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Obituary Stories category, Page 36

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Greensburg Salem grad’s life was farming
Robert E. Smith Jr. operated a dairy farm in Salem Township at a time when family-owned farms were common. As many as 20 dairy farms dotted the region, but now the number is closer to five. The well-known struggles of dairy farmers concerned Smith, who operated Lone Star Dairy for...
North Huntingdon woman loved to sing
Helen Medic loved to sing, whether it was classical music, operas or church hymns. Her voice was so good that she was selected as the soloist at Duquesne High School for her graduating class of 1941, said her daughter, Joyce Yovetich of North Huntingdon. “She was always singing. She would...
Mt. Pleasant woman traveled abroad, helped travelers at home
When her husband was being shifted around the world during his time as an Air Force radar operator, Adeline Newell got used to traveling. After they returned home, she was the one helping travelers during two decades as a Pennsylvania Turnpike toll collector, mostly at the Donegal interchange. “She worked...
Greensburg woman was active in Scouting, loved working with children
William Vaglia remembers his mom donning the Cub Scouts uniform and taking him to his meetings, a uniform she recently dusted off for her young nephew. “Not a lot of 70-year-old grandmothers get into uniforms and do the Cub Scouts thing,” Vaglia said. But Patricia McDonald always strived to go...
WCCC professor brought out best in students
Duane Molnar taught thousands of college students how to be more effective communicators and left a legacy in the textbook “Effective Speaking: Take Flight … Into Your Future.” Mr. Molnar taught English and effective speech at Westmoreland County Community College for 35 years, affecting the lives and careers of numerous...
Irwin police officer loved sports, especially racquetball
Chances are good that if you hurt yourself horsing around in Irwin Park during the 1960s and ’70s, you went to John O’Connell’s house to call your parents. And if your injury was a little more serious, it was probably Mr. O’Connell who took you to the emergency room. “We...
Navy veteran had a knack for fixing things
Gerald Dempsey Sr. knew how to keep things running — at work, at home and aboard a Navy destroyer. Mr. Dempsey worked for more than 42 years at the Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock, keeping controls for the steel plant’s powerhouse in working order before retiring in the late 1980s....
Mammoth resident devoted life to helping others
When Mary Mizikar was young, she watched her mother care for her ailing grandmother. The experience inspired Mizikar to spend her life looking after others. Eventually it would be her turn to care for her mother, as well as her husband and a friend with diabetes. “She was absolutely saintly,”...
Greensburg man leaves behind legacy in mushroom club
John Plischke often found himself in nature either hunting or fishing — but mainly surrounded by mushrooms. As founding member and past president of the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club, Plischke worked to bring other mushroom fanatics together as one of the first fungus-based organizations in the area, but not without...
Latrobe machinist George Schrack loved family, working on cars
Deborah Kosor of Ligonier remembers going on Sunday drives in her father’s Chevy Chevelle, and listening to eight-track oldies as she and her siblings fought over who would get to sit on “the hump” in the back seat. She remembers waiting for him to come home from work at Morgan...
WCCC professor pushed disability rights
Mary Ellen Beres was a champion of people with disabilities before disability rights was a national priority. Mrs. Beres was a student support counselor and professor for special populations at Westmoreland County Community College for 30 years, retiring in 2015. During her career, she worked to make WCCC a more...


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