Mary Barbara Rutkoski

On April 6, 2026
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Mary Barbara Rutkoski,78 of Evans City, passed away peacefully on March 31, 2026. The eldest of eight children, Mary B., as the family called her, graduated from Mount Mercy College. Her first job took her across the country as a company ambassador performing quality control for Gulf Oil. She then returned to her Alma Mater (now Carlow University) as the Director of Alumnae Relations. Her next opportunity as Director of Retail Advertising for GNC was the beginning of a successful career in marketing which she continued at the advertising agency Marc & Co. and DeBartolo Corporation, where she managed shopping center marketing programs nationwide. Mary later joined the ministry of Gospa Missions, a charity founded by her husband, Tom. They worked at home and abroad, including their popular pilgrimages to Medjugorje, Bosnia bringing many of the faithful with them. Among their accomplishments is Abode for Children, which for 21 years impacted thousands of children at St. Joseph’s school and orphanage in Ogoja, Nigeria. Today it operates an orphanage and school in Cherukupalli, India. After Tom’s passing Mary continued to work at Gospa managing its Amazing Grace Books & Gifts shop in Evans City and organizing retreats.

She loved musicals and is famous within the family for having seen Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story more than 11 times within a few years after its release and wearing out the LP several times. Her love of music was rekindled in her later years when she happily hopped on a tour bus to see Paul McCartney in concert in several cities. Other colorful stories of her love of entertainment and told many times over include a movie date night with Gary Lewis and The Playboys in the 1960’s between concerts they were performing at the Allegheny County Fairgrounds and stints as a game show contestant on Jeopardy! and a five-day winning streak on Tic-Tac-Dough.

Surviving Mary B. are her seven siblings, Pat Beharry (Bill), Michael Beharry, Jr., Dan Beharry (Paula), Fran Seger (Ed), Ginna Beharry, Nancy Byrnes (Ed) and Martha Beharry, four nieces, two nephews, a great niece and six great nephews. She is pre-deceased by her parents, Mary and Michael Beharry.

Funeral services will take place on Thursday, April 9th, 2026 beginning at 8:30 am with the Prayers of the Rosary followed by a viewing at Pittsburgh Cremation and Funeral Care, 3287 Washington Road, McMurray, PA,15317. A funeral mass at 10:00 am will follow at a St. John XXIII, St. Benedict the Abbot Church, 120 Abington Drive, McMurray PA, 15317.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions may be made to Gospa Missions at gospamissions.org

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ROY DAGNESSA

Jun 19 2026

A Tribute to Mary Barbara Rutkoski The woman who kept the mission alive, the doors open, and the light burning Some people serve God with a microphone. Others serve Him with a ledger book, a set of keys, and a heart that refuses to quit. Mary Barbara Rutkoski was the latter — the quiet force who kept a mission alive when the world expected it to fade. For decades, Mary and her husband Tom were a team. Tom was the traveler, the storyteller, the missionary whose work stretched from Pennsylvania to India and Nigeria. But behind every mile he traveled was Mary — organizing, planning, preparing, and making sure the mission had the structure it needed to flourish. When illness eventually slowed Tom, the mission could easily have faltered. Instead, Mary stepped forward with the steadiness of someone who had been preparing her whole life. She didn’t announce it. She didn’t dramatize it. She simply took the wheel. And the mission never missed a beat. The Steward of Gospa Missions Mary ran the mission with a kind of disciplined compassion that made everything work. Donations were handled with care. The store became a lifeline — not just a place to buy religious goods, but a place where people felt welcomed, known, and spiritually nourished. Revenue was stewarded with precision so that the children in the orphanages Tom founded would continue to receive food, education, and hope. She turned a ministry into a well‑oiled machine, not because she loved efficiency, but because she loved people. A Charter Member of the Catholic Marketing Network Mary wasn’t just a participant in the Catholic Marketing Network — she was part of its foundation. A charter member from the very beginning, she attended every CMN show from its inception. And she didn’t just attend — she drove. From her home in Pennsylvania, she would load up her car and make the long trips to CMN events across the country. She walked the aisles with purpose, selecting items she knew her customers would cherish. Every purchase was made with a missionary’s eye: Will this help fund the work? Will this inspire someone back home? Her booth was never just a booth. It was an extension of her mission. People at CMN remember her consistency, her warmth, her loyalty, and her unmistakable presence. She was one of those members whose absence would have been noticed instantly — because she was part of the Network’s heartbeat. The Keeper of Continuity After Tom’s passing, many wondered how the mission would continue. But Mary had already been carrying it for years. She knew every detail, every responsibility, every soul connected to the work. She became the guardian of the legacy. She kept Amazing Grace Books & Gifts alive as a place of encounter. She maintained the charitable outreach. She ensured that Abode for Children — the orphanages and schools that were Tom’s life’s work — continued to thrive. Mary didn’t just preserve the mission. She protected it. She expanded it. She ensured its future. A Life of Color, Curiosity, and Joy What made Mary remarkable was that she carried all this responsibility without losing her spark. She loved musicals, concerts, game shows, and the small joys that make a life full. She had stories — wonderful, surprising stories — that revealed a woman who embraced life with both seriousness and delight. Her faith was steady. Her work was tireless. Her joy was real. A Legacy That Lives in the Lives She Touched Mary and Tom were partners in mission, but Mary’s legacy stands on its own. She was the one who kept the flame burning when the wind picked up. She was the one who made sure the mission didn’t just survive — it thrived. For the thousands of people touched by Gospa Missions, for the children in India and Nigeria, for the customers who found comfort in her store, for the CMN family who saw her year after year, Mary leaves behind a legacy of fidelity, strength, and love. She was the quiet architect of continuity. She was the steward of a mission that mattered. She was the heart that kept beating when others grew tired. And because of her, the mission lives on.

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