HONESDALE, PA — On June 13, the Wayne County Commissioners had a busy agenda celebrating and commending a few different employees throughout the county. The meeting started off with two employee recognitions. First, Vicky Botjer was recognized for her 20 years of service in the commissioner’s office as the chief financial officer. 

Commissioner Jocelyn Cramer kicked off the praise by calling Botjer “the county dreamer.”

“The way you get involved with the grant work here and the opportunities that you see and try to find a way through, I always feel like you have a really great vision for the county and ideas. You have some pretty incredible tenacity.”

Then it was Commissioner James Shook’s turn to praise Botjer. “You’re stellar in your ability to multitask for one thing, and you’re able to get jobs done and perform at levels beyond what I’ve ever experienced. You are certainly an extreme asset to this county.”

Botjer thanked the commissioners and reminisced about the last two decades. Just six months into the position, she was thrown into some interesting situations. “We were finishing up the first reassessment, we were building the prison, and there was three feet of water in the basement and we had to evacuate the building,” she said. “It’s been quite the adventure.”

The second employee recognized was Jeanna Snyder. A clerk in Judge Jonathan Dunsinger’s office for five years, Dunsinger, who was not able to attend the meeting, wrote, “We could not do it without her. She’s very dependable and people love [her].”

Cramer continued the praise. “Every encounter I’ve ever had with you has been well above average and pleasant. You’ve made a great impression… Thank you for choosing the county, thank you for being here, and thank you for choosing a job that serves the community.” 

“I wish I had [chosen this job] 20 years ago!” Snyder exclaimed. “It has been a pleasure working for the county.”

Annual coroner’s report

Next on the agenda was the 2023 Annual Coroner’s Office Report. Wayne County Coroner Edward Howell attended the meeting to shed light on the report, which indicated an uptick in activity. This year alone, there were 631 cases referred to the coroner’s office, with 96 of these deaths being both investigated and certified by the coroner. Of these 96 cases, 55 were natural, 30 were accidents, 10 were suicides, and one was a homicide.

Howell highlighted the importance of the report. “While the coroner’s annual report is a statistical review of the year’s activities, it is important to keep in perspective the fact that these numbers are not just statistics,” he said. “Each number represents an individual whose death may well have touched the lives of many other county residents. The goals and responsibilities of this office include maintaining the dignity of the deceased, providing complete and factual information to the families in a prompt and courteous manner, and making every effort to respect the privacy of the survivors. The information contained in this report is not intended to identify individuals, but rather to inform the public of our activities during the past year.”

Howell, a lifelong resident of Wayne County, has been serving as its coroner since 2012.

In addition to certifying and investigating deaths, the coroner’s office has the crucial job of finding the deceased’s next of kin. Howell said that there has been a significant increase of cases over the past few years in which the next of kin needs to be tracked down, but by the end of 2023 everyone for that year had been identified and claimed. 

Both Cramer and Shook applauded Howell’s work and commitment to the community. “I very rarely get to say this, but there’s nobody better,” Shook said. Howell responded by publicly thanking the commissioner’s office for its aid, especially over the last few years as the coroner’s office has gotten busier and taken on more responsibilities. “I hope to be the coroner until I need one,” Howell said. “There’s nothing else I would rather do.”