Obituary of Richard S Gribenas

Master Sergeant, Richard S. Gribenas, age 73, of Greensburg, PA, passed away on Saturday afternoon, October 22, 2022.

Born on May 13, 1949, and son of the late Richard and Anna Gribenas.

Surviving are his daughter, Heather Killmeyer (Jason) of Gibsonia, PA, his two grandchildren, Conner and Julia Killmeyer, his former wife Linda Gribenas, of Greensburg, twin sisters, Victoria Gribenas Ribar Durst (John), Ninette Gribenas Kay, and many nieces and nephews.

Richard was preceded in death by his son Rick, "Ricky" Gribenas and brother Anthony Gribenas.

Rich, "Lucky" to many, was a retired Master Sergeant of the United States Army. He was drafted in 1969 at the age of 20 years old. He served seven tours of duty overseas, most recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rich retired from the Army in 2009, after serving for 34 years as a Photojournalist, Combat Photographer, Military Historian and, Military Honors Team. His factual documentation of battles and troop deployments are in the Army Center of Military History. He was a member of the 99th Regional Support Command, located in Coraopolis. His Army Deployments consisted of Honduras in 1985, Panama in 1987, Germany in 1989, Belgium in 1990, Iraq in 2003, Guatemala in 2004, and Afghanistan between 2007-2008 and his Military Medals consist of a Bronze star, 2 Meritorious Service Medals, and 4 Army Commendation Medals.

Rich was the owner of Pixie Studios, a Swissvale photography business originally opened in 1951 by his father. Gained ownership in 1975, when his father passed away. Rich enjoyed being able to create memories for families, couples at the weddings, and carrying on the family business. He loved creating memories for everyone. Rich was voted Image-maker & Photographer of the year in 2010 by the Professional Photographers Association, and Swissvale Rotary where he served as President and received the Paul Harris Award.

Friends received Thursday 3-7 p.m. at the Thomas L. Nied Funeral Home, Inc. 7441 Washington Street, Swissvale, PA , where a service will take place on Friday morning at 9 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Westmoreland County Humane Society, Route 119N, Greensburg, PA 15601. www.niedfuneralhome.com