Mary S. (Mlekus) Bencloski

Mary S. Bencloski, 93, of Herminie, passed away Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, at her home surrounded by her family. She was born Jan. 15 1922, in Evanston, a daughter of the late Frank and Mary (Berginc) Mlekus. In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Bencloski, in 1990. Mary lived in Herminie all of her life, and was a very active person who always thought of others before herself. She kept a detailed calendar marked with the birthdays of friends and relatives and regularly sent cards. Mary was a very intelligent and knowledgeable person whose main interests included cooking, vegetable and flower gardening and ceramics. She was especially skilled at raising African violets. Spring was her favorite season and Mary had more than 60 varieties of daffodils growing in her yard. Every spring she faithfully delivered beautiful bouquets of daffodils and other flowers to many of her friends. An accomplished gardener, she was especially proud of raising beautiful heads of lettuce. When her eyesight was sharp, she painted beautiful ceramic items. When she was not shopping or visiting with friends her faithful companion, Mickey, a Siamese cat, kept her company. Mary's most important accomplishment, and the one she was proudest of, was raising two successful children: a daughter, Marianne, who was a nurse and nursing director, and a son, Joseph, who was a university professor. Mary always said that the happiest moments of her life were the birth of her children. Even in poor health, she worried about their health and welfare, and loved them very much. Raised during the economic depression, Mary learned to be self-sufficient and acquired many of the skills that carried her though later life. Among other things, she learned how to milk a cow, can fruits and vegetables and make clothing from flour sacks. Mary was an 80-year member of the SNPJ Lodge 87, Herminie, and served on the various committees over the years. She was very proud of her Slovenian and Austrian heritage, and visited relatives in those countries several times. Her ties with Slovenia and Austria were strong, and she regularly wrote, sent emails or phoned cousins in both countries. She was also a member of the Madison Golden Agers for more than 40 years and enjoyed interacting with her friends in that organization. Her favorite activity was baking delicious pineapple upside-down cakes for the organization's annual bake sale. Her cakes proved to be one of, if not the, most sought after items in the sales. Aside from her many activities, some of her favorite things to do included occasional hotcake breakfasts at the McDonald's history store with her son, shopping and meeting friends at the North Huntingdon Giant Eagle Store, the autumn visits to Stahl's Farm in Somerset to buy potatoes, watching Pittsburgh Pirates baseball and watching Wheel of Fortune on television. Mary always recalled the good times spent at Forbes Field rooting for the Pirates. Mary is survived by her daughter, Marianne Bencloski; her son, Dr. Joseph W. Bencloski; her sister, Lillian Bencloski; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Her spirit will live on in the things that she touched and nurtured, especially in her children. The family would like to thank special friend and neighbor, Lisa Lehman, and Heartland Hospice for helping with Mary's care. Friends will be received from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at the JOSEPH W. NICKELS FUNERAL HOME INC., 404 Sewickley Ave., Herminie, PA 15637, 724-446-7251. A funeral Liturgy will be held 10 a.m. Tuesday in the funeral home. Entombment will follow in Westmoreland County Memorial Park, Hempfield Township. View online condolences: please visit www.nickelsfuneralhomeinc.com.

 Service Information