Obituaries—Shirley A. Righi & Catherine Vukela

Shirley A. Righi

Shirley Righi, 65, of Plum, died on Tuesday, June 12, 2012, peacefully at home after a courageous battle with cancer. Survived by her best friend and loving husband, Alex; daughter, Cherie Wheeler of Plum; sons, Ron (wife Beth) Wheeler of Avonmore and Michael Righi of California; and special kids, Mick and Carolyn Sportelli; also survived by eight grandchildren, Ashley, Ben, Bill, Travis, Tanner, Valerie, Rachael and Tyler; and three great-grandchildren; sisters, Beverly (husband Jim) Anderson of Indiana and Donna (husband Dave) Gottschalk of Glenshaw; and a brother, Robert Wilkinson of Arizona; also survived by nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Mary Wilkinson. Shirley's passion was genealogy and she delighted as much in helping others discover their roots as she did in discovering her own. Through this she befriended many people. Shirley was loved by many and will be sadly missed. Friends received 2-8 p.m. Friday at MAURICE L. KNEE, LTD. FUNERAL HOME, 7663 Saltsburg Road (across from S & T Bank), Plum, PA 15239. Honoring Shirley's request, funeral services will be private.

Catherine R. Vukela

Catherine Vukela, 81, of Lake Wales, FL, formerly from Plum Borough, went home to be with the Lord on June 9, 2012. Surrounded by her loving family, Catherine passed away due to complications of Alzheimer's disease. She was the devoted wife of the late Edward M. Vukela; loving mother of Nancy (Al) Murzyn, Edward R. (Martha) Vukela, Janet (Skip) Dunlap and the late Gary F. (Patty) Vukela; her grandchildren are Nichole (Pat) Landis, Jennifer (Chris) Kanauss, Kristina Vukela, Miranda Vukela and Bridget Vukela; great-grandson Luke Landis; she is survived by sisters, Helen Persang and Stella Wesolek; and sisters-in-law, Anna Walters and Frances Vukela. She is pre-deceased by parents Teofila and Francis Siarkowski; brothers, John, Stanley, Chester and Ray; and sister, Frances. The ultimate joy of Catherine's life was being a wife, mother and grandmother. Catherine was inspired by her faith in God and through this faith was a long time member and volunteer at St. John the Baptist Church in Plum. Catherine was a very kind hearted, compassionate and caring person who lived life finding the best in people and enjoying her enduring friendships. She took pride in the accomplishments of her family and treasured celebrating their special events, but most of all just spending time together with them. A constant source of happiness were the memories she had of past wonderful times but also the continued closeness she shared with all in the extended Siarkowski and Vukela families. Friends will be received at the JOHN F. SLATER FUNERAL HOME, INC., 412-881-4100, 4201 Brownsville Road, Brentwood, 15227 on Thursday from 7-9 p.m. and Friday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral prayer on Saturday morning at 10:00. Mass of Christian Burial in St. John the Baptist Church in Plum Borough at 11 o'clock with a graveside service following at Good Shepherd Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Alzheimer's Association - Greater Pennsylvania Chapter, 1100 Liberty Ave., Suite E-201, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 in Catherine's name.