Bertha Sepashe;54 E.Fourth St.;Extension;Charleroi R.D.1;died Sunday;March 5;1978;at 12:05 p.m. at her residence. She was 85. Born in Hungary;April 5;1893;she had been a resident of Charleroi for the last 20 years. Mrs.Sepashe was a former resident of Pricedale. Mrs.Sepashe is survived by one son;Steve Sepashe of Monessen;two daughters;Mrs.William R.(Johanna) Sabo;with whom she made her home;and Mrs.Edward (Margaret) Poli of Jackson Heights;N.Y.;eight grandchildren;and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband;John;who died in 1955. Friends will be received in the Shelby D.Ferguson Funeral Home;700 Broad Ave.;Belle Vernon;Monday from 7 to 9 p.m.and Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m.at the funeral home;with Rev.Frank A.Bodnar;pastor of the First United Methodist Church;Charleroi;officiating. Interment will be in Belle Vernon Cemetery. The Shelby D.Ferguson Funeral Home;700 Broad Ave.;Belle Vernon;Monday from 7 to 9 p.m.and Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m.at the funeral home;with Rev.Frank A.Bodnar;pastor of the First Methodist Church;Charleroi;officiating. Interment will be in Belle Vernon Cemetery. The Shelby D.Ferguson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Russell V.Smock;94;of 801 Rostraver St.;Monessen;died Friday;Feb.24;1978;at 8 p.m.in the Bethel Park Nursing Home in Bethel Park. Mr.Smock was born in Monessen and lived there his entire life. He had been employed at the Electrical Department of the Monessen Plant of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp.where he retired 22 years ago. Mr.Smock was preceded in death by a son;Veciles Smock and by his wife;Margaret Ferguson Smock on Dec.31;1972. He was a member of the First United Presbyterian Church;the Polish National Alliance (PNA) Lodge;and the Retired United Steelworkers of America Club;all of Monessen. Survivors include one sister;Mrs.Hulda Gates;with whom he made his home in Monessen;a nephew;Roy Gates of Belle Vernon;a number of nieces and nephews in the area. Friends will be received in the Rhome Funeral Home Inc.;1209 Grand Blvd.;Monessen;from 7 to 9 p.m.Saturday;Feb.25 and from 2 to 4 p.m.and 7 to 9 p.m.Sunday;Feb.26. Funeral services will be held in the Rhome Funeral Home Chapel on Monday at 1 p.m.with the Rev.R.Dodson Hopson;pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Belle Vernon;officiating. Interment will be in Belle Vernon Cemetery. Rhome Funeral Directors are in charge.

Hester Ann Sowden; 80; of
611 Grant St ; Belle Vernon;
died Monday;Feb.6;1978 at 7:45 p.m. in
Presbyterian-University
Hospital; Pittsburgh.
She was born in Scranton on
May 9; 1897; daughter of the
late William H. and Angelina
Stratford Steer; and had lived
in the Belle Vernon area the
past 50 years.
Mrs. Sowden was preceded
In death by her husband;
William Howard Sowden Sr.;
on Jan. 27;1975.
She is survived by one son;
William H. Sowden Jr. of
Hollywood; Fla ; one
daughter; Mrs Norman
(Ruth) Altier of Belle Vernon;
with whom she resided; two
brothers; Thomas Steer of
Monessen and Clifford Steer of
Belle Vernon; one sister; Mrs
Irvin (Margaret) Harris of
McKees Rocks; three grandchildren
and nine great-grandchildren.
Friends will be received at
the Shelby D. Ferguson
Funeral Home; Belle Vernon;
from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday
and from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.
Wednesday. Services will be held
Thursday at 1 p.m. at the funeral
home with the Rev. Charles K.
Sowden of the First United
Methodist Church;
Fredericktown; officiating.
Interment will be in Belle Vernon
Cemetery. Shelby D. Ferguson is
funeral director In charge.

Frank Raffelo;104;of Jean St.;North Belle Vernon;died Saturday;Dec.23;2000;in Mon Valley Hospital. A son of the late Anthony and Maria Reda Raffelo;he was born Nov.7;1896;in Mendicino;Italy. He had lived most of his life in Belle Vernon and was a member of St.Sebastian Roman Catholic Church. Mr.Raffelo had worked for the American Glass Factory in Belle Vernon ;the Monessen plant of Pittsburgh Steel Co.and retired in 1962 from the Chrysler Company in Detroit. Survivors include a son;Eugene A.Raffelo;with whom he made his home;a granddaughter;Deborah Edwards of Belle Vernon;and two great-grandchildren;Joshua Blasko and Jennifer Kolodychak. In addition to his parents;he was preceded in death by his wife;Eleanor Carroto Raffelo on June 14;1982;a son;Robert R.Raffelo on May 24;1991;two sisters and three brothers. Friends will be received in the FERGUSON FUNERAL HOME INC.;a Golden Rule Member Firm;700 Broad Ave.;Belle Vernon;on Tuesday;from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. A Blessing service will be held in the funeral home on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.;followed by a Funeral Mass at St.Sebastian Roman Catholic Church at 10 a.m. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery.

Marilyn Rusnak;71;of 943 Washington Rd.;Belle Vernon;died Monday;July 24;2000;at 1:30 a.m.in her home. She was born Jan.14;1929;in North Belle Vernon;a daughter of the late Margaret Monks. In addition to her mother;Margaret Monks;she was preceded in death by a brother;Robert Ferguson and a sister;Dorothy Fosdick;and her guardian;J.E.Baldwin. Protestant by faith;she was a lifelong Belle Vernon resident and a homemaker. She is survived by her husband;Michael Rusnak;two daughters;Lynn Sokol and husband;R.J.;of Belle Vernon;and Sharon Rusnak at home;and a sister;Eunice Horton of Lyndhurst;Ohio;and a grandson;Bobby Sokol. Friends will be received in the FERGUSON FUNERAL HOME INC.;a member of the Golden Rule;700 Broad Ave.;Belle Vernon;Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.where a funeral service will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m.with Rev.Richard Klein Jr.of the Rehoboth Presbyterian Church officiating. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery.