Clara Dee Hirtz Beckett
Clara Dee Hirtz Beckett, 78, of Applewold, formerly of Slate Lick and Tarentum, passed away Sunday at ACMH Hospital, Kittanning.
She was born June 28, 1933, in Tarentum, and was the daughter of John Hirtz and Clara McNally Hirtz.
She was a 1951 graduate of East Deer High School where she was a majorette.
She worked in quality control for DuCo Ceramics, Saxonburg, for 31 years and retired in 1995. She was affiliated with the St. Lawrence Church of Cadogan and was a member of the altar society there.
She enjoyed reading, especially about history, camping and traveling in their fifth wheel, viewing every state from New Jersey and New York to the West, including Alaska. She also went to Germany. She enjoyed taking her children to the remnant shop to get material and patterns to sew for her girls. She also collected angels.
She is survived by her husband, Jay Frank Beckett, of 45 years, who she married July 26, 1966, in Winchester, Va.; six daughters, Linda (Mike) Scott of Washington state, Denise Waltman and Greg of Ford Cliff, Beverly Jo Rice of Kittanning, Faith (Rick) Shaw of Applewold, Sherry (Larry) Bliss of Rimersburg and Mary Ann Rice of West Kittanning; 13 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; her brothers, John Hirtz of Freeport and Paul Hirtz of Waynesville, Mo.; and her sister, Gretchen Sweezen of Portersville.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, David, Jim and Tom.
BECKETT — Friends of Clara Dee Hirtz Beckett, who passed away Sunday, June 17, 2012, will be received from 7 to 9 p.m. today and from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the SNYDER-CRISSMAN FUNERAL HOME in Kittanning.Parting prayers will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home and immediately followed by a Mass of Christian burial at 11 a.m. with Father Bryan Summers as celebrant.Interment will be in the Slate Lick Cemetery.
