Meet Our Donors

We thank all our planned-gift donors for their generous support. Here are some of their stories.

Philip Roy Dwyer, Jr.

Philip is fondly known by many in the area as the "Pigskin Prophet" from writing local high school sports news for the News of Delaware County for over 20 years.

Born in China while his father was in the Army, Mr. Dwyer, himself, served in the army for eight years before using the GI bill to attend West Chester University. It was there that he met his wife, Jackie. They eventually settled in Delaware County where he taught social studies at Interboro High School for 36 years and served as a department chairman during that time.

After retiring from teaching, Mr. Dwyer spent more time pursing one of his favorite hobbies – art, and won several awards for his paintings. One of his paintings was purchased by Delaware County Community College to place in their permanent collection, while many others grace homes in and around Delaware County.

Mr. Dwyer was a cancer survivor after being successfully treated for testicular cancer in 1974. He was not as fortunate with his second bout with cancer eight years later but was cared for in the comfort of his own home during his last days, thanks to DCMH's Hospice Program.

When his wife, Jackie Dwyer, saw an article about Charitable Gift Annuities, she called the Foundation for more information. She learned that she could use securities with low annual yields to establish a gift annuity with Delaware County Memorial Hospital at a much higher annual income. It was a win-win arrangement for Jackie. She now receives a substantially higher annual income, and she has made a significant gift to DCMH's Hospice Program to commemorate the caring compassion shown to her husband during his illness. The Philip Roy Dwyer, Jr. Hospice Fund will provide support to the invaluable services provided by our dedicated team of Hospice care providers.

Read more about a Charitable Gift Annuity

John W. McGarrah - Portrait of a Memorial Gift

When John (Jack) W. McGarrah passed away, Delaware County Memorial Hospital and the Crozer-Keystone Health System lost an esteemed friend and trusted advisor. For over 20 years, Jack served on the Delaware County Memorial Hospital Board of Directors and was the first chairman of the Crozer-Keystone Health System Board after playing an instrumental role in helping to create the parent organization for the now five hospitals that are part of the Crozer-Keystone Health System. His personal commitment to our hospital and the community it serves was evidenced by his enthusiastic and generous contributions of time, energy and financial support.

Jack attended West Philadelphia High School as a teen and attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for two years before being called to serve in the Air Force during World War II. When he returned home, he finished his education and took at position at Price-Waterhouse where he worked for two years. He passed his CPA certification and soon took a position at Stanley Flagg, a family owned pipefitting business. Jack served as assistant Treasurer for a time and eventually moved up to President of the company. After retiring, he volunteered for several years with SCORE, an organization of retired executives who helped people who wanted to start small businesses.

Jack married Lucile in 1951, followed shortly by the arrival of his three children, Robert P., Daniel R. and Dorothy B. The McGarrahs lived in Springfield for 45 years.

Knowing of his father’s love of Delaware County Memorial Hospital, Robert P. McGarrah, who works for Kraft Foods in Rye Brook, New York, recently made a generous contribution in memory of his father and arranged to have Kraft’s parent company match his contribution. Since the company matches employee gifts two to one, the contribution that DCMH received was three times the size of Bob’s original gift. Through this matching gift process, Bob was able to honor his father by making a significant contribution in support of one of his father’s favorite charities. Knowing Jack, he would have been proud of his son’s thoughtful and generous gesture.