair has been married for more than a year, and Mia Ellis was born just two months after Ellis was deployed overseas. Fa- ther and daughter met for the first time when Corporal Ellis was home on leave in August. Mary Ann Ellis has two other daughters, 12-year-old Morgan Jenkins and 5-year-old Adriana Pitts. “Skype is a blessing,” Mary Ann Ellis said. “We were able to talk pretty much every day be- cause he was able to have his laptop.” Dennis’ grandmother, Louise Castellani of Exeter, walked around the airport terminal Wednesday night carrying a brown paper bag containing a salami sandwich “loaded with mustard.” “My grandson loves these sandwiches,” she said. Frank Oatridge III, Ellis’ best friend since second grade, got special permission to be at the airport while on duty as an Exe- ter Borough police officer. Oatridge, who served in Iraq as a Marine a few years ago, is See DADDY, Page 12 CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Marine Corporal Dennis Ellis, of Dallas, returned home from a tour of active duty in Afghanistan as a truck mechanic. Wel- coming him his wife Mary Ann and 10-month-old daughter, Mia. CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Dustin Shaver plays Uncle Sam and leads his classmates in a patriotic song during a Presidents’ Day program at Wycallis Ele- mentary School. U.S. proud Giving back to those who helped By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com “It's something | always think about, that my battle is mostly over, but there are still kids who are diagnosed every day and families still have to hear that their child has cancer at the Hershey Medical Center Beth Carey, of Dallas, has been cancer-free for more than five years, but she continues to give back to those who supported her during treatment and beyond. Twenty-two-year-old Carey will participate in the Penn State THON for the seventh time this weekend. THON is a dance marathon and throughout the that raises money for the pediat- " ric cancer support organization, world. the Four Diamonds Fund, associ- Beth Carey ated with the Penn State Her- shey Children’s Hospital. Carey is going to dance with Women’s Club Basketball this year — the same organization that danced in her honor when she was a 15-year-old battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects the lymph glands and bone marrow. The Four Diamonds Fund has a program called Adopt-a-Fam- ily, which pairs families dealing with pediatric cancer with orga- nizations participating in THON. Organization members meet with the family throughout the year, scheduling fun events and providing emotional support. A former Lake-Lehman bas- ketball player, Carey was paired with Penn State Women’s Club Basketball when she was under- THON participant going treatments. Her family was “adopted” by the organization for three years, until she became a student at Penn State University. “It was a really, really neat thing to have a special bond with them,” said Carey. “They really did become part of our family and supported me after my treat- ment. Two summers ago I at- tended the wedding of one of the girls so it just shows you how close we actually were.” This year, Carey is dancing for the Trimble family, which the basketball club adopted two years ago. Ella Trimble finished her last round of chemotherapy See GIVING, Page 12 Th were lots of flags and plenty of red, white and blue at Wycallis Elemen- tary School on Thursday morn- ing as third-grade students pre- sented their annual Presidents’ Day program for family and friends. bv A a First-graders at Wycallis Elementary School sing patriotic songs and show appreciation for their country. Cody Konnick portrays George Washington. Fund will honor memory of Tom Lynch Thomas E. Lynch, 18, of Har- veys Lake, a senior at Dallas High School, died Monday, Feb. 13, shortly after arrival at the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Med- ical Center Emergency Room, 610981512007 9%" 9 Plains Township, due to injuries received in a motor vehicle acci- dent in Dallas Township. Lynch was a member of the Boy Scouts Two Mountain Dis- trict Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania and earned his Ea- gle Badge on his birthday last December 21. His Eagle Scout project was building an informa- tion center for the Back Moun- tain Trail on Harris Hill Road. He also traveled to Philmont, N.M.,, on a high-adventure trip. Army and was scheduled to re- port to Fort Benning, Ga., on Au- gust 8, with ambition to be a Cavalry Scout. To honor the memory of Lynch, the Thomas Lynch Scout Scholarship Fund has been set up to provide financial assist- ance to current and future Boy Scouts. Memorial contributions be made to Boy Scout Troop 281 Endowment Fund, c/o Ronald Santora, Scout Master, 25 Par- Beth Carey poses with Ella and Jacob Trimble, of Lancaster, at the THON Family Carnival at Penn State University Main Campus in November.
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