MARY EDWARD (HOUSLEY) ZAJAC, 78, of Richland, died peacefully at her home on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007. She was born Jan. 18, 1929, in Pittsburgh to the late Charles and Elizabeth (Lynd) Housley. She was a 1950 graduate of St. Francis Nursing School and was employed for over 22 years at Francis Hospital in Lawrenceville until her retirement in 1994. She was a member of the Red Hat Society, St. Richard Roman Catholic Church, and a past member of St. Richard's Ladies Guild. She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Paul J. Zajac. They were married on Sept. 2, 1950, at St. Gabriel Roman Catholic Church in Bellevue. Also surviving are her children, Gregory P. (Patricia) Zajac, of Prospect, Cindy (Jeff) Beattie, of Adams, Donna Eiseman, of Indiana Township, David (Regina) Zajac, of Prospect, Michelle Zajac, of Prospect, Michael (Julie) Zajac, of Harmony, Danielle (Bob) Malchano, of Richland, and Andrea (Ed) Simmons, of Zelienople. She was the grandmother of 28 and the great-grandmother of six. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the HERBERT R. KING JR. FUNERAL HOME INC., Route 8 at 2841 Woodland Circle, Hampton. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Wednesday with the Rev. Ken Oldenski as celebrant. Interment will be in Holy Savior Cemetery in Richland. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Richard Building Fund, 3841 Dickey Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette January 22, 2007.]

Whether she was working with patients or tending to her eight children and their friends, Mary Zajac could never give enough.

"She had a heart of gold," said her daughter Danielle Malchano. "She never said no if she could help. She just rolled with the punches."

Mary E. Zajac, of Richland, died Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007 at her home. She was 78.

Mrs. Zajac was born in 1929 to Charles and Elizabeth Housley. She was three months premature and weighed one pound at birth, said her daughter Cindy Beattie.

Her mother died during childbirth, and Mrs. Zajac was known for years at St. Francis Hospital in Lawrenceville as the "tiniest baby to have survived."

She was taken in by the sisters at St. Francis Hospital for the first nine months of her life. That act of kindness later shaped her decision to become a nurse.

"It was what she always wanted to do," Beattie said. "She was out there making a difference to her patients' comfort, supporting them."

A 1950 graduate of St. Francis Nursing School in Lawrenceville, she worked as a nurse at the hospital on and off for 22 years before retiring in 1994.

"She was calm, cool, collected and went with the punches," Malchano said. "She was a good person to model after, especially in her field."

Malchano should know. She, Beattie and another sister, Donna Eiseman, all followed their mother's career path and became nurses at St. Francis Hospital.

After her retirement, Mrs. Zajac worked on craft projects, ranging from miniature doll houses to ceramic Nativity scenes that she would pass on to her grandchildren as they got married.

"It meant a lot to her to give those gifts to us," Beattie said. "More than anything, she loved life and she loved her family."

That love for her family is what her daughters said they will remember the most, particularly at the holidays, when more than 40 members of the family would gather each Christmas Eve.

"She instilled in us how important family is, and to stick by each other through thick and thin," Beattie said. "That may be her biggest legacy, because no matter where any of us are, we all have stayed close. And we have Mom to thank for that."

Mrs. Zajac is survived by her husband of 56 years, Paul J. Zajac, of Richland; three sons, Greg Zajac and David Zajac, both of Prospect, Butler County, and Michael Zajac, of Harmony, Butler County; five daughters, Cindy Beattie, of Adams, Butler County; Donna Eiseman, of Indiana Township; Michelle Zajac, of Aliquippa, Beaver County; Danielle Malchano, of Richland; and Andrea Simmons, of Zelienople, Butler County; 28 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters and a brother.

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Herbert R. King Jr. Funeral Home in Hampton. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Wednesday at St. Richard Church, Richland, by the Rev. Ken Oldenski. Burial will follow at Holy Savior Cemetery in Richland.

PAUL J. ZAJAC - Died 16 Mar 2007

Paul J. Zajac, 80, of Richland, died Friday, March 16, 2007, in UPMC Passavant. He was born April 11, 1926, in Pittsburgh to the late John and Apollonia (Jenka) Zajac and was the husband of the late Mary Edward (Housley) Zajac, who died Jan. 20 and whom he married Sept. 2, 1950, in St. Gabriel Church, Bellevue. Mr. Zajac graduated cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh in 1984 with a bachelor of education in special education degree and worked in Carpenters Local 211 for more than 50 years as a cabinetmaker. He had diverse interests and at one time belonged to the Tip Toppers Club, a club for people more than 6 feet tall, and the Optimists Club and more recently was active in the Knights of Columbus as a 4th Degree Knight. After Mr. Zajac retired in 1993, he became active in Project Literacy. He was a member of St. Richard Roman Catholic Church and on many occasions told friends he wanted his funeral to be a big parade to which everybody should bring a friend. Surviving are children Gregory P. (Patricia) and David (Regina) Zajac, of Prospect; Cindy (Jeff) Beattie, of Adams; Donna Eiseman, of Indiana Township; Michelle Zajac, of Aliquippa; Michael (Julie) Zajac, of Harmony; Danielle (Bob) Malchano, of Richland, and Andrea (Ed) Simmons, of Zelienople. Grandfather of 28. Great-grandfather of six. Visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. Monday at the HERBERT R. KING JR. FUNERAL HOME INC., Route 8 at 2841 Woodland Circle, Hampton. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday in St. Richard Roman Catholic Church with the Rev. Ken Oldenski as celebrant. Interment will be in Holy Savior Cemetery, Richland. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the St. Richard Church Building Fund, 3841 Dickey Road, Gibsonia, PA 15044.