Josephine J. (Szewczyk) Bachani

It is with great sadness that the Bachani family announces the peaceful passing of Josephine J. Bachani on October 21, 2024, in Fairmont WV, at the age of 94.  Josephine was born on September 8, 1930, in Johnstown PA, to the late John Szewczyk and Catherine (Kolcun). Josephine wed Joseph A. Bachani on September 16, 1950. They were happily married for 59 years until the passing of Joseph in 2009. In addition to her parents and husband, Josephine was preceded in death by her sister, Dorothy Heben. She was the loving mother of three surviving children; Joseph Bachani (Peggy) of Arizona, Robert Bachani (Mary Alice) of Arizona, and Karen Martin (James) of West Virginia. Josephine is also survived by her younger sister, Gloria Mikolic of Woodvale and four grandchildren,  Sean, Sara Jo, Katie, and Melissa.

Josephine was a homemaker who was passionate about her church, Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church, in Woodvale, where she cooked and cleaned, and helped with all sorts of church activities over the years, and later became a member of Saint John Gualbert’s Cathedral. After her children were all grown, she found a passion for working at McDonalds, in downtown Johnstown, until retirement.

 She was a proud collector of coffee mugs and Beanie Babies and loved making pierogies and cabbage rolls and listening to her granddaughter, Sara Jo, sing.

She loved her little neighborhood of Woodvale, where she was a long-standing member of the

 Olympic and Athletic Clubs. She loved sitting on her porch and talking to neighbors as they walked or drove by her little house on Figg Street, with her dog Pumpkin who she loved dearly.

Josephine will be remembered for her kind and gentle nature, her love of life, and her generous heart. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her, especially her two surviving best friends, Mary Ann Knaze and Frances Servacek. They are now the remaining “Golden Girls”.

Thank you to the staff of Fazio’s Elder Care and West Virginia Caring for enhancing Josephine’s quality of life in her final year on this earth.  The entire staff gave her family such peace and comfort knowing that she was cared for by such a loving group of earthly angels. We were all truly blessed to have them in our mother’s life.  And we can’t forget Alexa, for helping Josephine to communicate with her family and friends when she needed to, after her eyesight and fingers failed her.

Not a day went by where she did not know the weather forecast where each of her children lived, or in Johnstown, where all of her friends were, thanks to her Alexa.

Our mother requested a private viewing for the family only. A funeral mass will take place at 1:30 p.m. October 30, 2024, for all for all her friends, at Saint John Gualbert’s Cathedral in downtown Johnstown. Committal will follow at Ss. Peter and Paul Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, Josephine requested that donations be made in her name to Saint John’s Gualbert Cathedral. A small gathering of close friends and family will take place after the funeral at Fountain of Life Fellowship, 225 2nd Street in Conemaugh.

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