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Iris Theatre (click)
In downtown Cochranton
Admission: Adults - $3, Kids:
6-11, $1.50; 5 & under - Free
Alvin & The Chipmunks
M.-W 7:30pm
Feb.25 - AVATAR (click)
In downtown Cochranton
Admission: Adults - $3, Kids:
6-11, $1.50; 5 & under - Free
Alvin & The Chipmunks
M.-W 7:30pm
Feb.25 - AVATAR (click)
River Ridge Farm is presented at the
website of Oil City native William Passeur.
website of Oil City native William Passeur.
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The backyards of
Belmar Village line
the western edge of
the Allegheny River
in Franklin.
Belmar Village line
the western edge of
the Allegheny River
in Franklin.
| To subscribe to our full-color 40 page glossy magazine for the Venango region, send $15 check or money order for 8 issues (1 year): West PA Magazine 1401 Buffalo St. Franklin, PA 16323 Please add $5 for shipping (outside of Venango County) |
God bless PA State Trooper Paul Richey and Nancy Frey-Smith, their families and friends.
It seems like the world has stopped, as the community comes to terms with the shock and grief of last
week's tragedy. Three bullets, three lives lost for nothing. Out of an ongoing domestic abuse situation,
so much suddenly gone.
Franklin High School graduate Paul Richey was in the prime of his life at 40, active in the lives of his
wife and two children, his church and the Pennsylvania State Police. His value to Franklin and beyond
was immeasurable, and his absence leaves a terrible void where once a great man stood.
Nancy Frey was also important to Venango County. She participated in the management of Two Mile
Run County Park, following in the footsteps of her father, Gerald Frey, the long-time director of the
park.
Trooper Richey and Nancy Frey were both active in the same church, Christ United Methodist Church
in Franklin, and both of their funerals were presided over by Rev. David Janz, the church's pastor. The
crimes of the gunman was premeditated and calculated. Smith executed his wife, then trooper Richey as
he exited his car, then himself.
Mike Smith had been abusive to his wife many times throughout their marriage, including a time in 1997
when he showed up with a loaded rifle at her workplace (A. Crivelli Auto in Sugarcreek). The
responding officers managed to convince him to put the gun down, and he somehow plea bargained the
charge to a misdemeanor.
In 2000, the court allowed Smith to get his weapon(s) back, after he had completed his probation. Since
that time, friends would ask Nancy about odd bruises and she would say she had injured herself. She
always felt she could manage her husband's mental problems, telling friends she knew how to deal with
him when he was in "one of his moods." His mental disorders became especially serious when he
disabled his back after falling off a ladder during a roofing job. Now on medical disability, depressed and
isolated, he spiraled downward. Trooper Paul Richey had responded to previous domestic disturbances
at the Smith home, and he volunteered to accompany a fellow trooper when the call came in.
There's a special place in heaven for the two shooting victims, and another for the gunman who
viciously removed these two bright lights from our lives.
It seems like the world has stopped, as the community comes to terms with the shock and grief of last
week's tragedy. Three bullets, three lives lost for nothing. Out of an ongoing domestic abuse situation,
so much suddenly gone.
Franklin High School graduate Paul Richey was in the prime of his life at 40, active in the lives of his
wife and two children, his church and the Pennsylvania State Police. His value to Franklin and beyond
was immeasurable, and his absence leaves a terrible void where once a great man stood.
Nancy Frey was also important to Venango County. She participated in the management of Two Mile
Run County Park, following in the footsteps of her father, Gerald Frey, the long-time director of the
park.
Trooper Richey and Nancy Frey were both active in the same church, Christ United Methodist Church
in Franklin, and both of their funerals were presided over by Rev. David Janz, the church's pastor. The
crimes of the gunman was premeditated and calculated. Smith executed his wife, then trooper Richey as
he exited his car, then himself.
Mike Smith had been abusive to his wife many times throughout their marriage, including a time in 1997
when he showed up with a loaded rifle at her workplace (A. Crivelli Auto in Sugarcreek). The
responding officers managed to convince him to put the gun down, and he somehow plea bargained the
charge to a misdemeanor.
In 2000, the court allowed Smith to get his weapon(s) back, after he had completed his probation. Since
that time, friends would ask Nancy about odd bruises and she would say she had injured herself. She
always felt she could manage her husband's mental problems, telling friends she knew how to deal with
him when he was in "one of his moods." His mental disorders became especially serious when he
disabled his back after falling off a ladder during a roofing job. Now on medical disability, depressed and
isolated, he spiraled downward. Trooper Paul Richey had responded to previous domestic disturbances
at the Smith home, and he volunteered to accompany a fellow trooper when the call came in.
There's a special place in heaven for the two shooting victims, and another for the gunman who
viciously removed these two bright lights from our lives.
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