Madeline Patricia McVey Spernak, 91, of Monongahela, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 21, 2018. She was born October 13, 1926 in West Alexander, the daughter of Joseph and Victoria Noble McVey.
Known to everyone as "Honey Lou", a childhood nickname given by her mother, she spent her life as a dedicated homemaker and mom and especially loved her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. After her children were all grown, she took a part time job which she really enjoyed, working for her very good friend, Evelyn Parent at The Panhandler cookware store in Century III Mall.
Honey Lou enjoyed collecting and refurbishing antique furniture, creating needle points, dressing very fashionably, listening to Frank Sinatra CDs, reading about JFK and the Kennedy family and especially taking her daily six mile walks from Lincoln Street to the end of New Eagle and back, usually twice a day until her early eighties. Anyone who regularly drove through Mon City saw the Walking Lady.
She particularly loved watching her son and grandchildren play sports and regularly followed sports on TV especially her beloved Steelers, Yankees, Duke basketball and golfer Phil Michelson. She was also a very good friend to all dogs and cats, having a very special place in her heart for the Spernak family dog, "Sassy".
Despite living a very healthy lifestyle, she loved anything chocolate especially Godiva candy, Hershey bars, fudge brownies and chocolate chip cookies. She would also make large batches of her delicious homemade "8 minute fudge" for Lance to take to his friends during the holiday season - after a few years, people started calling and asking, "Is your mom making fudge this year?"
She was extremely proud of her Irish-Catholic heritage, spending many years volunteering at Transfiguration Church along with her dear friend, Dorothy Weldon, assisting Father Paul Leger with coordinating the altar boys for special functions.
Honey Lou always talked very fondly of her childhood memories living on Cuff Alley above Park Avenue, being neighbors and lifelong friends with Aldo Bartolotta and Nae Altomari.
She is survived by two daughters, Stephanie Spernak of Union Bridge, Maryland, Shelley Totedo and husband James of Donora; son, Lance Spernak of South Park; two grandchildren, Ashley Swanson and husband Matthew, Cameron Totedo and wife Christa; three great grandchildren, Axel, Matthew and Eloise Swanson and one expected in January.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Julius F. Spernak who passed February 6, 1987; and two brothers, Fred McVey and Jim "Scar" McVey.
The Spernak family would like to extend a special heartfelt thanks for the outstanding care given to Honey Lou during her final years by the entire third floor staff of Mon Valley Care Center and the team at Viaquest Hospice services.
Private visitations were held, followed by a mass of Christian burial in St. Damien of Molokai Parish with the Rev. William Terza, pastor as celebrant. Committal services and interment were in the Monongahela Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Disabled American Veterans, PO Box 14301, Cincinnati, Ohio 45250-0301 (www.dav.org).