Mary Taranto Mastrolembo

 A longtime resident of Mt. Lebanon, PA, peacefully passed away on December 15, 2022, age 96, at home in Leesburg, VA.  Born August 7, 1926, in South Fork, PA daughter of the late Nicola and Vencenza Taranto.  Preceded in death by her beloved husband, Anthony, brother Joseph Taranto, and sister, Gertrude Ottino. Survived by her loving family, Mary was the devoted and loving mother of Donna Petroka (husband Robert), Denise Manner (deceased husband David), and Anthony (wife Beatriz), loving grandmother to cherished grandchildren, Andrew Petroka (wife Mari), Katelyn Petroka Joyce (husband Tommy), Sarah Manner Christensen (husband David), David Manner, Jessica Manner, Sean Mastrolembo, Brianna Mastrolembo, sisters in law Mary and Mafalda Mastrolembo, and step grandson, Antonio Jordan.  She was bountifully blessed with her three great grandchildren, Karis, Lucas, and Hudson Christensen, as well as her beloved nieces and nephews. Mary was married to Tony, her loving, dedicated, and best friend in life, for 57 wonderful years living in Mt. Lebanon, PA for most of their married life. They were avid travelers, enjoying many trips abroad and within the US. Mary was known by her family as a very generous, loving and compassionate mother with an energetic spirit.  Lovingly, she tirelessly devoted herself in serving her family to assure they had everything they needed and more!  Spiritually, she was an active Christian, whose life-long works of love in living life expressed Christ’s light shining through her for all to witness.  She was filled with God’s love, wisdom, joy, generosity, and strength particularly during the challenges in life.  Frequently she would remark, “There is only one God, and we all serve him in our own way”.   She was an active member of St, Bernard’s Church in Mt. Lebanon, PA for 50 years, attending mass daily during her retirement years, a committed faithful prayer warrior. During her dedicated twenty years of employment in the position of secretarial office manager to the Guidance Department Counselors at Mt. Lebanon High School, her natural ministry as an ambassador of Christ’s light thrived for the benefit of all who interacted with her. Striving for peace between one another and exercising forgiveness were crucial to her.  A champion peacemaker was her gifted example to both her family and friends. A friend to all, Mary never met a stranger!  Mary leaves her impactful legacy of welcoming friendship to everyone who had the privilege to meet her, receiving her generous hospitality, radiating an enthusiasm for life, lending a compassionate hand to others and supporting their needs, sharing the love of laughter, and most especially gathering to share meaningful moments with family and friends. She had an amazing capacity of genuine love for others.  This was evidenced through Mary’s gift of joy and contribution through service to others.  One particularly fond and proud memory occurred when she spearheaded and organized a township-wide pizza fundraiser for a sister of Anthony’s neighborhood friend who had childhood leukemia.  We admired her enduring compassion for others and felt immeasurably proud and honored to be her children.  Alongside other volunteer projects, Mary actively participated as a PTA parent, as an annual Cookie Mom for the girl scouts, and as a Rockette chaperone at the high school, to name a mere few. The gift of conversation was truly endowed upon Mary, who delighted in having conversation, shared stories, and enthusiastically relived sweet reminisces with others.  And of course, music and dancing were among her favorite passions!  Perhaps being the youngest of three surviving children in her family, her role naturally evolved into becoming “the entertainer”, known to play the accordion for the enjoyment of her family as well as for community events which began at a young age. When the music began, Mary was always the first one to dance with exuberant joy, encouraging others to join in, adorned with her beautifully perfect smile which could have easily graced a toothpaste commercial!  That smile sparkled and lit up a room while she whirled around a dance floor, or a kitchen floor, the music energized deep within her person. Mary also enjoyed athletics beginning in her youth and had a natural ability for excelling at sports, particularly basketball and volleyball, to name a few.  Her avid love of sports continued well into her senior years where she remained an active participant with her husband, Tony, in the Silver Sneakers program, and even joined the gym, Bali, where she kept herself as physically fit as possible.  You could find Mary playing a round of golf, participating in water aerobics, or on a bocce court, enjoying whatever sport that caught her fancy! Finally, Mary’s signature long goodbyes were legendary!  Since she thrived in the company of others, the inevitable separation from their company almost seemed unbearable to her most times.  The sign of a true extrovert!  Perhaps in an almost cruel irony, the nature of her extended illness she endured was characterized by saying an almost endless long goodbye.  Until we are united in eternity once again, we say goodbye to Mary, our beloved mother, with our words today, but we treasure you living on in our hearts forever. Her family would like to acknowledge with sincere heartfelt thankfulness to her caregivers, Cinthia Vaca, Beatriz Mastrolembo, Rosa Pommier, and Beby who lovingly gave her the very best of care during her extended long illness. Family will receive friends on Thursday, December 22nd from 10:30 to 11:30 AM at Moskal and Kennedy Colonial Funeral Home on 219 Ohio Street, Johnstown, PA. Funeral mass will be celebrated on Thursday, December 22nd from 12:00 to 12:45 PM at St. Patrick Catholic Church on Park Avenue & Village Street, Johnstown, PA, Very Rev. Matthew Baum. Committal St. Anthony Cemetery, Geistown. Memorial contributions may be directed to Salvation Army, or the Alzheimer’s Association, in her memory. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Mastrolembo, please visit our floral store, on web site www.kennedycarefh.com.
 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Taranto Mastrolembo, please visit our floral store.