Lorys Wible Crisafulli—beloved teacher, entrepreneur, and absolute force of nature—died peacefully on June 25, 2025, at the age of 98, having spent every one of those years inspiring and delighting the people around her.

Born January 25, 1927, in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, Lorys was the daughter of Daniel Wible and Florence Tilbrook Wible. She graduated from Monongahela High School in 1944 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Arts, at a time when few women did, from California State Teachers College (now PennWest University) in 1948.

She taught in the Ringgold School District for 18 years, where her students were dazzled and inspired by the creativity and the joy she brought to the classroom. Later in life, she reinvented herself as the founder of Yesterday's Best, a charming, chock-full antique shop in New Eagle, PA, where customers were often invited past the register and into the kitchen for a strong cup of coffee, a cookie, and always a good conversation.

Lorys was a marketer at heart and a community builder by instinct. She served on the boards of the Monongahela Area Revitalization Corporation (MARC), the Washington County Tourism Agency, and the Monongahela Chamber of Commerce. She organized celebrations large and small, from the New Eagle Nut Festival (yes, really) to the Aquatorium Anniversary Celebration and the Bring-Your-Own-Big-Wheel Race.

In her 80s, she became something of a media sensation thanks to The Ladies of the Mon calendar series—bold, cheeky fundraisers for the Monongahela Historical Society that landed her and her fellow Calendar Girls on Inside Edition, Japanese television, and even in Pittsburgh's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

She adored music, playing the cello and piano, and could still coax a tune from the keys well into her 90s. She had a bottomless well of stories about growing up during the Depression and never tired of marveling at the miracles of her iPhone. Her Facebook posts were legendary—equal parts selfie reel and sly humor that made her former students and new followers laugh out loud.

She was also, quite simply, a hugger. A big one.

In her final decades, Lorys moved to San Francisco (at 85) to be closer to her son, Dan, and her beloved granddaughter, Caroline, and followed them to Summit, New Jersey (at 90), always making new friends, pursuing new projects, and the next good story. She produced a Potrero Hill calendar to benefit youth programs, compiled a cookbook, and penned a murder mystery inspired by the life (and suspicious death!) of Vincent van Gogh.

Lorys was a longtime member and Sunday School teacher at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Monongahela.

She was predeceased by her parents; her husband, Frank Crisafulli; her partner, Earl Volk; her sister, Anna Mae Lohr; her brother, Daniel Wible; and her nephew, Douglas Wible.

She is survived by her son, Daniel Crisafulli; her son-in-law, Greg Vargas; her granddaughter, Caroline Crisafulli-Vargas; and her niece, Becky Skoug—along with a devoted extended family of former students, customers, neighbors, and fans who were lucky enough to land in her orbit.

Friends will be received on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 from 2-4 and 6-8 PM in the Frye Funeral Home, Inc., 427 West Main Street, Monongahela. Additional visitations will be held on Thursday, July 3, 2025 from 9:30 - 10:30 AM. A celebration of her one-of-a-kind life will begin at 10:30 am in the funeral home with the Rev. Jude Urso officiating. Interment will follow in the Mt. Zion Cemetery, Monongahela.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the Monongahela Area Historical Society, 711 W. Main Street, Monongahela, PA 15063 or donate online at www.mahs-pa.org/lorys .

Lorys made every day count. She turned ideas into action, strangers into friends, and everyday moments into major events. She was irrepressible, unforgettable, and deeply, deeply loved.