| Sources |
- [S280] Family History Data Donna M. Paszek.
- [S927] Obituary.
Source: Certification of Birth, File No. 0122520-1912 Name on birth certificate reads: Margaret Simmers
Source: Certificate of Baptism, Methodist Episcopal Church, dated June 23, 1912
Source: Application for Marriage, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, No. 5757
Source: Marriage Certificate, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, No. 5757
Source: Certificate of Death No. 0631760, County of Allegheny, City of Allison Park, State File No. 115466
Source: Obituary: Valley News Dispatch
Viola M. Simmers Knechtel, 84, of Magill Drive, West Deer, died Wednesday (Nov. 20, 1996) at Regency Hall Nursing Home, McCandless, where she was a patient for the past three years.
Born Jan. 14, 1912 in Pittsburgh, she lived in West Deer for 25 years. Survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Edward (Donna M.) Paszek, with whom she lived; and a grandson, Keith W. Russell at home.
She was preceded in death by her husband William J. Knechtel, in 1962; her parents, Earl E. and Mary M. Brown Simmers; two brothers, Earl and Oliver Simmers; and two sisters, Lottie Smith and Ruth Petrochi.
Mrs. Knechtel requested viewing and burial be private. Burial will be in Allegheny Cemetery, Lawrenceville. Memorial contributions may be made to Regency Hall Nursing Home, 9339 Babcock Blvd., Allison Park, PA 15101. The Siwicki-Yanicko Funeral Home, Russellton, West Deer, was in charge of arrangements.
From the memories of Donna Marie Knechtel Paszek:
My Mom was born with a rare disease that effects eyesight and suffered from poor vision all her life. When she was 21 she lost all her sight, seeing white instead of black. After three years they discovered it was caused by TB on the optical nerve and were able to restore some of her sight but she remained legally blind the rest of her life. Even so she would sit with me at a child's table pasting construction paper to make Christmas garland and trying to color in my coloring books. When she was a young girl she loved to read. In fact she was sitting on the steps of her home when my father would ride by on a street-car. He vowed to meet her some day and one evening he saw her at a movie theater and made sure to 'flirt' with her. Evidently it worked. They were engaged for 9 years before marrying because of her losing her sight and the Depression. When she lost her sight she told him to find another girl because she did not want to be a burden on him. With tears in his eyes he told her he would never leave her - no matter what. A big date in those times was to take a walk, usually taking her nieces. Their first home was two rooms on the third floor of a row house and after I was born they moved to the next house on the first floor with three rooms. She lived there until 1971 when she came to live with me.
At one time most of the Simmers family lived in the same house on different floors. Mom loved children and when her sister, Lottie, had Marian and Betty she would spend most of her free time with them. They tell stories of how she would knock on their door on Christmas morning, waking them up so she could watch them open their presents. She also had the knack of knowing when dinner was on the table.
I would come home from school to find her doing the twist and listening to Elvis Presley. And she loved to whistle; you could hear her when she was washing clothes and hanging them on the line to dry. She was 4'11", 75 lbs of spit fire, ready to take on the whole world if someone hurt her family. She loved "sweets" and ate them at every opportunity; never gaining a pound. Mom was always a "homebody" preferring her home to outside activities. She was happiest with her family and most of her social life was spent with them. Always close to her mother, she would visit almost every day and did her cleaning after my Grandmother broke her hip. Even though she could not read she developed a hobby of taking words and finding other words in them. She had a tablet with big lines and would sit for hours on end with her magnifying glass filling up page after page. The family would search dictionaries for words she could use.
When my mother turned 50 she was very upset and did not want anyone to buy her a present or sing to her (we did anyway). She said she didn't know why but she had a bad feeling about this birthday. Not even two months later my father died. She was totally devoted to him and never gave a thought to another man entering her life. A lot of the fire left her and she was never the same.
I was a single mother for many years and I don't know what I would have done without her. She not only helped me by baby sitting my son but would do the cooking and basic cleaning which left me time after work to spend with my son and do the harder jobs around the house. She suffered from Alzheimers for many years and as the disease progressed it became necessary to move her to a nursing home where she could receive 24 hour care. Everyone loved her and her sense of humor. Since she loved children so much we bought her a baby doll and she carried it with her everywhere she went. It is a terrible disease that robs you of all memories of those you love and the life you lead. By the time she died she did not recognize anyone. But I feel truly blessed to have had her with me all those years.
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1912 - 1996 (84 years)
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