All Obituaries

VILLA MARIA, PA Sister Mary Kathryn Pillot, H.M., formerly Sr. Philip Neri, 91, died September 24, 2022 at Villa Maria Community Center. Originally from Louisville, she graduated from Canton Central Catholic High School in 1949 and entered the Sisters of the Humility of Mary in 1950 from St. Louis Parish. She professed her perpetual vows in 1955. Sr. Mary Kathryn received her RN from St. Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing, Youngstown in 1955 and completed her BSN in 1962 from Catholic...

Sister Mildred Ruffing, H.M., formerly Sr. M. Jacinta, 90, died September 11, 2022 at Assumption Village, North Lima. Originally from Norwalk, she graduated from St. Paul High School in 1950 and entered the Sisters of the Humility of Mary in 1951 from St. Paul Parish. She professed her perpetual vows in 1956. An avid gardener she planted seeds that took root in her various assignments during her 64 years of active ministry including St. Luke, Boardman; St. Robert Bellarmine, Cortland; St....

Lin Tseng 1931-2022 NOVELTY, OHIO – Lin Tseng, a longtime resident of Youngstown, passed away peacefully at her daughter’s home on Wednesday, September 7, 2022. Lin was born on August 11, 1931 in Taiwan, where she lived until 1972. As a young woman, Lin was a popular actress in the theaters of Taipei. In 1956, she married Ben Tseng. The couple raised five children while operating a general store in Taipei. In 1972, the Tseng family moved to Mansfield, Ohio, and two years later...

CANFIELD – Robert E. Barrett, 89, of Canfield passed away Wednesday evening at Hospice House with his loving wife and family at his side. Bob was born in Youngtown on June 5, 1933 and was the son of Richard T. and Isabel Panton Barrett. He was a 1951 graduate of Ursuline High School and a parishioner of St. Columba, St. Edward and St. Patrick/ Youngstown churches. He grew up on the Northside of Youngstown and has been a pillar in the community his whole life. To many of his friends,...

Divina "Dina" Buzga, 94, passed away early Tuesday morning, July 5, 2022, at Otterbein Nursing Home in New Albany, Ohio after a short period of declining health.  Dina was born on November 15, 1927, in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter of Giovanni and Drusiana Panza.  As a first-generation American during the Great Depression, Dina would often recall the scarcity of food and heat during her youth in her family's cold-water flat, an experience that would forever shape her...

CANFIELD - Sister Mary Ellen Dean, OSU, died on Friday May 27, 2022 at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Boardman after a short illness.  She was 85.  Mary Ellen was born on June 16, 1936 in Youngstown, the only child of Anthony J. and Mary Grace Miller Dean.  She attended Patrick and St. Ann Elementary Schools and graduated from Ursuline High School in 1954. She entered the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown on September 12, 1954 and was received into the novitiate on August 10, 1955 when...

Gayle Grace Gillespie (nee Christopher), passed away in Pawleys Island, SC on Sunday, May 1, 2022. Born in Youngstown, OH on November 18, 1937, the second daughter of the late John A. and Grace Rochford Christopher, Gayle attended St. Edward grade and junior high schools and was graduated from Ursuline High School in 1955. She completed the diploma program at the St. Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing, becoming a Registered Nurse in 1958. Gayle married her Ursuline classmate, U.S. Army...

Sister Dolores Strah, H.M., formerly Sr. Mary Christina Rose, S.N.D., 88, died April 23, 2022 at Main Street Care Center, Avon Lake, Ohio. Raised in Cleveland, she graduated from East High School in 1951 and entered the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1953 from St. Vitus Parish, Cleveland.  In 1970 she left the Notre Dame Congregation and professed vows as a Sister of the Humility of Mary. Sr. Dolores earned her BSE from St. John College, Cleveland and her MSE from the University of...

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP – Ferdinand Anthony Hill, 95, of Liberty, passed away Wednesday evening at Greenbriar Center in Boardman. He died peacefully surrounded by his family. Mr. Hill, who was known as Fred, was born in Youngstown, May 3,1926. He was the son of Stephen and Teresa Waltzer Hill and was a lifelong member of the community. He was a highly skilled carpenter, collaborating with his father’s company, GoodHill Construction, in which he built many homes in the Youngstown area...

Willoughby Hills – Kathryn “Kitty” Callahan Kennedy, 95, passed away early Thursday morning at home surrounded by her loving family. Mrs. Kennedy was born in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania on Thursday, April 22, 1926 and was a daughter of Frank J. and Helen Rapp Callahan and moved to the Youngstown area after graduation from St. Elizabeth School of Nursing. She was employed by St. Elizabeth Hospital from 1947 to 1951.   Mrs. Kennedy, formerly of Academy Drive in...