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For information on submitting an obituary, please contact Reading Eagle by phone at 610-371-5018, or email at obituaries@readingeagle.com or fax at 610-371-5193. Most obituaries published in the Reading Eagle are submitted through funeral homes and cremation services, but we will accept submissions from families. Obituaries can be emailed to obituaries@readingeagle.com. In addition to the text of the obituary, any photographs that you wish to include can be attached to this email. Please put the text of the obituary in a Word document, a Google document or in the body of the email. The Reading Eagle also requires a way to verify the death, so please include either the phone number of the funeral home or cremation service that is in charge of the deceased's care or a photo of his/her death certificate. We also request that your full name, phone number and address are all included in this email. All payments by families must be made with a credit card. We will send a proof of the completed obituary before we require payment. The obituary cannot run, however, until we receive payment in full. Obituaries can be submitted for any future date, but they must be received no later than 3:00 p.m. the day prior to its running for it to be published. Please call the obituary desk, at 610-371-5018, for information on pricing. GAWTHROP GREENWOOD PC Community association attorney Connor J. Thomson has joined the law firm of Gawthrop Greenwood PC as an associate. Holding the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation earned by only 4% of insurance professionals and recognized as a “35 Under 35” Rising Insurance Star Executive, Thomson will provide insurance-savvy general counsel services to community associations, as well as timely advice to adjusters while defending board members against directors’ and officers’ liability claims. Thomson is admitted to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, is a member of the Community Associations Institute Developing and Emerging Community Association Lawyers Network as well as the Chester County Bar Association. He earned his JD from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and MBA in spring 2025. Previously, he studied Risk Management and Insurance at Saint Joseph’s University, where he was a Deans’ Scholar, was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society, and graduated summa cum laude with University Honors. During law school, Connor clerked at Gawthrop Greenwood, as well as at a boutique insurance defense law firm, and externed for FEMA’s Office of Chief Counsel, where he oversaw the defense of NFIP claims in federal courts during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. A winner of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s 2025 Irvin Stander Award, Thomson serves as a board member of the Brandywine Valley CPCU Society Chapter. He recently completed service as law student vice-chairman, American Bar Association – Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section: Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee and law student vice-chairman, American Bar Association – Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section: Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability Committee. Thomson will serve in Gawthrop Greenwood’s West Chester and Berwyn offices. SAXTON & STUMP Saxton & Stump has added attorney and human resources professional David O. Chick Jr. as senior counsel in the firm’s growing Appellate Advocacy Group. He also serves as a senior consultant with TREW HR, the law firm’s human resources affiliate, where he advises employers on compliance, workplace policy development, and dispute resolution. Based in Harrisburg, Chick brings more than three decades of combined legal, government, and HR experience. He most recently served as deputy judicial clerk for both the Supreme Court and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, where he researched and drafted legal opinions for justices and judges on complex appeals involving constitutional and administrative law. Earlier in his career, Chick served as deputy general counsel in the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of General Counsel, providing legislative and policy counsel to the governor’s administration and as assistant counsel to the Departments of Labor & Industry and State. He also served as legislative director in the Pennsylvania Senate and as a staff attorney with the Joint State Government Commission, where he advised legislative task forces and authored reports and proposed legislation for the General Assembly. Chick has also held senior HR and labor-relations leadership roles, including serving as human capital coordinator for the Washington County (Md.) Public Schools and earlier as a human resources specialist for Montgomery County (Md.) Government, where he advised on ethics, labor negotiations, and employee relations. Chick earned his law degree from Dickinson School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Franklin & Marshall College. He is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and has completed advanced training in mediation and labor relations. BARLEY SNYDER Barley Snyder attorney Shane M. Brackup has been named to the board of directors of Beat the Streets Lancaster. Beat the Streets Lancaster (BtSL) is a nonprofit organization committed to empowering youth across Lancaster County through the sport of wrestling. The program offers free access to wrestling practices, gear, mentorship and support to help young men and women build important life skills both on and off the mat. BtSL serves more than 300 young people each year across six locations and is part of the accredited Beat the Streets National network. Brackup is a member of Barley Snyder’s Litigation Practice Group and Health Care Industry Group. He handles a variety of matters with a primary focus on defending health care providers in medical malpractice litigation. Brackup began his career as a litigation associate at a global Am Law 100 firm before serving as an Assistant District Attorney for Lancaster County. Email your news to money@readingeagle.com and attach a recent (high-resolution) photo. Include a contact name and phone number with your submission. Deadline is the Tuesday prior to publication.
