Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Howard Paul KESTER
Howard Paul Kester of Newtown Howard Paul Kester, Bucks County Court Administrator and Quaker minister passed away peacefully at the age of 85 on October 10, 2015 at Pennswood Village in Newtown PA. Paul Kester was born December 9, 1929 in Abington PA, the son of Elisha Howard Kester and Eliza Derbyshire Kester of Newtown PA. He lived his entire life in Newtown and was an active and beloved member of Newtown Monthly Meeting. A graduate of George School, Newtown PA, class of 1947, he earned a B.A. degree in Political Science from Earlham College, Richmond IN, in 1951, and a Bachelors of Law degree from Temple University School of Law in 1959. Between college and law school he served three years in the U.S. Army. After law school Paul was employed by Power, Bowen and Valmont law firm in Doylestown until 1961 when he was appointed law clerk for the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County. He accepted the newly created position of Court Administrator of Bucks County Courts in Doylestown in 1962 and retired on December 31, 1997. He was responsible for new practices and programs that made the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas one of the most efficient court systems in the country. He was a founding member and past president of the Pennsylvania Association of Trial Court Administrators and the National Association of Trial Court Administrators. Mr. Kester served on the Newtown Township Planning Commission, the Newtown Area Regional Planning Commission and the Bucks County Planning Commission. A birthright Quaker, Paul was a life-long member of Newtown Monthly Meeting. His Quaker ancestry goes back 300 years. He also served as clerk of Bucks Quarterly Meeting Worship and Ministry, and on the Budget and Nominating Committee. At Newtown Monthly Meeting he served as clerk of Worship and Ministry. Paul was a member of the Freemasons and the Newtown Historical Society. He was a former trustee of Pennsbury Manor. He played Santa Claus for 25 years in Newtown, sporting his own beard. Children in Newtown knew him year-round as Santa. Following his retirement Paul studied Chinese calligraphy and ink and brush drawing. In 2000 he took a solo trip to China which he called a spiritual journey. Paul enjoyed making jelly beginning in the 1960s with the grapes and mint found at his home on Lincoln Avenue. He won many prize ribbons for his jellies at the Middletown Grange Fair. Paul and his wife Mary have lived in Newtown since 1952 and they moved to Pennswood Village in 2003. He is survived by three daughters, Valerie Kester Morrissey of Oakland NJ, Robin Davis Kester Patterson of Parker CO (Frank), Dana Louise Kester-McCabe of Bishopville MD (Bradley); nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, his brother A. Stephen Kester (Marian) of Denton TX and sister Cynthia J. Kester (Virginia) of The Villages FL. He was pre-deceased by his wife Mary Tomlinson Kester (2009), his sister Alice Kester Stempen (2003) and his daughter Karen Ann Kester (2009). A memorial service will be held on December 19 at 2:00pm at the George School Meetinghouse, George School, Newtown PA.
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