Stern

Dorothy Beck Stern, 96, of Butler died peacefully Friday in her home.

Born July 17, 1912, in Butler, she was the oldest of 10 children of Aloysius and Agatha Binder Beck.

She was a lifelong member of St. Peter Catholic Church, where she attended school, taught CCD and was the sacristy manager for 10 years. She was the president of the St. Peter Women's Council and had held a number of offices in the local and diocesan chapters of the National Council of Catholic Women. Dorothy was the president of the Rosary Society, grand regent of the Catholic Daughters of America and adviser of the CD of A Drum and Bugle Corps for years.

Her community service included 30 years as a member of the Butler County Unit of the American Cancer Society, where she was the chairperson of the annual fund drives for 17 years. She was president of the Lions Auxiliary and on the advisory boards for Butler County Crippled Children, the Butler County Republican Women and Sugar Creek Rest.

She was known for her fundraising activities for the church, Red Cross, polio drives, Community Chest, Butler Memorial Hospital and Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

She has been honored by the state of Pennsylvania for 50 years of consecutive voting and for her years of work at the voting polls. She was selected as the Pennsylvania Mother of the Year in 1978.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, John P. Stern; her daughter, Mrs. T. J. (Betty) Jameson; three brothers; and four sisters.

Affectionately known to her family as "Maw," she is survived by three children, John P. (Linda) Stern Jr. of Trevose, Mrs. Mary (Larry) Pacoe of Pittsburgh and Robert F. (Sally) Stern of Hummelstown; eight grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Howard Beck of Herman and George (Wanda) Beck of Butler.

As we mourn her loss, we celebrate her life dedicated to her family, her church and her community. We give special thanks to all of the women and hospice nurses whose loving care allowed her to stay in her home through her long illness.

<B>STERN </B>— Friends of Dorothy Beck Stern, who died Friday, Feb. 13, 2009, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at the <B>Geibel Funeral Home</B>, 201 E. Cunningham St. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Peter Catholic Church, 127 Franklin St. The pastor, the Rev. Pierre Falkenhan, will officiate. Interment will follow in the St. Peter Parish Cemetery.The St. Peter Women's Council will meet at 9:40 a.m. Tuesday in the church to recite the rosary.Memorial donations may be made to the Albert Gallatin Home Care and Hospice Services, 201 S. Duffy Road, Butler, PA 16001.Information also is available at www.geibelfuneralhome.com.