Mary M. Pongracz – Daily Independent

Loving wife and mother Mary Molnar Pongracz passed away peacefully on July 15th at the age of 85 surrounded by her immediate family, husband George, daughters Katherine and Rosie in Sun City AZ. It was the day before George and Mary’s 64th wedding anniversary. Mary Molnar was born in Hazelwood PA where she attended Gladstone and then graduated with high honors from Alderdice High School. She married George Pongracz in 1960. She lived in Hazelwood prior to Rosemary’s birth, moved to Bethel Park where Katherine was born and lived until 1976 when the family moved to Phoenix. She lived in Sun City, Arizona from 2004 until her passing. Mary was kind, smart and loved her family very much. She worked hard her entire life to ensure her daughters had every opportunity and that she and George would have a secure retirement. She began as a secretary at Price Waterhouse in Pittsburgh and rose to become a financial executive at several banks including Valley National Bank, First Interstate and her beloved Bank of Hawaii. While in Phoenix she earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Mary and George enjoyed an active retirement in Sun City; they danced weekly for many years. They traveled annually, loved to take cruises to places such as Alaska, Europe and the Danube River along with traveling all over the US including many trips to her favorite, Maui. Visitation will be at Edward P. Kanai Funeral Home in Pittsburgh at 9:30 am on Thursday, July 25th followed by Mass at St. Rosalia at 10:00 am and burial at Calvary Catholic Cemetery with her mother Rose and father Frank officiating. There will be a celebration of life in Sun City AZ in the fall.