MARY VIRGINIA LIPPLE

LIPPLE
MARY VIRGINIA
40, of Pittsburgh, PA passed away from brain cancer at her residence on June 2, 2013. Mary was born January 9, 1973 in Tyrone, PA, the daughter of Thomas and JoAnne (Caporuscio) Lipple of Altoona. Mary married Dr. Roy Smetana on October 22, 2005 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Altoona. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her parents; a daughter, Josephina; and a son, August, of Pittsburgh; brothers, Joseph (Traci) Lipple of Pittsburgh and Thomas Jr. (Shilo) of Alexandria, VA and their son, Eliot. She is also survived by her amazing Aunt Anne Skerl; grandmother Helen Caporuscio; and grandfather Joseph Lipple; and other family and friends. Mary was preceded in death by her grandfather Harry Caporuscio and grandmother Mary Lipple. After completing her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre at Penn State University, Mary took to the theatre scene in Pittsburgh and won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the New Works Festival in 1997 and 1998. She then continued her academic studies in theatre - with a concentration in Gender and Women's Studies - at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her training culminated with a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training in 2005. In 2011, Mary performed her original solo show Blackbird Pie at the Grey Box Theatre in Pittsburgh. Mary was a member of St. John Fisher Church in Pittsburgh. Friends will be received from 2-7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 at The STEVENS MORTUARY, INC., 1421 8th Avenue, Altoona where a Vigil for the Deceased will be held. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church on Thursday, June 6, at 11:00 a.m. Committal of Mary's cremated remains will be at the family's convenience at Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donations to the following: Donations to support brain cancer research: Mail Checks payable to University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) UPCI/UPMC CancerCenter Development UPMC Cancer Pavilion, Suite 1B 5150 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, Credit card by phone - 412-647-4700 or Donations to support Pittsburgh theatre artists: Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council artist grants by credit card at pittsburghartscouncil.org/ formary or by mail to 810 Penn Ave, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, Attn. Mary Lipple Memorial Fund.
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