Obituary Stories category, Page 39
Korean War veteran devoted life to military, fellow vets
Jim Findle saw combat action in Korea and then devoted the rest of his life to the Army, the National Guard and the VFW. “He was very service-oriented. He gave of himself to others his entire life,” said his son, Jeffery. An Army veteran, Mr. Findle served in the Korean...
Greensburg teacher ‘made you feel like the most important person in the room’
Ryan Soisson never had his mother as a teacher in school. But he isn’t sure it would have mattered. “She was a great teacher all the time,” he said. Kathryn N. Soisson of Greensburg died Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. She was 52 years old. Mrs. Soisson was born July 12,...
Irwin man boosted Blind Association using sales skills
Lawrence J. Helkowksi won salesman of the year honors three years in a row while working for Peoples Gas. After he retired from a 33-year career with the utility, he put his persuasive skills to work for the Westmoreland County Blind Association, serving as its president and CEO. As a...
Madison wife, mother, PNC employee enjoyed bringing family together
Lynn Rich caught the eye of her future husband while working as a teller at a PNC Bank branch in Mt. Pleasant. She was stunning, Ronald Rich Sr. said. “I saw her there and I asked her for a date, and she said, ‘I really don’t know you,’ ” he...
Trafford centenarian was driver to rich and famous
Milan “Jemo” Drakulic Sr. of Trafford got to drive famous people as the head chauffeur for the former Westinghouse Electric Corp. when its headquarters were in downtown Pittsburgh. “He was the youngest of about six chauffeurs for Westinghouse and then became its head chauffeur around 1965,” said his daughter, Maryanne...
Catholic faith, Ukrainian roots were bedrock of Irwin man’s life
Being a Catholic with Ukrainian roots was the bedrock of Merle Morozowich’s life. It led him to a life of service in the League of Ukrainian Catholics, led his children to fond memories of the Pittsburgh Folk Festival and even led to a meeting with Pope John Paul II. “Both...
Westmoreland YWCA founder Kuyat dedicated life to service, education, family
Aside from her children, Reta Snodgrass Kuyat’s proudest accomplishment was founding the YWCA Westmoreland County. “Mom started with meetings in our house, and then in a tiny storefront on Main Street across from church,” said her daughter, Karen Nagy of Oakland Park, Fla. Her mother was ahead of her time,...
Jeannette woman passionate about volunteering, literacy
Gladys Peltier was a take-charge type of person, according to her family. It’s a good thing, too, because for many years she was in charge of both the annual Italian festival at Ascension Church in Jeannette and the weeklong High Park Jubilees in town. “She was always giving back,” said...
Russell Baker, droll columnist and memoirist who twice won Pulitzer, dies at 93
Russell Baker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who for 36 years brought whimsy, irreverence and droll commentary to the Observer column in the New York Times and whose memoir, “Growing Up,” was a bestseller, died Jan. 21 at his home in Leesburg, Virginia. He was 93. The cause was complications from...
Kaye Ballard, boisterous singer and actress, dies at 93
LOS ANGELES — Kaye Ballard, the boisterous comedian and singer who appeared in Broadway musicals and nightclubs from New York to Las Vegas and starred with Eve Arden in the 1960s TV sitcom “The Mothers-In-Law,” has died. She was 93. Ballard died Monday night at her home in Rancho Mirage,...
Retired legislative assistant was cycling enthusiast, steady friend
Terri Mickolay Selembo lived life to the fullest, bringing her friends along for the ride. She loved cycling with others, a passion that led her to complete multi-day treks in multiple states. In one memorable trip, she and her wife, Lori Cramer, were joined by friends in a south-to-north journey...
Murrysville Army veteran loved the flag, pursued adventure
Lester Dolton’s appetite for adventure was as big as the great outdoors he explored with his family. His first passion was bowling, including games with the Patriots league he founded half a century ago at White Oak Bowl. It’s a sport he continued to enjoy into his 80s. “He loved...
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...
