Patrick Kopnicky, advocate of Harrison Hills Park and Penn State New Kensington, cherished every day

Mardelle Kopnicky remembers a time years ago that she and her husband, Patrick, were at Harrison Hills Park when a young boy asked them an interesting question.

He asked if the couple — who, over the years, advocated for and spearheaded improvements at the 500-acre park in Harrison — if they were the park’s owners.

“We said, ‘No, you own the park,’ ” Mardelle said. “This is always free and open for you to use anytime.

“It’s for all of us — that’s what (Patrick) liked; sharing the joy of that,” Mardelle said.

Patrick Kopnicky, who along with Mardelle, advocated for Alle-Kiski Valley institutions like Harrison Hills Park and Penn State New Kensington, died Friday due to complications of a perforated esophagus.

He was 83. Arrangements haven’t yet been scheduled as of Saturday.

“He was a great dad, and a wonderful role model,” said Patrick’s daughter, Dr. Aimee Kopnicky Marmol of Peters Township.

Mardelle and Patrick met in 1960 at Penn State’s main campus in State College. She needed a ride home to West Tarentum when it was suggested that Patrick, who grew up in Natrona Heights, give her a ride.

“From that day forward, we were together,” Mardelle said.

And that they were. They got married in 1966 — and since then, kept busy.

Patrick worked as an architect for more than 30 years, most of which as principal architect for Kvaerner Metals in Pittsburgh.

“He loved his work, and he loved his education, but most of all he loved having the freedom to do what he wanted to do,” said Mardelle, who worked in the insurance business for 35 years. “That’s why he retired at 62 — to do what he wanted to do with his life.”

When they both retired in the early 2000s, they volunteered for the Council of Friends of Harrison Hills Park, where Patrick was a former president.

“He absolutely loved nature,” Mardelle said. “He loved going out, and (Harrison Hills) was local. … He always felt heaven is under our feet — to quote Henry David Thoreau — as well as over our heads.

“Staying close to nature was so important to us, with our home as well as at the park.”

After they married, the couple lived in Monroeville for a period of time before moving to a home Patrick designed in Fawn Township. They lived there for 48 years.

“We just loved it,” Mardelle said. “We had 25 acres and a view into nature. We could see nature all around us.”

The beauty of their Fawn homestead perhaps rivaled what they saw at Harrison Hills.

People would say, ‘Why are you going to a park? You have one here (at home),’” Mardelle said.

Patrick and Mardelle were appointed to the Council of Friends of Harrison Hills Park in 2005 — and “hit the ground running,” Mardelle said. Their first project, in 2006, spruced up the Michael Watts Memorial Overlook, which included Allegheny County public works crews removing about a dozen large trees and installing a deck to provide a scenic view.

Mardelle, a past president of the Allegheny Valley Chamber of Commerce, initiated the building of the overlook’s viewing platform in partnership with that group.

“We know today how popular that overlook is,” Mardelle said.

Other accomplishments over the years included more programming and activities to the park, designing and installing the Environmental Learning Center and Outdoor Classroom and improving its walking trails.

“He had a list of goals,” Mardelle said. “It was a big list, and it was amazing at the end of one year what we could accomplish.”

In less than four years, the Friends had revitalized and transformed Harrison Hills Park under Patrick’s guidance, Mardelle said. She acknowledged that it couldn’t have been done without the volunteers the group had.

“We had wonderful volunteers. … It was a matter of talking to people, people who came to the park and loved the park,” Mardelle said.

Volunteering at Harrison Hills was a labor of love.

“He kept seeing things that should be there, and he wanted that done, so other people could enjoy what we enjoyed,” Mardelle said.

Penn State New Ken benefited, too

In addition to a love for the outdoors, Patrick also was instrumental in providing opportunities for people wanting to advance their education at Penn State New Kensington in Upper Burrell.

Over the years, the couple donated scholarships for students at the campus and established the Patrick and Mardelle Sacco Kopnicky Trustee Scholarship in 2008.

Mardelle said it meant a lot to the couple whenever they got to meet the recipients of their scholarship.

“It was so fulfilling to talk to students who were getting to tell us what a difference you made to their education,” Mardelle said.

Roughly 15 years ago, the couple also led New Kensington’s “For the Future” campaign that raised $3.8 million for PSNK students. When presented with heading that task, the couple was a bit hesitant, Mardelle said.

“We said to give it to someone younger, and who went to Penn State New Kensington,” Mardelle said. “Needless to say, we caved in, and became co-chairs.”

Mardelle said Patrick’s advocacy for Penn State New Kensington came from his own experience as a college student.

When Patrick was in college, his father and sister died, and they had been providing the income to pay for his education. He received scholarships and financial assistance to complete his degree at Penn State.

“That’s one of the reasons why we felt it was necessary to create a scholarship at the campus,” Mardelle said, “because it made such a difference in his life.”

Cherished every day

Patrick and Mardelle moved to the Longwood at Oakmont in May 2023.

There, Patrick helped establish Bluebird Boxes around the facility, similar to what he led at Harrison Hills Park. He got a group to play bocce as well as other “winter sports” like ping pong, pool and a beanbag toss, Mardelle said.

“His interest in doing things and getting people involved continued at Longwood,” Mardelle said.

Despite all Patrick achieved within the Alle-Kiski Valley, Mardelle says her proudest accomplishment was their decadeslong marriage.

“We enjoyed each other’s company,” Mardelle said, and she quipped: “We were codependent on each other. Our marriage was the proudest accomplishment.”

The couple loved to travel: their list of trips included Hungary, Ireland, India, Croatia and Peru. They also hosted international visitors, at their Fawn home — that included people from Saudi Arabia, Japan, Malaysia and Colombia.

“Having international visitors gave us the ability to not travel, and learn a lot about the world,” Mardelle said.

They have one daughter, Aimee; a son-in-law, Gregory Marmol; and grandsons Zachary, 23 and Austin, 21.

Taking a page from Patrick and Mardelle, the grandsons were traveling abroad and wrote letters to Patrick, emphasizing his lessons to experience different things in life and to never settle for mediocrity.

“Dad would make sure you were doing things the right way — in a good way,” Aimee said. “He’d look out for the greater good.”

The family was close-knit, and Patrick taught them to appreciate each day, to be curious, learn and appreciate nature, Aimee said.

“He was grateful for everyday,” Aimee said.

During Patrick’s last moments, the family put on WQED, and Mardelle laid beside him, Aimee said. They embraced each other, listened to music and looked in each other’s eyes until Patrick’s last breath.

“It was a remarkable ending for a beautiful couple,” Aimee said.