Conchita V. Harper, 73, probation officer

One thing Conchita V. Harper enjoyed about her job as an adult probation officer was a chance to help people.

"She liked helping people," said her daughter, Pamela Pelver-Hearn. "She liked being around people. She was a real people person - the more people the better as far as she was concerned."

Conchita Harper, a probation officer for 32 years before her retirement in 1988, a devoted churchwoman who lent her voice to the church choir and the famed Paul Roberts Singers, died Friday. She was 73 and lived in Center City but had lived many years in Southwest Philadelphia.

She was born in Philadelphia to Carl and Ellamae Vaughn. She graduated from West Philadelphia High School and Temple University, where she studied criminal justice. She also took courses at Penn State.

She became a probation officer shortly after college.

She was the secretary of the retirees chapter of AFSCME, the municipal workers' union.

She was an active member of Greater St. Matthews Independent Church, where she was a member of the trustee board and sang on the senior choir.

For relaxation, Conchita enjoyed hitting the casinos in Atlantic City.

She also is survived by a stepdaughter, Valarie Hayden; a stepson, John H. Pelver Jr.; a sister, Bernita Harmon; three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a brother, Carl, and a sister, Ellamae .

Services: 11 a.m. Saturday at Greater St. Matthews Independent Church, 55th and Race streets. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial will be in Fernwood Cemetery, Delaware County. *