MARY E. SPOLYAR (nee Bucheck) Gary, Indiana Age 92, passed away Thursday, April 13, 2006, at the St. Vincent Hospice Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, with her mind, spirit and soul intact. She will be missed by many who knew and loved her during her 92 years. Mary was born October 8, 1913, in Briar Hill, Pennsylvania, near Uniontown. She came to Gary at age 3 and never left until her recent illness forced her to move in with her son and daughter-in-law in Lebanon, IN. Being one of eight children, Mary was the last survivor of her siblings. She was preceded in death by sisters Helen Opydo and Agnes Richeson; brothers, Bruno, John, Edward, Tony and Joseph Bucheck, all from Gary or the surrounding Lake County area. Mary attended Holy Angels Cathedral grade school and graduated from Froebel High School in 1931. She married Joseph S. Spolyar in 1936 and was widowed after 40 years of marriage in March of 1976. Mr. Spolyar worked for nearly 40 years at U.S. Steel, Gary Sheet & Tin Mill. Mary was primarily a homemaker and mother to her sons, Robert of Lebanon and Richard of Michigan City, but she also worked as a seamstress in the garment industry, including Bear Brand Hosiery and Jantus Manufacturing. Mary loved Gary and in her early years lived at 2nd & Polk St.; then moved to 11th & Harrison; then to 15th & Grant after her marriage. During the early forties, her husband was struck down by tuberculosis and was confined to Crown Point's Paramore Hospital for four years. Mary moved to the Ivanhoe Gardens Housing Project in Tolleston with her sons, Richard and Robert. When her husband rejoined the family they moved to the Junedale section of Glen Park where she lived for over 54 years until relocating to Lebanon in October, 2005. Through all this hardship she never lost her faith, trust or sense of humor. Mary met her challenging life with joy. She loved her neighborhood; singing and dancing, Polish food, and most of all, her Church and family. She is survived by her sons, Robert and his wife, Marguerite, of Lebanon, Richard and his wife, Jan, of Michigan City; grandchildren, Anne (Andy) Sellers of Indianapolis, Kathleen Spolyar of Indianapolis, Dr. Mary Margaret Spolyar, M.D., LCDR, stationed with the U.S. Navy in Suffolk, VA, Robert (Isabel) Spolyar, Jr., of Carmel, IN, Joseph S. (Stephanie) Spolyar, II, of Litchfield, MI, Stephen (Penny) Spolyar of Lebanon, James (Dr. Michelle) Spolyar of Bloomington, IN, Donald (Tricia) Forrest of Chicago, IL. Mary is also survived by 16 great-grandchildren, Jane & Mary Sellers, Eleanor, Clara, Madison, Emily, Merdith, Josie, Sarah, Michael, Kristen, Andrew and Jacoab Spolyar, Ryan, Brody & Dillon Forrest; several nieces and nephews, Josephine Dravet of Gary, Doris Richeson Christian of Hobart, Clifford Richeson of Mesa, AZ, Ernest, Donald, Balbina, David, Patricia, Carol, Linda & Mary Jane Bucheck. Mary was a member of the U.S. Steel Retirees Club, St. Joseph the Worker Catholic (Croatian) Church and Rosary Sodality in Gary. Funeral services will be Thursday, April 20, 2006, beginning with prayers at 9:15 a.m. at Rees Funeral Home, 600 W. Old Ridge Rd., Hobart, then proceeding to St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church for a 10:00 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Portage. Visitation is Wednesday, April 19, from 2:00 until 8:00 p.m. at Rees Funeral Home, Hobart Chapel. www.reesfuneralhomes.com.
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