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Arthur R. “Arty” Erle, 52, of Springfield formerly of Glenolden passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, according to his obituary posted by Lombardo Funeral Homes.
The Drexel Hill native graduated from Interboro High School in 1990, and a 1998 graduate of the Philadelphia Police Academy who went on to serve as a Corrections Officer at Delaware County Prison, and as a Police Officer for Upper Darby Township for the past 24 years, as explained in his obituary and social media. "During his law enforcement career, Arty worked as a patrol officer, narcotics investigator, and detective," as stated in his obituary.
Arty was a founding member and current Board of Directors for The Delco Group, a local non-profit serving Delaware County, according to his obituary.
He enjoyed helping to shape the lives of young people as a coach, serving as a freshman baseball at Marple Newtown High School, volleyball at Paxon Hollow Middle School, and both baseball and volleyball at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Glen Mills, and a wrestling coach, serving at both Interboro High School and Marple Newtown High School, as detailed in his social media and obituary.
Arty was a passionate Eagles fan with "a deep admiration for Eagles Hall of Fame player Brian Dawkins," as stated in his obituary and seen on his Facebook.
Although he could spend hours following the Phillies, too.
What he enjoyed most of all was spending time with his family and friends.
As stated in his obituary:
"He was the guy you could always count on—ready to help anyone in need, always with a smile on his face. Simply put, when you needed someone, Arty was the guy who would always show up. You’d be hard-pressed to find a room in Delaware County where someone didn’t know Arty."
He is survived by his fiancée, Kristin Dortone, "with whom he spent the last 14 years"; his daughter, Brooke "the apple of his eye"; as well as Brian Sellers and Jadelyn Sellers, "whom he loved as his own"; his parents, Ronald W. and Patricia A. (Lavin) Erle; his brother, Ronald Erle Jr.; his sister, Christi (John) Walker; his goddaughter, Ashley Surplus; and "his former wife and dear friend," Nicole (Strack) Erle, as explained in his obituary.
A visitation is scheduled at Kovacs Lombardo Funeral Home 530 W. Woodland Avenue in Springfield from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept., 4 and the following morning at St. Francis of Assisi Church 136 Saxer Avenue also in Springfield at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5., followed by his funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m.
His body will be interred at SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery.
If you choose to attend, you're asked to honor Arty's love of the Eagles by wearing something Eagles-themed.
Instead of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to the following organizations that were special to him: Gift of Life: donors1.org/give, The Colon Cancer Alliance: colorectalcancer.org, The Delco Group: thedelcogroup.com.
Click here to read his full obituary.
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