Memorial Service To Remember 7 Lost In Upper Makefield Flood

UPPER MAKEFIELD, PA — A Flash Flood Memorial Service will be held on Monday, July 15 beginning at 6 p.m. at The Crossing Church, 1895 Wrightstown Road, Washington Crossing.

The service takes place on the first anniversary of a tragic flash flood that killed seven people, including two children from the same family.

During the service, three trees, donated by Baumley Nursery & Landscaping , and two garden plaques with engraved names, will be dedicated to the seven who lost their lives in the flood.

All members of the community are invited to attend.

Seven died on July 15 when flash flooding from a torrential rainstorm struck the township.

The worst of the flooding occurred along Route 532 in the area of Stonebridge Crossing Road between Aqueduct Road and Wrightstown Road where numerous motorists were caught by surprise and trapped by the rising flood waters of Houghs Creek, a typically low flowing stream.

The flooding claimed the lives of Susan Barnhart, 53, of Titusville, New Jersey; Katheryn Seley, 32, of Charleston, S.C.; 2-year-old Mattie and 9-month-old Conrad Sheils of Charlestown, S.C.; Yuko Love, 64, of Newtown Township; and Enzo, 78, and Linda DePiero, 74, of Newtown Township.

Barnhart worked at the Washington Crossing Post Office and is remembered as "an incredibly friendly, kind, and generous person, and a lover of animals."

(Photographs Courtesy of the Upper Makefield Police Department)

Katie Seley, her fiance Jim, her mother, and their three children were visiting family in Bucks County when their vehicles were overwhelmed by the flash flood. Katie and two of her children —2-year-old Mattie and 9-month-old Conrad Sheils —died in the flood. Her fiance Jim,
her 4-year-old son, Jack, and her mother survived.

Yuko Love, who was born and raised in Toyko, Japan, was a graduate of Allegheny College in Meadville. She worked in pharmaceutical market research and was a member of the Newtown Athletic Club where she could often be found working out with friends.

"This is where Yuko came every day. Sometimes she came twice a day. And she loved the classes here,” Linda Mitchell, a Newtown Athletic Club employee, told NBC10. “And she loved the people. More than anything. And we loved her. I mean, everybody knew her. There’s more than 10,000 people that come here. Everybody knew her.”

Enzo, 78, and Linda DePiero, 74, of Newtown , had recently celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary. They were returning from their favorite dining spot in Titusville, N.J., when they were caught in the flooding.

Enzo was born in Italy and worked as a civil engineer until his retirement. Linda was born in Philadelphia and she worked in various administrative support roles, including positions with The Spectrum and Bristol Meyers Squibb.

The couple had one child, Zack, who they raised in Trenton, N.J. They later moved to Newtown where they spent the rest of their lives. Their home was their sanctuary: cucumbers and tomatoes grew in the garden, and Philly sports and Action News played on the TV.