Mary Jane Patterson

Mary Jane (Such) Patterson, AKA “Nunny” passed away peacefully on August 8th surrounded by her loving family. She was born on April 30, 1934 in McKeesport and was the daughter of the late Julius and Mary (Popp) Such. Mary Jane was preceded in death by her adoring husband, Harland (Boops) Patterson, whom she was happily married to for 46 years. The two had a wonderful marriage that was inspiring to their 4 children, who, themselves, have all been married for 30-plus years. Mary Jane was truly an inspiration to all she knew.

In Mary Jane’s early life, she graduated from Franco’s Beauty Academy in Pittsburgh where she earned her diploma in Cosmetology. She opened her first salon, “Mary Jane’s Beauty Shoppe,” in 1956 in McKeesport, which she operated successfully for several years until she decided to focus all her attention on starting her family. Mary had an artistic flair like no other and enjoyed floral design, arts and crafts, drawing, painting, and cake decorating. She was an avid cook, which she learned from her mother, who migrated from Budapest, Hungary. She loved cooking traditional meals like stuffed cabbage, chicken paprikash, palachinkas, and fried chicken. You were never hungry in her house and were always welcome to eat and drink all you wanted. Love and laughter never was missing. She loved traveling and gambling, going on several cruises and to Las Vegas.

In 1984, she continued her love of hair styling by opening up another salon, Patterson’s Styling Salon and Boutique, in Port Vue. She not only continued to do hair, but introduced a boutique selling specialty items. She loved interacting with the community and never turned down an opportunity to sponsor a baseball team or contribute to a borough activity. She developed lifelong friendships through her “Shop,” especially her two best girlfriends, Norma & Sandy which she played cards with every Friday night for many years. She operated her salon for 28 years until she retired in 2008 at the age of 73.

In her later years, Mary Jane spent most of her time with her family, especially her daughter Jayne and granddaughter Tia, who took care of her during her declining health for many years.

Mary Jane is survived by her children, Dean (Kathy) Patterson of Lincoln Boro, Jayne (Kip) Katrick of Elizabeth Township, Jay (Judy) Patterson of Belle Vernon, and Tina (Ken) Metcalfe of Elizabeth Township. Followed by her grandchildren, Julian Krivonak, Zachary (Amber) Krivonak, Harley (Nicholas) Czapor, Macy Patterson, Jaylee Patterson, Tyla (Trey) Emerick, Shalyn (Nathan) Bertok, Tia (Nicholas) Howard. Followed by her great-grandchildren, Hunter, Hadley, Easton, Ayden, Aniyla, Adriana, and Giana. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are by the Gilbert Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 6028 Smithfield Street, Boston, Elizabeth Township (412) 751-5000 Drew J. and Ian J. Gilbert, Directors. Condolences may be made at GilbertFuneralHomeandCrematory.com