Mary Elizabeth (Osborne) Hartin

Mary E. "Liz" Osborne Hartin, 78, passed away peacefully Friday, Dec. 22, 2017, back in her home of 40 years on Story Road in Salem Township. She had been living with her daughter in Delmont, but was able to have her last wish granted of dying in her home. She was born New Year's Day, 1939, a daughter of the late John and Ursula Osborne, of Penn Hills. Liz was predeceased by her husband of 56 years, Archie Hartin, in March of 2015; and her daughter, Jill Paha, in November of 2016. She was also predeceased by her sister, Lorraine Parrish, of Export; and brothers, John L. "Jack" Osborne, of Apollo, and David Osborne, of Wilmerding. Liz is survived by her loving daughters, Beth Tyson and Gayle Hartin, both of Delmont (with whom she resided); she is also survived by her youngest daughter, Amy Appleby-Harris (Kevin), of Hebron, Md.; her grandchildren, Heather (Mark) Jones Humenansky, Joshua Daugherty, Adam Daugherty, Mallory (Kellen) Appleby Oberts, of California, and Rachel (Drew) Appleby Graham, of South Dakota. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren, Noah and Cameron Humenansky, Adaire and Ashytn Oberts, and Mason Daugherty. Liz was one of ten children and loved having a big family. She is also survived by sisters, Margie Casson, Sylvia (Robert) Brown, Peggy (Jim) Tillman, Ellie (Larry) Long, and Sharon (fiance, Bill) Priestley; and a brother, Raymond (Donna) Osborne. As the mother of a child with Down syndrome, Liz was actively involved in activities for her daughter, Gayle, as well as advocating for the rights for children with Down's. She was instrumental in getting our area into the Special Olympics. Liz wrote beautiful poetry, mostly to or about family and friends. She did, however, write a poem about the 20th century that was added to a time capsule at St. Vincent's that was buried in the year 2000. Liz was a serious Sunday Press crossword puzzle and Scrabble fan. She was an extremely intelligent woman who seemed to know everything about everything, so much so that her grandchildren would get stuck with their homework and say, "I'll just call Grandma, she knows everything"! Her quick wit and sense of humor, with a touch of sarcasm, made it virtually impossible to win an argument or one-up her! It also made her a lot of fun to spend time with. She was a great cook who often had extra people at her dinner table. She was warm and welcoming to all who stopped, and a time or two, let folks in to visit assuming they were friends of her children only to later find out it was just someone who ran out of gas or broke down! Her home was lovingly referred to as "Grand Central Station." It was not unusual to be bored and decide to go to Liz's house, just to see what happens today! She made a home people flocked to. But mostly, she was a great mother. She managed to take care of Gayle with Down syndrome, Jill who was often in braces or casts from club foot surgeries, and Beth and Amy. She could always make the day fun by popping corn in the fireplace, making homemade play-doh, making a million corn fritters so her kids and nieces could figure out what each one resembled, making "real" snow cones, and so many other fun things. Christmas and all the holidays were wonderful, especially her Birthday/New Year's Day Celebration with her gigantic pots of homemade soups! She was also a woman of great faith. She had no fear of death and looked forward to reuniting with loved ones already gone. She endured a lot of pain and struggle and definitely earned her peace. There are no words to express how much she will be missed.
Friends received from 1 to 9 p.m. Tuesday only, at the BASH-NIED FUNERAL HOME, 152 Abbe Place, Delmont, PA 15626. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Newlonsberg Presbyterian Church, Murrysville.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made, in memory of Liz Hartin, to Pine Springs Camp, P.O. Box 186, Jennerstown, PA 15547. For directions and online expressions of sympathy, please visit the funeral home website at www.bash-niedfuneralhome.com.      

 Service Information