Grandma ‘B’ Shindehite of Youngwood remembered for outgoing manner, devotion to church
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Blissful weekends with their grandmother “B” Shindehite were the highlight of the week for sisters Amanda Pizzutelli-Herb and Stacy Shipley.
They’d have a weekend-long sleepover full of the good stuff — a trip to the park, junk food, bike rides and movies.
“Grandma B’s house was always so much fun,” said Shipley of Greensburg.
On Sundays, they’d get dressed up and head to church.
“She would take us to Sunday school and she would be in Bible study and in the church choir,” said Pizzutelli-Herb of the Philadelphia area. “She was very into having that strong community through the church.”
Family described Idonna Bernice “B” Smith Shindehite of Youngwood as an outgoing woman who made friends whereever she went. From the police at district court where she worked to the ladies at her gym, she was well-liked and always smiling, her family said.
Mrs. Shindehite died Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019, at Easy Living Country Estates in East Huntingdon. She was 89.
Born in Madison on May 2, 1930, she was the daughter of the late George and Blanche Garlow Smith. She worked at a Youngwood-area district court office through the 1990s before retiring, according to daughter Renee Rahl Johnson of Florida.
“She loved it,” Johnson said. “Mother was a people-person, always had a smile on her face and was very kind to other people. She enjoyed working with the troopers … and the lawyers.”
Church was a mainstay in her life. She made sure her children got up every Sunday to attend St. Paul United Methodist Church in Youngwood. She later was a member at Greensburg Alliance Church.
She found joy singing with the church choir and helping in other ways, such as teaching Sunday school and taking care of altar flowers, Johnson said.
Her favorite hymns included “Nearer, My God, to Thee” and “In the Garden.”
“Mother loved to sing,” Johnson said.
She also loved to make crafts. So much, in fact, she sent the kids out to find pine cones and nuts that she would turn into home decor.
“She made beautiful wreaths out of those pine cones and nuts,” Johnson said.
Mrs. Shindehite liked socializing with friends and traveling with her husband of 23 years, William J. Shindehite of Youngwood. Pizzutelli-Herb and Shipley fondly remembered their grandmother as a loyal woman who had a knack for getting things done.
“She’s very strong-willed and opinionated, but she was also a kind, caring, compassionate person,” Pizzutelli-Herb said.
Mrs. Shindehite was predeceased by a son, William Rahl, and brother, Lewis Smith.
In addition to her husband, Johnson and two granddaughters, Mrs. Shindehite is survived by daughter Wendy Pizzutelli of Greensburg, stepson William A. Shindehite of Irwin, two more grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Greensburg Alliance Church, 4428 Route 136, Greensburg. Interment will follow at Madison Union Cemetery. Beatty-Rich Funeral Home in Madison handled arrangements.