Mrs.Anna Bongiorno;76;of 232 Hoffman St.;Belle Vernon;died Monday;Aug.26;1985;at 6:45 a.m. in the Morgan Personal Care Home;Fayette City following a lengthy illness. Born in Washington Township;Fayette County;April 1;1909;she was a daughter of the late Stephen and Mary Busksar Kovatch. Mrs.Bongiorno was a member of the Holy Spitit Roman Catholic Church of Fayette City and the Washington Township Fireman’s Auxiliary. She was preceded in death by her husband;Anthony (Tony) Bongiorno on Oct.19;1981. Surviving are her son;Thomas Bongiorno of Fairhope;two grandsons;five great-grandchildren;one brother;Andrew Kovatch of Phoenix;Ariz.;and a sister Mrs. Mary Popelas of Belle Vernon. Friends will be received on Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. and until 10:30 a.m. Wednesday;the time of a blessing service at the Howard W.McCrory Funeral Home;Fayette City;with Rev.Father Thomas G.Rinn;pastor of Holy Spirit Church of Fayette City officiating. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery. The Howard W.McCrory Funeral Home;Fayette City;is in charge of arangements.

Earl V.Blevins Jr.;63;of 145 Johnston Ave.;Belle Vernon;died Saturday;Aug.17;1985;at 11:30 p.m.in his home. Mr.Blevins was born Jan.19;1922;in Morgantown;W.Va.;the son of the late Earl V.Blevins Sr.;who died in 1964;and Florence Maxon Blevins;who survives and resides in Monessen. He retired in 1976 from Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation’s Allenport Works;where he was employed as a craneman. Mr.Blevins had been a resident of the Belle Vernon community for the past 35 years. He was a U.S.Army veteran of World War II and was a member of the Disabled American Veterans’ Association. Surviving;in addition to his mother;are his wife;Muffy Pro Blevins;two sons;Robert P.Blevins of Donegal;Pa.;and James V.Blevins of Belle Vernon;one daughter;Mrs.Ned (Karen) Webber;of Westminister;Colo.;one sister;Mrs.Leatrice DeHosse;of Monessen;and two grandsons;Justin and Christopher Blevins;both of Belle Vernon. Friends will be received in the Leonard J.Parzynski Funeral Home;626 Broad Ave.;Belle Vernon;Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. The Catholic Daughters of the Americas;Belle Vernon Court 1522;will hold services Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the funeral home. A Blessing Service will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the funeral home. Burial will be in Belle Vernon Cemetery;Belle Vernon. The Leonard J.Parzynski Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs.Mary Velma Bass;67;of 688 McKee Ave.;Monessen;died Friday;Aug.2;1985;at 12:32 a.m. in Mon Valley Hospital;Carroll Twp.;after a lengthy illness. Mrs.Bass was born Oct.27;1918;in Jenkinsburg;Ga.;a daughter of the late Paul Watts and Lettie Thorton Watts. For the past 44 years;she had been the wife of the Rev.Joseph E.Bass Sr.;pastor of the Gate of Heaven of God in Christ Church;644 Reed Ave.;Monessen. In addition to being a member of the church;she was past president of the Ministers’ Wives Association of Western Pennsylvania and president of the Nurses’Board. Active in community affairs;she served as a Sunday School teacher;and was a church musician and member of the Prayer and Praise Group;Mothers’Board and chairman of the Church Committee Leader;all of the church. Mrs.Bass was preceded in death by one son;Lloyd Dwight Bass;one brother;Charles Watts;and one sister;Sarah Henderson. Surviving are five sons;Joseph Bass Jr.of Altoona;Pa;John Richard Bass and William C.Bass;both of Monessen;Edwin C.Bass of Olivette;Mo.;and Wayne M.Bass of Baltimore;Md.;four daughters;Wilma Keys;Izetta Bass;Ruth Bass and Doris Wade;all of Monessen;24 grandchildren;and a host of other relatives and friends. Friends will be received Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 2 to 9 p.m. in the Gate of Heaven of God in Christ Church;644 Reed Ave.;Monessen. Services will be held Monday at 11 a.m. in the Church;with the Rev.Paul Ealy of Cleveland;Ohio;officiating. Burial will be in Belle Vernon Cemetery;Belle Vernon;Pa.The William R.Taylor Funeral Home;645 McMahon Ave.;Monessen;is in charge of arrangements.

Jonathan Dennis Brazzon of 1369 Fayette Ave.;Belle Vernon;died suddenly Tuesday;July 23;1985;at 8:40 p.m.at Washington Township R.D.2. He was 14. He was born in North Charleroi;June 27;1971. Surviving are his grandparents;Stanley and Norma Spazok Brazzon of Fairhope. He was a member of the Polish National Catholic Church of Fairhope. Jonathan was a scholar in the Belle Vernon Area School District. There will be no public visitation. Private services will be held Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in the chapel of Belle Vernon Cemetery with Rev.Father Felix Pyzowski;pastor of the Polish National Catholic Church of Fairhope officiating. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery. The Howard W.McCrory Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Denise Brazzon of 1369 Fayette Ave.;Belle Vernon;(Fairhope);died suddenly Tuesday;July 23;1985;at 8:40 p.m. at Washington Township R.D.2. She was 36. Born in North Charleroi;Nov.9;1948;she was a daughter of Stanley and Norma Spazok Brazzon of Fairhope;who survive. She was a member of the Polish National Catholic Church of Fairhope. In addition to her parents;she is survived by a brother;Dennis Brazzon of Fairhope. There will be no public visitation. Private services will be held Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in the chapel of Belle Vernon Cemetery with Rev.Father Felix Pyzowski;pastor of the Polish National Catholic Church of Fairhope officiating. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery. The Howard W.McCrory Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

James Baker of Dublin;Va.;formerly of Arnold City;died Saturday;June 22;1985;at 9 a.m. in Dublin;Va.;after a lengthy illness. He was 85. Mr.Baker was born June 20;1900;in Fayette County;Pa.; a son of the late Thomas Jefferson and Sarah Elizabeth Gaskill Baker. He was a retired coal miner. A protestant by faith;Mr.Baker was preceded in death by his first wife;Mildred Baker;on June 22;1969;and by one son;Walter Baker. Surviving are his second wife; a son;James Baker;of Cleveland;Ohio;a daughter;Mrs.Caroline McCall; of Dublin;Va.;20 grandchildren;and several great-grandchildren. Friends will be received in the Howard W.McCrory Funeral Home;Fayette City;Monday;from 7 to 9 p.m. and until 2 p.m. Tuesday;the hour of services in the funeral home with Captain Josephine Howard of the Salvation Army Citadel;Monessen;officiating. Burial will be in Belle Vernon Cemetery;Belle Vernon. The Howard W.McCrory Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

John Balaska;91;of 518 Broad Ave.;Belle Vernon;died Sunday;June 16;1985;at 2:09 a.m. in Mon Valley Hospital;Carroll Twp. Mr.Balaska was born July 23;1893;in Austria-Hungary;a son of the late Andrew and Helen Karas Balaska. He retired in 1950 as a coal miner in the Somers Mine;Pricedale;and from 1950 until 1967;he owned and operated Balaska’s Bar in North Belle Vernon. As a life member of the North Belle Vernon Fire Department;Mr.Balaska had been very active in various fund raising activities for the department for many years. He had been a resident of Belle Vernon for more than 70 years. Mr.Balaska was a member of St.John’s Lutheran Church;Charleroi;and the United Slovak Lutheran Lodge. In addition to his parents;he was preceded in death by his wife;Mary Brazack Balaska;on March 6;1979;by a son;John Balaska;on June 18;1944;and by a brother;Andrew Balaska;on May 2;1973. Surviving are three sons;Albert M.Balaska of Lakeland;Fla.;Robert A.Balaska of Belle Vernon (with whom he made his home);and Richard (Kenny) Balaska of Niantic.;Conn.;one daughter;Mrs.Helen Zofko of Warren;Ohio;one brother;Michael Balaska of Belle Vernon;one sister in Europe;nine grandchildren;and six great-grandchildren. Friends will be received at 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. Devotional Services will be held Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the funeral home. Friends will gather Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the funeral home to go to St.John’s Lutheran Church;Charleroi;where services will be held at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday;with the Rev.Stephen C.Hurnyak;pastor;officiating. Burial will be in Belle Vernon Cemetery;Belle Vernon;Pa. The Shelby D.Ferguson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Private funeral services were held today;May 25;1985; for Anna Zeets Barron;225 Manown St.;Monessen;who died Thursday May;23;1985 at 5:30 a.m. in the Jefferson Medical Center;Pleasant Hills. Mrs.Barron was born in Monessen and was a lifelong resident of the Mon Valley. She was a member o St.Leonard’s Roman Catholic Church of Monessen. She was preceded in death by her husband;John Barron;who died in May 1977;and two daughters;Ann Badzik;who died in May 1978;and Patti Lynn Barron;who died in February 1985. Survivors include two daughters;Mrs.Edward (Kathryn) Katchursky of Belle Vernon and Betty Barron at home;five sons;John and Edward of Belle Vernon R.D.4;Robert of Pittsburgh;Jerry of Belle Vernon;and Ronald of Monessen;eight grandchildren;and one great-grandson. A blessing service was held today;May 25;1985;at 9 a.m.at the Robert A.Billick Funeral Home Inc.;Monessen;with Mass of Christian Burial following at 9:30 a.m. at St.Leonard Roman Catholic Church;Monessen. Burial was held at the mausoleum of the Belle Vernon Cemetery.

Milan (Mike) Bezuska of 1500 Rostraver St.;Monessen;died at 9 a.m.Tuesday;May 7;1985;at his home following an illness of six months. He was 74. Mr.Bezuska was born in Monessen;Oct.12;1910;and had been a city resident all his life. He retired from the open hearth department of the Monessen plant of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. Mr.Bezuska was a member of St.Paul Lutheran Church;Monessen and a life member of the Monessen Volunteer Fire Department;Hilltop No.2. He was preceded in death by a daughter;Judith Ann Vensel;two sisters;Margaret Dzyak and Mary Trunzer and a brother;Joseph Bezuska. Surviving are his wife;Mollie Yerga Bezuska;a daughter;Frances Williams of Clarion County;two grandchildren;Michelle Vensel of Clarion County and Kirsten Vensel at home;a sister;Mrs.Anna Benedetti of North Charleroi and brother John Bezuska of Ambridge. Funeral services will be private. The Billick Funeral Home;Monessen;in charge of arrangements.

Howard F.Bowers of the Morgan Personal Care Home;Fayette City;died Tuesday;April 16;1985;at 2:36 p.m. in Mon Valley Hospital Inc. He was 82. Born in Gillespie;July 31;1902;he was a son of the late Frank and Maude Mountsier Bowers. Mr.Bowers was a member of the First Christian Church of Monessen. He resided in Fayette City for the past 18 months and previously resided in the Belle Vernon area for 80 years. He retired in 1967 from Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp’s Allenport plant;where he had worked in the tube department. Mr.Bowers was preceded in death by his wife;Lillian Montgomery Bowers in 1981 and two brothers;John and Fred Bowers. Surviving are two sons;Rev.Vernon H.Bowers of Mount Lebanon and Melvin L.Bowers of New hope;Minn.;two brothers;Addison Bowers of Belle Vernon and Edward Bowers of Antioch;Calif.;two sisters;Mrs.Bertha Taylor of Belle Vernon and Mrs.Amelia Lutz of Weirton;W.Va.;seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Friends will be received on Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Shelby D.Ferguson Funeral Home;700 Broad Ave.;Belle Vernon;where funeral services will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. with Rev.Timothy Bowers;pastor of the Baptist Church of Minneapolis;Minn.and Mr.Bowers’grandson;officiating. Interment will follow in Belle Vernon Cemetery. Shelby D.Ferguson;funeral director;is in charge of arrangements.