My mom was born in a family home on Gleason Street in the Grandview section of the City of McKeesport on November 5, 1937. Her parents were Jacob Woll and Kathryn Cleary. She came home to sisters, Maureen and Rita. In 1947, the family grew with the birth of Donna.

Barbara’s second home had an enormous yard. Her dad was the superintendent of Renzie Park and the horticulturist of the still-famous rose garden. As such, the Woll family lived within the 200-acre park in a pedestrian home across from the main pavilion, which has been known since 1969 as the Jacob Woll Pavilion.

Barbara followed her older sisters to Divine Redeemer Academy in Elizabeth Township, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the small, all-girls high school in 1955. Between spending too much time at Lorelie’s and the Palisades (to her father’s disdain) and working for the B&O Railroad, she married Donald J. Chontos in 1957. She was 19! A child bride, for sure.

Her early years were spent raising her children. Dawn was born in June 1958. With a nod to the Irish heritage she always claimed, Christine followed 14 months later, in August 1959. Then came her son, David, in March 1961.

As her children reached school age, Barbara went to work – on the night shift. First as a nurse’s aide and then as the receptionist in the emergency department at McKeesport Hospital. She then worked regular hours as the secretary to the ED’s chief of staff and later in a similar role for the director of nursing at Columbia Hospital in Wilkinsburg.

My mom was more than a worker. She was an organizer. Influenced by what she saw come through the front door of McKeesport Hospital in the late 60s and early 70s, she saw a need for pre-hospital, emergency medical services. She, with the help of a very small group of others, founded, developed, and implemented the City of McKeesport’s first non-funeral home-based ambulance service. McKeesport Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) took its first call in 1974. Barbara remained on the board of directors for several years. Sensing things were on solid ground, she stepped away.

I recall tagging along with my mom to meeting after meeting and speech after speech and thinking it was pretty cool to see your mom’s name in The Daily News along with the occasional photograph. But any sense of celebrity and good feeling quickly vanished when I misbehaved. Several times she attempted to introduce me to the family disciplinarian – Uncle Bernie Speaks. A paddle made of 100% U.S. Steel, issued hardwood, meticulously crafted by Bernie Kelly, the husband of her sister, Rita.

The late 1980s brought turmoil to MEMS. A conflict with city officials simmered until 1991. McKeesport Ambulance Rescue Service (MARS) was formed. The ambulance service would now be a city-controlled entity with its own board of directors and a day-to-day manager – my mom. She provided the stability MARS needed at the Evans Avenue base and later transitioned to her final stop on the work train. She retired as the administrative assistant to the president of PHW, Inc., a Turtle Creek-based equipment provider to the railroad industry.

Her retirement was short-lived. Her granddaughter Madison was born in 1999, and her grandson Benjamin followed in 2001. Both spent many hours with “Nanny” at 1821, followed by a palatial upgrade to White Oak. She had experience, having performed a similar role with her first grandchild, Jacqueline, in the 1990s.

My mom’s marriage lasted until my dad passed away on May 3, 2023. That was 65 years! Barbara was also preceded in death by her sister Maureen Sundin and her sister Rita Kelly, who died in Alabama the day before she did.

Barbara is survived by her sister, Donna Sulenski, of Sarver, Pennsylvania, and three children: Dawn Louise Ziba of Boynton Beach, Florida; Christine Marie Lynch of White Oak, Pennsylvania; and David Brian Chontos and his wife, Jennifer, of Forest Hills, Pennsylvania. Barbara was blessed with three grandchildren and a great-grandchild: Jacqueline Lynch of North Huntington, Pennsylvania; 2-year-old Amelia Christine Irmer; Madison Roller Chontos of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Benjamin Roller Chontos of Forest Hills, Pennsylvania. Each knew her as “Nanny.”

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, July 10, 2026, at 10:30 AM at Mary Mother of God Parish, Corpus Cristi Church and, back in the day, known as St. Mary’s, 2515 Versailles Ave., McKeesport, PA 15132. Interment will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, Thomas Street, Duquesne, PA. Following interment, Edgewood Country Club, 100 Churchill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235, will play host to a celebration of life for two Woll girls – Rita and Barbara.

My mom was not a fan of flowers. So, if you are inclined to do something in her honor, a warm welcome awaits your gift at the McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center, 1832 Arboretum Drive, McKeesport, PA 15132. A place that is about 100 yards from where my mom grew up.

Arrangements are by the Gilbert Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 1638 Lincoln Way, White Oak (412) 672-6322 Troy J. Gilbert, Director. Condolences may be made at GilbertFuneralHomeandCrematory.com