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NANCY BLECHARZ Nancy Blecharz, 87, of Ross Township, died suddenly at home on Thursday, January 2, 2020. Born May 9, 1932 in Pittsburgh, she was the younger twin daughter of Virgil and Nancy (Wightman) Bears, he of Denver, Colorado and she of Pittsburgh. Nancy was a proud member of Hampton High School's Class of 1950. She went on to study at the Pittsburgh Music Institute with a focus on piano performance, then worked as a church organist, choir director, and private piano teacher. In 1960, she was hired by the H.J. Heinz Company and worked as an executive secretary until the birth of her second daughter in 1968. After working at home for 13 years, she was hired by Burke & Michael, Inc. and then by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where she worked for 17 years in several capacities before serving and eventually retiring as secretary to the Chairman, Department of Medicine. Nancy loved to work and was a valued colleague. She was diligent and industrious and developed enduring friendships in each of her job settings. Unfailingly cheerful, Nancy was a joy to be with. She was a ceaseless source of delight at church, work, Red Hat gatherings, or monthly high-school reunions. She was a pianist, a Sudoku and solitaire fan, and an avid consumer of news. Nancy spent decades of happy summers on Chautauqua Lake, NY and loved to introduce new friends to the small gem of a cottage she shared with her husband, Stan. She was often found in Pittsburgh-area restaurants at lunchtime, enjoying gluten-free food and the company of friends. She loved baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, baseball and football; she loved wine, butter, and talk radio. Faithful and brave during the long years of her husband's illness, Nancy was his companion at home, in treatment rooms, through doctor's appointments and hospital stays. She was amiable, generous, and content in all things. She was deeply loved by her husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and she eagerly anticipated the life to come, her new address, where she would be made fully alive, when this life ended. Nancy was preceded in death by her brothers Robert and Everett, and by her loving husband Stan, who passed away in February 2019, they were married for 53 years. She is survived by loving daughters, Holly (Kevin) Carr and Kathy (Eric) Emmons; twin sister, Dorris Donald Eannarino; brother-in-law,William (Judith) Blecharz; grandchildren, Janell Carr, Bethany (Matthew) Sytsema, Meg (Josh) Van Dyke, Andrew (Nicole) Carr, Anna and Katelyn Rose Emmons; great-grandchildren, Diandre Carr, Eden, Cade and Quinn Sytsema, Julianna and Madelyn Van Dyke, Addison Carr; and nieces, Susan Steffy and Ruth Rudolph, as well as nephews Richard Blecharz, Robert Donald, Daniel Donald, Scott Donald, and Jim Donald. Friends received Wednesday, January 8, 2020 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at SIMONS FUNERAL HOME, INC., 7720 Perry Highway 15237 (www.simonsfuneralhome.com). A funeral service to the glory of God will be held on Thursday, January 9, 10 a.m., at Memorial Park Presbyterian Church, 8800 Peebles Road. Contributions may be made in her memory to Memorial Park Church, Youth Fund (8800 Peebles Road, Allison Park, PA 15101). Send condolences post-gazette.com/gb
