Richard, (Terry) Stephens was born on Valentines Day 1950 to Richard and Alice Stephens of Westernport.  Terry was the first of what was to be four siblings.  Three years later came brother Don, followed by Bob, and then when Terry was 18 sister Victoria (Vicki).  Growing up in Westernport he attended Hammond Street School, Westernport Elementary and Bruce High.  His father,” Steve”, was employed for over 40 years at what was the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company in Luke.  Alice was a   very busy homemaker serving as a Cub Scout leader, PTA president and on many church committees.  Terry  developed an early love of reading.

Alice made sure her children were busy, with Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Methodist Youth Fellowship, Piano Lessons, and newspaper routes   One of Terry’s first purchases with the profits from his paper route was a bicycle which allowed him to get around town and the scout the region.

At Bruce High he played trumpet in the band, excelled at basketball while continuing in scouting. His most memorable experiences during these years were family vacations across the country pulling a camping trailer to the Seattle Worlds Fair and later Disneyland.

When it came to picking a college he decided to follow in the footsteps of his Boy Scout mentor, Doug Michael and chose West Virginia Wesleyan College.  At Wesleyan Terry cycled through majors in Library Science,  Psychology and  Sociology before settling on the things he loved best,  History (lots of reading) and Philosophy, (lots of thinking).   The highlight of those years was the semester with The Experiment in International Living in Oxford and London and the independent travel that he did while there.

Following graduation Terry taught first, second, and third grade students in one room in Whitmer, West Virginia.  After the second year he decided it was time to get out of rural America and head for the big city and chose San Francisco.  When his girl- friend, Paula found he was moving she asked to go and after negotiations with Paula’s mother it was decided that she could go if they were married, so………..

In the two years Terry and Paula were in San Francisco she attended College and he worked as a service technician for a time clock company (history degree, remember). After two years Alice had opened doors for him to take a position with the Cumberland Times-News if he would move back to Westernport. After some thought they decided it was time to move on and returned to the Tri-Towns as Circulation manager for the newspaper as well as its area correspondent.  For the next eight years Terry  reported on all of the area municipal council meetings, accidents, activities and other events.  It was also during this time that he became involved with community service, initially as the Charter President of the Upper Potomac Jaycees (thanks to Bud Willets who helped to organize that branch) and eventually after opening a Bookstore, he joined and later became president of the Tr-Towns Chamber of Commerce. He was appointed to the Allegany County Library Board and the Human Resources Development Commission while obtaining a real estate license in 1981.

In 1984 Terry was established enough in Real Estate (and Paula had accepted a teaching position) and he left the paper and moved to Keyser.  He joined the Keyser Rotary Club in 1984 and in 1987 opened Terry Stephens and Associates Real Estate eventually franchising with Coldwell Banker. The same year their first son Kris was born, (coincidentally on the same day that the Real Estate Company had its grand opening).  The next years were busy as two years later their second son Matt was born.  Terry continued to expand both his business and community activity.  Over the next few years, he was either the owner or partner in a number of businesses: Potomac Moving and Storage, TS&A Construction, Potomac Health and Fitness, Wind Lea Conference Center and The Keyser Inn.

He also continued his board service with Mineral County Chamber of Commerce, the Keyser Rotary Club,  the Greater Cumberland Committee, Community Trust Foundation, U.S. Wind Force Foundation,   Western Maryland Health System Advisory Board, Mineral County Visitors Bureau and the Mineral County Economic Development Commission.

During those years their third son, Tyler was born.  Over the years Terry coached his sons in soccer, youth league basketball, and cross country.  Coldwell Banker Terry Stephens and Associates served as organizer and primary sponsor of the “Toys for Joy” campaign in Keyser serving about 700 children each year for 24 years.  Terry also took on two partners in the Real Estate Company, Including Amy White which allowed them to expand with offices in Keyser, Romney, Petersburg and Elkins WV.   In 2016 after theire youngest son Tyler graduated High School,  Terry and Paula went their separate ways and Terry retired from an active role in what had become Coldwell Banker Home Town Realty.  About that time he became president of Keyser Inn, Inc.

Terry started the next phase of life with travel combined with completing dozens of  marathons, triathlons, and bicycling events throughout the country while developing a dream he had to establish in Keyser a  Coffee Shop, (Queens Point Coffee) a Brew pub, (North Branch Pub), and to encourage the tourism aspect of the Upper Potomac River by renting Kayaks and guiding trips along the river. He also joined the Board of Highland Arts Unlimited and championed its support of the visual arts and the ongoing mural program in Mineral County.

In 2019 he found a new love, Virginia, a librarian at Potomac State College who worked alongside of him on these projects.  Following a honeymoon bicycle trip across Iowa, the two settled down for the next phase of their life in Keyser.  However, it was not to be.  Following a trip to Florida, where they saw a cute, but run down motel in New Smyrna Beach the couple decided to change their lives again.

In 2021 after a whirlwind negotiation, the two purchased the Seahorse Inn (a 1956 20 room motor lodge and started over.  In the past five years they have established the motel as a landmark in the city and they have both taken leadership roles in the Community. Virginia serves on the Board of the local Business Association while Terry has served in Rotary leadership positions, as the Treasurer for the New Smyrna Beach Police Foundation, and most recently on the Board of the local Historical Society and Museum.  They have continue to enjoy the outdoors thru sailing, boating, swimming and bicycling. They both love their communities, in West Virginia and Florida and continue their connection to the Tri State area through their association with Keyser Inn.  Terry’s motto has always been “Always leave a place better than you found it” and that continues to be a guiding light for the couple.

Don and Suzie Sincell have spent a lifetime investing in their community, their church, the arts, education, and the people of Garrett County. Together, they represent generations of leadership, volunteerism, and service that have quietly but profoundly shaped the region they call home.

Both lifelong residents of Garrett County, Don and Suzie built their lives around faith, family, education, and civic engagement. Their shared story is rooted in a deep commitment to helping others and preserving the traditions and institutions that make small communities thrive.

This year, the Sincells will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on August 28, a milestone that reflects not only their enduring partnership, but also decades of shared service to their community. Together they are the proud parents of four grown children and grandparents of six granddaughters.

Suzie devoted 35 years to education, serving 25 years as a classroom teacher and 10 years as an administrator and principal at Broad Ford Elementary School, where she impacted the lives of hundreds of students and families. Her passion for teaching and literacy extended beyond the classroom into decades of mentoring, arts advocacy, and church leadership. She has been a charter and current member of the Garrett Choral Society for more than 40 years and has long supported creative arts initiatives throughout the county, including helping establish the Garrett Lakes Arts Festival, now known as Stage West.

Her commitment to service also included work as an EMT with the Southern Garrett County Rescue Squad, membership in the National Ski Patrol at Wisp Resort, volunteer leadership at Camp Luther, coaching with the Garrett County Manta Rays swim team, and decades of involvement at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, where she has served as a choir member, lector, Sunday school teacher, council member, and is one of the founders of the Christian Early Learning at St. Mark’s.

Don’s life reflects a similarly extraordinary record of public service and community leadership. A fourth-generation newspaperman and longtime owner/editor of The Republican newspaper, Don spent more than 40 years helping tell the stories of Garrett County and advocating for its future. His dedication to civic life continues today through his leadership in local government. After approximately 15 years serving on the Mountain Lake Park Town Council, Don is currently serving his ninth year as mayor of Mountain Lake Park.

Throughout his life, Don has balanced leadership with hands-on service. He has spent more than 51 years as a member of the Oakland Volunteer Fire Department, serving in leadership roles including lieutenant and president, and dedicated 15 years as an EMT with the Southern Garrett County Rescue Squad. He also served more than 30 years with the National Ski Patrol at Wisp Resort and continues today as a certified youth soccer referee, a role he has held for more than three decades.

Don’s commitment to service has also included 17 years on the Garrett County Memorial Hospital Board of Governors, including seven years as chairman, 18 years on the Frostburg State University Board of Visitors, and many years supporting Camp Luther, where he served as director.

Like Suzie, Don has been deeply involved in music, faith, and the arts. He is a founder of the Oakland VFD Oktoberfest Band, a charter member of the Garrett Choral Society, a founder of the Garrett Lakes Arts Festival, and an active member of the Garrett Community Concert Band. His leadership within St. Mark’s Lutheran Church spans more than 50 years, including service as council president, lay pastor, lector, choir member, and teacher.

Together, Don and Suzie continue to champion causes that strengthen both opportunity and compassion in their community. They remain active volunteers with programs such as It’s in the Bag and have supported countless youth, education, arts, and service initiatives throughout Garrett County. They also helped establish the WVU Sincell-Wagoner Travel Fund to support creative arts students and have remained committed supporters of schools, churches, and civic organizations throughout Garrett County.

Whether through education, emergency services, journalism, local government, music, faith, or philanthropy, the Sincells have lived lives centered on giving back. Their story is one of steady leadership, quiet generosity, and an enduring belief that strong communities are built through service, relationships, and a willingness to invest in future generations.

Thomas B. Finan, Jr. was born on June 5, 1942 to Isabel North Finan and Judge Thomas B. Finan. He grew up in Cumberland with his brother Tim, and subsequently spent considerable time in Southern Maryland, Baltimore, and Maryland’s Eastern Shore. But, Cumberland was always his home, the place he made his most substantial community contributions, the place he married his wife of 44 years, Mary Kay Finan, the place his children Patrick and Kelly were born, and the place he passed in April of 2024. Tom took great pride introducing his children’s spouses—Jeff Richards and Erica Finan—and his grandchildren—Acadia and Emmylou Finan—to the people and landmarks of Western Maryland

Tom served Allegany County and the state of Maryland through many leadership roles over the course of his life. In preparation for these roles, Tom focused his early life on excelling in academics. He graduated from LaSalle High School in 1960 and received his bachelor’s degree from Mount St. Mary’s University in 1964. Later, he earned master’s degrees at Frostburg State University (1973) and Johns Hopkins University (1979).

Tom served in the Peace Corps in Bolivia from 1967 to 1969. In 1972, he attended the Democratic National Convention as an elected delegate for Hubert Humphrey and in 1976 as a delegate for Jimmy Carter.

Tom spent his formative working years at the Cumberland Times-News where he was vice president, business manager, and later an owner of the newspaper until it was sold in 1986.

From 1988 to 1994, he was chairman of the board of Allegany College. He served as a member of the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland from 1995 to 2007. He served on the board of Mount St. Mary’s University, his alma mater, from 1987 to 1994.

For years, Tom served on the board of the Memorial Hospital and was its chairman in 1996 when Memorial and Sacred Heart Hospitals formed an affiliation to create the Western Maryland Health System. He co-chaired the 1994-1996 effort to create the new health system and worked closely with leaders of both hospitals to bring the merger to fruition. Tom continued to serve as a member of the Western MD Health System Foundation Board until his death.

Tom was also on the board of the Liberty Trust Company and its successor bank,  the American Trust Bank and Keystone Financial of Harrisburg when it was acquired by the M&T Bank.

Tom was a dedicated member of the Allegany County Library Board for 10 years until 2021. He also served on the Community Trust Foundation Allegany Advisory Council, further reflecting his lifelong commitment to strengthening philanthropy and community leadership in Western Maryland.

Throughout his life, the people and activities that Tom most prized were those that gave back to the community. He took great joy in giving his time and energy to causes that yielded tangible benefits to those with whom he shared space, and the space he most valued was Western Maryland.