Obituary of Patricia Foerster

FOERSTER, PATRICIA 'PATSIE' WEAKLAND of Regent Square, passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, March 7 at age 97. Wife of the late Carlo Colombo and of the late John P. Foerster; mother of Carolyn Somerville, Charles (Rosemary), Raymond, Joanne (David McGowan), Mark (Suzanne Filiaggi) and Patricia (John) Loughran; grandmother of Bryan, Scott (Christy) and Gregory Somerville, Kimberly (Zach) Gilreath and Julia Foerster, John and Clare McGowan and Aidan, Flannery, Johanna and Tara Loughran. Though she was an only child, Patsie's cousins, Alice, Virginia and Ursula Griffin, were like sisters to her. She is survived by two of Ursula's children, Robert (Melanie) Franko and Thomas (Jody) Franko and pre-deceased by Mary Jo (Fred) Selby and Daniel Franko. Patsie was born in Braddock where her father, Charles Weakland, owned the Weaklands men's clothing store. In 1924, her family moved to Regent Square, where Patsie grew up and lived most of her adult life. She attended Mount Mercy (now Carlow Campus School) from first grade through high school, alongside many lifelong friends. She enrolled at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University) during World War II and graduated in three years, as students were put through an accelerated course of study so they could quickly join the work force. Patsie was one of the first employees of the newly formed Allegheny Conference on Community Development. After working at the Allegheny Conference, Patsie dedicated her life to raising her six children. She also took care of her mother ('JoJo' Weakland) in her later years. At various times she served on the boards of the Federation of Independent School Alumnae, Harmarville Rehabilitation Center and Alpha House, and was active in the local alumnae chapter of her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. Patsie enjoyed many family trips to Brady's Bend, Sea Island, GA, Conneaut Lake, Atlantic City and Stone Harbor, NJ. Even well into her 90's, she did not miss out on trips to Stone Harbor with her family. Patsie was always happiest at family gatherings, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. The family wishes to thank the caring staff of Home Instead Senior Care and Interim Healthcare Hospice. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Dominican Sisters of Peace (www.oppeace.org) or a charity of your choice. The visitation is private. All are invited to the Mass of Christian Burial in the Word of God Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Arrangements were handled by the Thomas L. Nied Funeral Home, Inc. 7441 Washington Street, Swissvale. www.niedfuneralhome.com