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Claudia E. Pollick

Paul E. Bekavac Funeral Home

Obituaries | The Tube City Almanac | February 14, 2022

Fifty-four years ago God came to me (Yeah I know ME) and offered this proposition! He (God) wanted to know if I was a gambler, an adventurer, and a dreamer and would I be willing to take a chance on love! Me being all of 20 years old and as worldly as any kid from Swissvale in the ‘60s, I thought for a second and answered, “Sure, what da ya got?” Well, He (God) was willing to show me an Angel! A real live human Angel, and on this Earth!!! Then He (God) showed me this beautiful blonde-haired smart young woman who made me do a “Cliff Cleavon.” I was literally speechless when I first met this Lithuanian/Slovak beauty (I know, what’s Lithuanian? Read on!) There was also a kicker, included also a blonde-haired little kid that came with the deal! He (God) let me take the deal for a spin over the next two years to see how we all bonded (Actually I liked the kid more from the start because guys “do stuff” together and I had some skills that I could teach him.) So two years later I signed the deal by making Claudia my wife and Edward “our” son. Yeah, God is an okay guy! Let me tell you about my wife, my friend, my companion, my heartbeat that lasted 52 wild, wonderful, exciting, loving years of marriage. Claudia worked at USS Irvin Works for 33 years, achieving many levels of advancement and satisfaction. A strong Union worker who became chairman of the Grievance Committee that settled many disputes for workers and management alike. Through her many acquaintances, she helped many people find great jobs. She was an EMT that, along with her mother Izzy and sister Debbie, procured an ambulance for the borough of Port Vue. She was a worker that, along with her friend Jane, raised over $21,000 for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Always ready and willing to help anyone in need. A truly beautiful Earthling. She loved life, travel, family and friends, but now she is on a new adventure – one we were not ready for. Four years ago, Claudia had a stroke. She came back strong the first year and was well. But the second and third year, with the addition of Covid, did not help her to fully recover and she developed dementia. I say this because there are many names for this horrible debilitating disease collectively it’s as worse as cancer and should have more exposure in the mental health community to alert the public just how bad dementia takes your life. We tried every avenue to get her better but God said it’s time to come Home. Claudia is survived by her husband, Raymond; son, Edward; grandchildren, Sebastian and Imre Pollick; her brother, Ed Zidek; sister-in-law, Mary Pollick and her sons, nephews Andrew (his wife Francesca and their daughter, grand-niece Scarlett June Pollick) and Danny Pollick; brother-in-law, Ken Hromanik and niece Kristin Prezel, her husband Tim and great-niece Taylor and great-nephew Taron, and niece Kerri Parrott and husband Matthew and their children, great-niece Raen Debra and great-nephew Rhone. Now the Lithuanians, told ya! On Claudia’s mother’s side of the family are and were the Kaminski’s, which at one time over-populated Vandergrift, but now touch many parts of America. A loving bunch of Blue Bloods! All wonderful, happy, good people. And the Fouses, what a crew! Cousin Kathy Knoll, her son Father Brian Knoll, her sister Joann Reich and her husband Donald, son Gary and daughter Lisa, and cousin Celine Briggs and her children Jennifer and Jonathan. And many, many close friends too numerous to mention. God, we had quite a ride these past 54 years. But you know what, I’d welcome another 20 years more. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Monday, February 21, 2022 at 10 AM at Sts. Joachim and Anne Parish, St. Michael Church in Elizabeth Twp. with the Rev. Thomas Wagner officiating. Donations can be forwarded to Dementia, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s foundations. Arrangements by the Paul E. Bekavac Funeral Home, Elizabeth. Offer condolences at www.bekavacfuneralhome.com.

Originally published February 14, 2022.

Other deaths:
"Vivian M. Hresko" || "Alice M. Fleming"