Gib Parthemore Recognized By Rotary

Pictured left to right: brother Steve Parthemore, wife Joanna Parthemore, son Christopher Parthemore, Gib Parthemore, son Gibby Parthemore, mother Sondra Parthemore and Dr. John Judson, incoming president of Rotary Club of Harrisburg.

Gilbert “Gib” J. Parthemore, Supervisor of Parthemore Funeral Home and Cremation Service, recently received the Robert D. Hanson Rotary Excellence Award for his continued work in helping the Rotary Club of Harrisburg reach the Club’s strategic community service goals. The Excellence Award is named in honor of Robert D. Hanson’s dedication to Rotary on the local and regional level. Hanson had been an active member of the Rotary Club of Harrisburg for more than three decades. 

Gib Parthemore has been active in service and leadership roles in the community and the Rotary Club of Harrisburg for over 17 years. He has served on the board of the Rotary Club of Harrisburg and the Red Land Senior Citizen Center.
He has served his community as president of the West Shore School District Board of Directors where he served as a director for eight years. Gib is also a member of numerous Masonic organizations and the Knights of Columbus.

Rotary International is a volunteer organization with over 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries conducting humanitarian programs that address today's issues, such as hunger, poverty, and illiteracy. The 1.2 million members donate their expertise, time, and funds to support local and international projects.

Steve Parthemore Assists With Haiti Relief Efforts


The Haiti earthquake DMORT response team, along with
U.S. Armyand DPMU unit personnel. Steve Parthemore is
the second person on the left, standing in the back row.

For two weeks during February, Steve Parthemore assisted with the Haiti disaster recovery efforts by serving with the Disaster Mortuary Organizational Response Team (DMORT). The mission of DMORT was to investigate cases of missing Americans who were presumed to have fallen victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

DMORT is under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and specializes in handling mass fatality situations. DMORT groups are composed of professionals across the U.S. – from funeral directors and medical examiners to forensic anthropologists and medical records technicians who respond to disasters and offer their assistance. Prior to serving with DMORT in Haiti, Steve also assisted with recovery efforts for the World Trade Center and Katrina.

DMORT was created in the 1980s as a volunteer organization to help after disasters such as airline crashes, when the number of fatalities might overwhelm local authorities. The group, which became a federal agency in 1996, and is divided into 10 regions nationwide, responds to disasters at the request of local jurisdictions.

While in Haiti, Steve worked alongside members of the U.S. Army, Department of State employees and staff from the U.S. Embassy in Haiti. “We were based at the airport in Port-au-Prince, working out of temporary tent facilities,” explained Steve. “Haiti is extremely hot, so the conditions were challenging. Everything was complicated further by the disruption of basic services in the aftermath of the earthquake.”

“This was DMORT’s first international mission,” he continued, “so we were working along with other victim identification teams, especially Canada. It was very rewarding to be able to work with dedicated people from around the world to provide essential services in helping families recover their loved ones.”

One souvenir that Steve brought back from Haiti is his new beard. “For the first couple of days, I enjoyed the novelty of shaving using the mirror on one of the Army Humvees, he explained. “ After a while, I gave up and just let my beard grow. When I got back my four year old daughter said she liked it, so I kept it.”

Parthemore.com Web Site Improvements

The Parthemore Funeral Home web site – www.parthemore.com – was recently relaunched with numerous improvements to the obituary section of the web site. Surveys of site traffic showed that most users were coming to the site to view obituaries and get details of upcoming services.

To make navigation faster and simpler, direct links to recent obituaries are now listed on the home page of the site. Once they click on the obituary listing they would like to view, web visitors will also see any Guest Book messages that have been added listed below the obituary.

Web visitors have the option of sending a private Condolence Message or adding to the public Guest Book, simply by clicking on links below the obituary listing. In addition, there are links to create, generate and print out a memorial donation letter or get information about local florists.

Active Wellness Sampler In September

Parthemore Funeral Home & Cremation Services is partnering with the West Shore Recreation Commission to host an Active Wellness Sampler in September at the Red Land High School and West Shore Natatorium.

Plans are underway for this free event which will provide a sampling of activities offered by West Shore Rec including Zumba, Aquacise, Hydro Hike, Tai Chi, Belly
Dance, Pilates, Cardio Kickboxing and other activities. More details will be coming soon!

Celebrating 12 Years As A
Golden Rule Funeral Home

Parthemore Funeral Home & Cremation Services recently celebrated their twelfth year as a member of the International Order of the Golden Rule (OGR), a professional association of independently owned and operated funeral homes. As independently owned firms, Golden Rule funeral homes must meet and maintain a strict code of conduct and high ethical standards.

"We are pleased to have the Parthemore Funeral Home as a member," said Karen Gentles, OGR Director of Membership. "The people at Parthemore have proven that they are caring, compassionate professionals."

"It has been our privilege to maintain ties to OGR," said Gilbert J. Parthemore, Supervisor. "Being a Golden Rule firm has helped us to better serve the families of the Greater Harrisburg Area and to offer them peace of mind and integrity they can count on. That is absolutely key to maintaining good relations with the families that we serve.”

“We want to thank you for all your kindness and consideration. You made things so much easier for us. I have never had
to deal with funerals before and hope not to have to deal
with them soon again. When the time comes though,
you shall be the first people that we will recommend.
…It takes special people to deal with sorrow and grief and
you and your family have that special touch and caring.”
- Harrisburg, PA