Mary Ann Smith

Mary Ann Smith, 78 Mary Ann Smith, age 78, born on September 29, 1939 in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, twice widowed, mother of 3, grandmother of 4, great-grandmother of 1, took her last breath on the morning of June 22, 2018 surrounded and blessed by her loving children. Known as Ba-Ba to her grandchildren, her family was her life. She will be remembered for being compared to Judge Judy, a lover of loud rock and roll music since the 1950s, pride in her record and CD collection, watching her 70 inch HDTV, always ready to dance, her beloved cabbage rolls, helping her many women customers at JC Penney find just the right clothing, being a devout Catholic, and always being the life of any party. She valued her independence & privacy, told it like it was, and survived two husbands and both of her siblings. She was a patriot, proud voter, past Grand Jury member, and cherished the memories of domestic and international travel vacations with family. She enjoyed shoveling snow, mowing on her lawn tractor, and could be found sun tanning herself on even the hottest of days. Her beautiful square face with high cheek bones and open smile were striking and welcoming to the end.  She took pride in her appearance and clothing collection. Her work life was colorful and included running numbers as a teenager in New Kensington, Pennsylvania to being robbed with a sawed-off shotgun pointed to her head while working at a dairy store. Always a survivor, she recovered from a snow sledding accident that shattered her ankle, head-on car collision that shattered her teeth, a 14 foot fall that shattered her shoulder, and a fall down the basement steps that shattered her leg. She had a high tolerance for pain and trudged through life without complaint on feet with the most misshapen toes, protruding bunions, and hard callouses. The final 6 weeks of her life were a brave battle against the ravages of kidney failure and lung cancer. Like the flowers that she loved to plant each spring, Ba-Ba, we thank & honor you for the color of life that you brought to us all. There will be a prayer service at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Lane Family Funeral Home, Mineral Ridge Chapel. Family and friends may view this obituary and send condolences at www.lanefuneralhomes.com.