Mary Alice Pillion

Mary Alice Pillion, née White, died peacefully at her home with loving family at her side on February 14, 2021 at the age of 88. Mary (“Chickie”) died exactly one day shy of the first anniversary of the death of her beloved husband. Mary and Tom shared an incredible romance that lasted 64.5 years reuniting on Valentine’s Day.

Mary was a sincere, and dedicated daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. She was an active, and independent woman for whom familyand education were always the highest priorities. She is survived by her devoted children, Mary Catherine (Gary), Thomas (Kathy), Timothy (Jean), Anne Cicile (Rob) and Megan (Loren), her fifteen grandchildren, Kurt (Meghan), Kate (Mike), Erik (Chelsea), Chris (Kristen), Alex (Jena), Noah, Thomas (Carly), Mary Frances (Nick), Flannery, Sadie, Cole, Josephine, Eavan, Finnegan and Maeve, and her three great-grandchildren, Cooper, Riley and Quinn. She is also survived by her brother, Jim (Kathleen) White, and sisters-in-law, Dolly White and Mary Ratkiewicz, and predeceased by her sister, Helene, and brothers, Reds, Jack and Patrick.

While raising five children, Mary continued to prioritize her education by attending night classes at the University of Pittsburgh. She enjoyed a 25-year career as a bank teller at PNC Bank. Financial responsibility was important to her and a lesson she passed on to her children and grandchildren

Mary set a wonderful example for her family that hard work can lead to self-fulfillment, independence and success. She faced life’s challenges as a 49 year survivor of breast cancer. Mary taught her family one shows up for what matters. She made everything look easy and natural and led with love and by example – always!

Her grandchildren loved spending time with her. A visit to Gram’s meant a coveted “Grammie sandwich”. She was a regular at their concerts, plays and sporting events, going out of her way to make each of them know how much she loved them.

Mary was also passionate about her sports, as long as it was a Pittsburgh team, (high school, college or professional), she was listening or watching and rooting hard. Her love of playing cards and her competitive streak were legendary. Playing in 3 card clubs or with family, sherarely lost.

Mary’s love of books was extensive. She was always reading two books at a time. After retiring from the bank, she began working at the Mt. Lebanon Book Cellar. Mary was quietly but singularly devout and, for many years, was a dedicated volunteer at Resurrection Roman Catholic Church in Brookline.

Mary and Tom vacationed every year with the entire clan of 30 in one house. It was a vacation no one ever wanted to miss. There was a continuous game of 500 being played, usually with Mary at the table. Her legacy is her family and passion for life.

God bless – we lost an iron-willed, independent, strong and inspiring lady.

Viewing will be private but friends are invited to celebrate mass, on Friday, February 19th, 1pm, St. Louise de MarillacChurch. Private burial will follow with a celebration of life to be planned for a future date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to AHN Healthcare at Home, Hospice.