Annie Cmar loved many things: family, friends, food, faith, the Pirates and Steelers, her Slovak heritage. (Especially Slovak polka music.) But more than anything, Annie loved to smile.
It was rare to find her not smiling, or laughing, or talking -- possibly, all of these things at once. She was one of those people that it seems are getting harder and harder to find in this world. Ever the optimist, Annie was always finding the best in people or in situations. She was the person that wouldn't hang up when someone telephoned her accidentally. And probably would learn the person's name, if not their entire backstory, during the ensuing conversation.
Annie would start conversations with just about anyone she met, really -- whether at the grocery store, walking around Kennywood Park, or in the nursing home that she called home for the last several years of her life. She was the kind of person that always introduced her grandchildren to strangers... even if said grandchildren felt awkward when she did this.
Anna Agnes Urban, the second of six children, was born to Joseph Urban and Anna Rohaly Urban on June 8, 1926. She lived the majority of her life in West Mifflin and Duquesne, only moving to Kane Regional Center in McKeesport in her late 80s when she was no longer able to live on her own.
Annie was a child of the Great Depression in so many ways; she hated to throw things away and was into re-use and "upcycling" well before such things became commonplace or trendy. She was raised in the Greek Catholic faith and attended Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church in Duquesne. As a young woman, she worked at the venerable Minerva Bakery in McKeesport; more than 60 years later, she fondly recalled walking from her parents' home to the bottom of Center Street in Duquesne to catch the streetcar in order to get to work.
Her future husband, John Anthony "Archie" Cmar, lived across the street from Annie's parents. In 1944, he returned from service in World War II and the two began dating; she was 18, while he was 23. They were engaged on Valentine's Day in 1945 and were married on June 17 of that year. The couple settled in Duquesne, first in a home on First Street owned by Archie's parents. In the early 1960s, the family moved "up the hill" to their own home on Lippincott Street. Their marriage, which lasted more than 55 years, produced three children: daughters Cynthia and Susan, and son Jonathan.
In turn, Annie and Archie were blessed with seven grandchildren. Though Archie passed away in 2001, Annie was overjoyed to become a great-grandmother to two boys in the past few years. She proudly displayed pictures of family in her home, and continued this tradition in her room at Kane.
Annie loved to collect things. Her refrigerator (or, as she called it, "the Frigidaire") was covered on three sides with magnets -- mostly the kinds you see at the tacky, tourist-trap souvenir shops. She had a collection of coffee mugs in the kitchen as well, and in the living room were books of postcards sent to her by friends and family from all corners of the globe.
She loved to hand out $2.00 bills for birthdays and other special occasions. Odds are if you received a birthday card from Annie, there was a brand-new $2.00 bill in it. Really, Annie was giving all the time -- every time you visited her, you left with something. It could be some food, or a trinket she wanted you to have, or a picture from one of her many albums. And did she LOVE to take pictures! Every holiday, she would take the family outside and pose for pictures... usually taking several, "to make sure that they turn out."
Annie was adamant about keeping in touch with just about everyone in her life. Without fail, she called in to "the polka program" hosted by George Almasi every Sunday to broadcast well-wishes to friends and family members. She frequently wrote letters and talked on the telephone with aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, cousins and friends living across the United States.
Religion was a huge part of her life, as well. While raised in the Greek Catholic faith, Annie converted to Roman Catholicism when she married. She was a dedicated member of the Christian Mothers of Holy Trinity Parish in West Mifflin, and attended Mass weekly with her husband for many years. At Kane, Annie was unmistakable, sitting front and center in her wheelchair for Mass on Sundays.
She didn't cook restaurant-quality meals. "Deconstructed" wasn't in her vocabulary. But Annie loved the both the cuisine of her parents' homeland (such as haluski, pierogy, halupki, and especially čeregi) as well as some American favorites (including pizza, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and hot dogs with sauce and onions from Jim's Drive In.) And she had her own specialties, too -- desserts like Dream Squares or poppyseed cake, or her quasi-famous "Hunky Hamburgers."
She didn't care for movies. While she was fascinated by technology (computers, the Internet, even smartphones), she didn't learn to use such things herself. In fact, she never even learned to drive a car! But she DID know sports -- specifically, Pirates baseball and Steelers football. Annie loved to watch her teams - win or lose, good teams and bad teams alike. She may not have known every player's name, but she knew their jersey numbers. She dressed herself in back and gold for games (when she wasn't wearing something in her favorite color, red.) She even decorated her homes with banners, pennants, flags and pictures of Steelers and Pirates players. Some of Annie's favorite memories from her time at Kane were when she got to go on several trips to watch the Pirates at PNC Park.
On July 10, 2017, Annie Cmar passed from our world into the next great adventure. She has been laid to rest beside her beloved Archie in Holy Trinity Cemetery, West Mifflin. Although she is gone from here, her family is certain that her million-watt smile is lighting up the skies of Heaven each and every day.
Annie Cmar died as she lived: she was everyone's friend. She is and will always be sorely missed by all that knew her.
It was rare to find her not smiling, or laughing, or talking -- possibly, all of these things at once. She was one of those people that it seems are getting harder and harder to find in this world. Ever the optimist, Annie was always finding the best in people or in situations. She was the person that wouldn't hang up when someone telephoned her accidentally. And probably would learn the person's name, if not their entire backstory, during the ensuing conversation.
Annie would start conversations with just about anyone she met, really -- whether at the grocery store, walking around Kennywood Park, or in the nursing home that she called home for the last several years of her life. She was the kind of person that always introduced her grandchildren to strangers... even if said grandchildren felt awkward when she did this.
Anna Agnes Urban, the second of six children, was born to Joseph Urban and Anna Rohaly Urban on June 8, 1926. She lived the majority of her life in West Mifflin and Duquesne, only moving to Kane Regional Center in McKeesport in her late 80s when she was no longer able to live on her own.
Annie was a child of the Great Depression in so many ways; she hated to throw things away and was into re-use and "upcycling" well before such things became commonplace or trendy. She was raised in the Greek Catholic faith and attended Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church in Duquesne. As a young woman, she worked at the venerable Minerva Bakery in McKeesport; more than 60 years later, she fondly recalled walking from her parents' home to the bottom of Center Street in Duquesne to catch the streetcar in order to get to work.
Her future husband, John Anthony "Archie" Cmar, lived across the street from Annie's parents. In 1944, he returned from service in World War II and the two began dating; she was 18, while he was 23. They were engaged on Valentine's Day in 1945 and were married on June 17 of that year. The couple settled in Duquesne, first in a home on First Street owned by Archie's parents. In the early 1960s, the family moved "up the hill" to their own home on Lippincott Street. Their marriage, which lasted more than 55 years, produced three children: daughters Cynthia and Susan, and son Jonathan.
In turn, Annie and Archie were blessed with seven grandchildren. Though Archie passed away in 2001, Annie was overjoyed to become a great-grandmother to two boys in the past few years. She proudly displayed pictures of family in her home, and continued this tradition in her room at Kane.
Annie loved to collect things. Her refrigerator (or, as she called it, "the Frigidaire") was covered on three sides with magnets -- mostly the kinds you see at the tacky, tourist-trap souvenir shops. She had a collection of coffee mugs in the kitchen as well, and in the living room were books of postcards sent to her by friends and family from all corners of the globe.
She loved to hand out $2.00 bills for birthdays and other special occasions. Odds are if you received a birthday card from Annie, there was a brand-new $2.00 bill in it. Really, Annie was giving all the time -- every time you visited her, you left with something. It could be some food, or a trinket she wanted you to have, or a picture from one of her many albums. And did she LOVE to take pictures! Every holiday, she would take the family outside and pose for pictures... usually taking several, "to make sure that they turn out."
Annie was adamant about keeping in touch with just about everyone in her life. Without fail, she called in to "the polka program" hosted by George Almasi every Sunday to broadcast well-wishes to friends and family members. She frequently wrote letters and talked on the telephone with aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, cousins and friends living across the United States.
Religion was a huge part of her life, as well. While raised in the Greek Catholic faith, Annie converted to Roman Catholicism when she married. She was a dedicated member of the Christian Mothers of Holy Trinity Parish in West Mifflin, and attended Mass weekly with her husband for many years. At Kane, Annie was unmistakable, sitting front and center in her wheelchair for Mass on Sundays.
She didn't cook restaurant-quality meals. "Deconstructed" wasn't in her vocabulary. But Annie loved the both the cuisine of her parents' homeland (such as haluski, pierogy, halupki, and especially čeregi) as well as some American favorites (including pizza, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and hot dogs with sauce and onions from Jim's Drive In.) And she had her own specialties, too -- desserts like Dream Squares or poppyseed cake, or her quasi-famous "Hunky Hamburgers."
She didn't care for movies. While she was fascinated by technology (computers, the Internet, even smartphones), she didn't learn to use such things herself. In fact, she never even learned to drive a car! But she DID know sports -- specifically, Pirates baseball and Steelers football. Annie loved to watch her teams - win or lose, good teams and bad teams alike. She may not have known every player's name, but she knew their jersey numbers. She dressed herself in back and gold for games (when she wasn't wearing something in her favorite color, red.) She even decorated her homes with banners, pennants, flags and pictures of Steelers and Pirates players. Some of Annie's favorite memories from her time at Kane were when she got to go on several trips to watch the Pirates at PNC Park.
On July 10, 2017, Annie Cmar passed from our world into the next great adventure. She has been laid to rest beside her beloved Archie in Holy Trinity Cemetery, West Mifflin. Although she is gone from here, her family is certain that her million-watt smile is lighting up the skies of Heaven each and every day.
Annie Cmar died as she lived: she was everyone's friend. She is and will always be sorely missed by all that knew her.
Annie Cmar loved many things: family, friends, food, faith, the Pirates and Steelers, her Slovak heritage. (Especially Slovak polka music.) But more than anything, Annie loved to smile.
It was rare to find her not smiling, or laughing, or talking -- possibly, all of these things at once. She was one of those people that it seems are getting harder and harder to find in this world. Ever the optimist, Annie was always finding the best in people or in situations. She was the person that wouldn't hang up when someone telephoned her accidentally. And probably would learn the person's name, if not their entire backstory, during the ensuing conversation.
Annie would start conversations with just about anyone she met, really -- whether at the grocery store, walking around Kennywood Park, or in the nursing home that she called home for the last several years of her life. She was the kind of person that always introduced her grandchildren to strangers... even if said grandchildren felt awkward when she did this.
Anna Agnes Urban, the second of six children, was born to Joseph Urban and Anna Rohaly Urban on June 8, 1926. She lived the majority of her life in West Mifflin and Duquesne, only moving to Kane Regional Center in McKeesport in her late 80s when she was no longer able to live on her own.
Annie was a child of the Great Depression in so many ways; she hated to throw things away and was into re-use and "upcycling" well before such things became commonplace or trendy. She was raised in the Greek Catholic faith and attended Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church in Duquesne. As a young woman, she worked at the venerable Minerva Bakery in McKeesport; more than 60 years later, she fondly recalled walking from her parents' home to the bottom of Center Street in Duquesne to catch the streetcar in order to get to work.
Her future husband, John Anthony "Archie" Cmar, lived across the street from Annie's parents. In 1944, he returned from service in World War II and the two began dating; she was 18, while he was 23. They were engaged on Valentine's Day in 1945 and were married on June 17 of that year. The couple settled in Duquesne, first in a home on First Street owned by Archie's parents. In the early 1960s, the family moved "up the hill" to their own home on Lippincott Street. Their marriage, which lasted more than 55 years, produced three children: daughters Cynthia and Susan, and son Jonathan.
In turn, Annie and Archie were blessed with seven grandchildren. Though Archie passed away in 2001, Annie was overjoyed to become a great-grandmother to two boys in the past few years. She proudly displayed pictures of family in her home, and continued this tradition in her room at Kane.
Annie loved to collect things. Her refrigerator (or, as she called it, "the Frigidaire") was covered on three sides with magnets -- mostly the kinds you see at the tacky, tourist-trap souvenir shops. She had a collection of coffee mugs in the kitchen as well, and in the living room were books of postcards sent to her by friends and family from all corners of the globe.
She loved to hand out $2.00 bills for birthdays and other special occasions. Odds are if you received a birthday card from Annie, there was a brand-new $2.00 bill in it. Really, Annie was giving all the time -- every time you visited her, you left with something. It could be some food, or a trinket she wanted you to have, or a picture from one of her many albums. And did she LOVE to take pictures! Every holiday, she would take the family outside and pose for pictures... usually taking several, "to make sure that they turn out."
Annie was adamant about keeping in touch with just about everyone in her life. Without fail, she called in to "the polka program" hosted by George Almasi every Sunday to broadcast well-wishes to friends and family members. She frequently wrote letters and talked on the telephone with aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, cousins and friends living across the United States.
Religion was a huge part of her life, as well. While raised in the Greek Catholic faith, Annie converted to Roman Catholicism when she married. She was a dedicated member of the Christian Mothers of Holy Trinity Parish in West Mifflin, and attended Mass weekly with her husband for many years. At Kane, Annie was unmistakable, sitting front and center in her wheelchair for Mass on Sundays.
She didn't cook restaurant-quality meals. "Deconstructed" wasn't in her vocabulary. But Annie loved the both the cuisine of her parents' homeland (such as haluski, pierogy, halupki, and especially čeregi) as well as some American favorites (including pizza, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and hot dogs with sauce and onions from Jim's Drive In.) And she had her own specialties, too -- desserts like Dream Squares or poppyseed cake, or her quasi-famous "Hunky Hamburgers."
She didn't care for movies. While she was fascinated by technology (computers, the Internet, even smartphones), she didn't learn to use such things herself. In fact, she never even learned to drive a car! But she DID know sports -- specifically, Pirates baseball and Steelers football. Annie loved to watch her teams - win or lose, good teams and bad teams alike. She may not have known every player's name, but she knew their jersey numbers. She dressed herself in back and gold for games (when she wasn't wearing something in her favorite color, red.) She even decorated her homes with banners, pennants, flags and pictures of Steelers and Pirates players. Some of Annie's favorite memories from her time at Kane were when she got to go on several trips to watch the Pirates at PNC Park.
On July 10, 2017, Annie Cmar passed from our world into the next great adventure. She has been laid to rest beside her beloved Archie in Holy Trinity Cemetery, West Mifflin. Although she is gone from here, her family is certain that her million-watt smile is lighting up the skies of Heaven each and every day.
Annie Cmar died as she lived: she was everyone's friend. She is and will always be sorely missed by all that knew her.
It was rare to find her not smiling, or laughing, or talking -- possibly, all of these things at once. She was one of those people that it seems are getting harder and harder to find in this world. Ever the optimist, Annie was always finding the best in people or in situations. She was the person that wouldn't hang up when someone telephoned her accidentally. And probably would learn the person's name, if not their entire backstory, during the ensuing conversation.
Annie would start conversations with just about anyone she met, really -- whether at the grocery store, walking around Kennywood Park, or in the nursing home that she called home for the last several years of her life. She was the kind of person that always introduced her grandchildren to strangers... even if said grandchildren felt awkward when she did this.
Anna Agnes Urban, the second of six children, was born to Joseph Urban and Anna Rohaly Urban on June 8, 1926. She lived the majority of her life in West Mifflin and Duquesne, only moving to Kane Regional Center in McKeesport in her late 80s when she was no longer able to live on her own.
Annie was a child of the Great Depression in so many ways; she hated to throw things away and was into re-use and "upcycling" well before such things became commonplace or trendy. She was raised in the Greek Catholic faith and attended Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church in Duquesne. As a young woman, she worked at the venerable Minerva Bakery in McKeesport; more than 60 years later, she fondly recalled walking from her parents' home to the bottom of Center Street in Duquesne to catch the streetcar in order to get to work.
Her future husband, John Anthony "Archie" Cmar, lived across the street from Annie's parents. In 1944, he returned from service in World War II and the two began dating; she was 18, while he was 23. They were engaged on Valentine's Day in 1945 and were married on June 17 of that year. The couple settled in Duquesne, first in a home on First Street owned by Archie's parents. In the early 1960s, the family moved "up the hill" to their own home on Lippincott Street. Their marriage, which lasted more than 55 years, produced three children: daughters Cynthia and Susan, and son Jonathan.
In turn, Annie and Archie were blessed with seven grandchildren. Though Archie passed away in 2001, Annie was overjoyed to become a great-grandmother to two boys in the past few years. She proudly displayed pictures of family in her home, and continued this tradition in her room at Kane.
Annie loved to collect things. Her refrigerator (or, as she called it, "the Frigidaire") was covered on three sides with magnets -- mostly the kinds you see at the tacky, tourist-trap souvenir shops. She had a collection of coffee mugs in the kitchen as well, and in the living room were books of postcards sent to her by friends and family from all corners of the globe.
She loved to hand out $2.00 bills for birthdays and other special occasions. Odds are if you received a birthday card from Annie, there was a brand-new $2.00 bill in it. Really, Annie was giving all the time -- every time you visited her, you left with something. It could be some food, or a trinket she wanted you to have, or a picture from one of her many albums. And did she LOVE to take pictures! Every holiday, she would take the family outside and pose for pictures... usually taking several, "to make sure that they turn out."
Annie was adamant about keeping in touch with just about everyone in her life. Without fail, she called in to "the polka program" hosted by George Almasi every Sunday to broadcast well-wishes to friends and family members. She frequently wrote letters and talked on the telephone with aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, cousins and friends living across the United States.
Religion was a huge part of her life, as well. While raised in the Greek Catholic faith, Annie converted to Roman Catholicism when she married. She was a dedicated member of the Christian Mothers of Holy Trinity Parish in West Mifflin, and attended Mass weekly with her husband for many years. At Kane, Annie was unmistakable, sitting front and center in her wheelchair for Mass on Sundays.
She didn't cook restaurant-quality meals. "Deconstructed" wasn't in her vocabulary. But Annie loved the both the cuisine of her parents' homeland (such as haluski, pierogy, halupki, and especially čeregi) as well as some American favorites (including pizza, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and hot dogs with sauce and onions from Jim's Drive In.) And she had her own specialties, too -- desserts like Dream Squares or poppyseed cake, or her quasi-famous "Hunky Hamburgers."
She didn't care for movies. While she was fascinated by technology (computers, the Internet, even smartphones), she didn't learn to use such things herself. In fact, she never even learned to drive a car! But she DID know sports -- specifically, Pirates baseball and Steelers football. Annie loved to watch her teams - win or lose, good teams and bad teams alike. She may not have known every player's name, but she knew their jersey numbers. She dressed herself in back and gold for games (when she wasn't wearing something in her favorite color, red.) She even decorated her homes with banners, pennants, flags and pictures of Steelers and Pirates players. Some of Annie's favorite memories from her time at Kane were when she got to go on several trips to watch the Pirates at PNC Park.
On July 10, 2017, Annie Cmar passed from our world into the next great adventure. She has been laid to rest beside her beloved Archie in Holy Trinity Cemetery, West Mifflin. Although she is gone from here, her family is certain that her million-watt smile is lighting up the skies of Heaven each and every day.
Annie Cmar died as she lived: she was everyone's friend. She is and will always be sorely missed by all that knew her.
