Marie Elaine Molchan

Marie Elaine (Baranyk) Molchan, 81, of Hanover, Pennsylvania, formerly of Conway, South Carolina, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, January 17, 2025, at her home. She was the devoted wife of George Molchan, and together they would have celebrated 60 years of marriage on May 1st.
Born on Tuesday, June 22, 1943, in Rochester, Pennsylvania, Elaine was the eldest daughter of the late Nicholas Baranyk and Anne (Guron) Baranyk. She grew up in Aliquippa and Ambridge and was a graduate of Ambridge High School, class of 1961. Shortly after graduating high school, she worked at Columbia Gas in Pittsburgh and met the love of her life while taking the bus home to Ambridge.
Leaving the Burgh for the delights of New Jersey in 1965, she and George raised a family in New Brunswick and Phillipsburg. She loved having company over where she always had a coffee cake and coffee ready. She enjoyed watching Hollywood Squares and Days of Our Lives. Her children loved her sewn Halloween costumes when she could afford fabric. Sunday dinners after church filled the house with delicious aromas, and her baked goods were always the best. She loved to escape to Warren Lanes for a weekly bowling league; she was a great bowler in her day.
When the youngest was ready for first grade, she went to work as an administrative assistant at Lafayette College, Foster Wheeler, and Bellcore, where she retired from at the age of 58 because she was tired of the rat race and wanted to spend her time enjoying George's retirement. Elaine enjoyed shopping, especially for bargains. Although never having gone to college, she was book-smart through reading and doing the daily crossword puzzle in the newspaper. During retirement, George and Elaine traveled to various destinations like England, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, islands in the Caribbean, and various states across the US.
Retiring in Conway, South Carolina, Elaine learned to quilt, joined the Red Hat Society and became Vice Queen of her local chapter, played Mahjong with her girlfriends, and sang in the choir at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church. One of her most cherished moments of time was volunteering at a local hospice, where she visited a dying woman daily until her passing. They became great friends. She was a charitable woman, giving to various causes but did not look for accolades. After 22 years down south, she and George made the decision to move back north to be closer to their children and grandchildren in their final years.
Elaine was a woman of unique qualities. She loved her family and friends. While well-intentioned, she always spoke her mind with unsolicited advice. If you knew Elaine, you knew she was going to tell it to you like it is. In her later years when travel was no longer possible, she enjoyed watching British television, seeing her children and grandchildren, and being with her "Schmenge". Having discussed at length who should go first, they decided Elaine should be the one, thus letting George keep his promise to outlive her so she would not experience the hurt and loneliness of life without her life-long partner.
She is survived by her loving husband, George, and her children: Jennifer Molchan of Easton, PA; Stephanie Miller and her husband Randy of East Berlin, PA; George [aka – Greg] Molchan of Phillipsburg, NJ; and Geoffrey Molchan and his wife Susan of Annapolis, MD. Elaine was a proud and doting grandmother to MacKenzie Miller, Ryan Miller, Abby Molchan, Kimberly Molchan, and Nathan Molchan. She also leaves behind five siblings: Robert Baranyk, Stephen Baranyk, Barbara Taylor, Bernadette Zoss, and Nicholas Baranyk, along with many loving nieces, nephews, extended family members, and dear friends.
In addition to her parents, Elaine was preceded in death by her beloved granddaughter, Kyla Miller, whose memory she carried in her heart.
Elaine's life will be honored with an intimate immediate family-only memorial service at 12:00 PM on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at Wetzel Funeral Home and Crematory, 549 Carlisle St., Hanover, PA, with Rev. Fr. Javed Kashif officiating. Burial will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Elaine's honor to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105-a cause close to her heart.
Elaine's warmth, kindness, and love will be deeply missed but forever remembered by those who were blessed to know her.
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