Mary J. Richards
Mary Jane Richards, 75, of Penn Township died Tuesday even-ing at Butler Memorial Hospital.
Born Dec. 16, 1931, at Brown's Farm on Meridian Road, she was a daughter of Robert E. and Amelia Rape Bogan.
She was a graduate of Mars High School and received her registered nursing degree from the Allegheny General Hospital School of Nursing and her degree in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh.
Mrs. Richards had worked for various hospitals, including the Veterans Administration Hospital in Verona.
She was a Vietnam War veteran. She had enlisted as a lieutenant with the Navy and served most of her enlistment in Rota, Spain.
Following her military career, she returned to the University of Pittsburgh, earned her master's degree in education and taught in the Mars School District in Middlesex, Adams and Mars. She continued to take summer classes at Clarion University.
She enjoyed gardening, sewing, macramé, playing her beloved piano, knitting, crocheting, hiking, tent camping, canoeing, cross-country skiing, bird watching, and traveling the world.
Surviving are her husband, John A. Richards, whom she married April 13, 1981; five brothers, Robert Bogan of Saxonburg, Dennis J. Bogan of Butler, William Bogan of Valencia, Regis Bogan of Butler and Edward Bogan of Foley, Ala.; a sister, Rita Eckert of Edgewater, Fla.; three stepdaughters, Debra Gioia of Elizabeth, Cinthia Wiltsie of Murrysville and Betsy Sandala of Export; a stepson, John Richards of Mesa, Ariz.; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by a brother, Thomas Bogan.
<B>Richards </B>— Friends of Mary Jane Richards, who died Tuesday, June 5, 2007, will be received from noon to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the <B>Geibel Funeral Home</B>, 201 E. Cunningham St. A memorial service will follow at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home with the Rev. Daniel Maurer, pastor of Holy Sepulcher Roman Catholic Church of Glade Mills and the Rev. Peter deVries, pastor of Old Union Presbyterian Church in Mars, officiating. Inurnment will be at Calvary Cemetery. Cremation services provided by the Geibel Funeral Home.In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, Butler Unit, P.O. Box 2305, Butler, PA 16003; or to the Hospice Program of the Butler V.N.A., 154 Hindman Road, Butler, PA 16001.Information also is available at www.geibelfuneralhome.com.