Barbara F. Byrne

Barbara Frances Byrne of Ringtown, 75, died Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, at Grandview Nursing and Rehabilitation, Danville, where she had been a guest two weeks.

She was preceded in death by the love of her life, Paul P. Byrne, with whom she shared 42 years of work, travel, and the joy of extended family and many friends.

Born in Philadelphia, June 25, 1942, she was the daughter of the late Helen Guziewicz.

After graduation from Shenandoah Catholic High School, she worked in Washington, D.C., at the Crime and Records Department of the FBI. Returning to Shenandoah to care for her mother, she worked at the Merchants and other local banks. She was best known for her 34 years as a caseworker in Schuylkill County for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, from which she retired in 2002.

She and Paul worked side by side, taking meticulous care of their home in the Ringtown Valley. They hosted family for many a Sunday dinner, always starting at 11 a.m. sharp and with the phone off the hook, so there would be no intrusion on the conversation and laughter that was shared along with food so bountiful, no one left without a take-home platter.

They traveled extensively, with Las Vegas and its casinos a frequent destination, collecting souvenirs and friends along the way. In retirement, they helped care for family members, even as both faced up to health problems with their customary good humor.

Barbara was a member of St. Casimir Church, Shenandoah; also, the Shenandoah Polka Belles; Shenandoah Seniors; Amvets Post No. 7 Social Club, and Pennsylvania State Retired Employees.

She is survived by sister-in-law Margaret Devanney of Shenandoah, and brothers-in-law William Byrne of Girardville and Vincent Byrne of Mascoutah, Ill.; also, by devoted nieces who helped her remain in her home until her final weeks: Karen Donchak and husband Donald, Ringtown; Kathleen Milefski and husband Daniel, Ringtown; Kathleen Sachetti and husband Jim, Bloomsburg; and Maryanne Petrilla and husband Jack, Sugarloaf. Also surviving are many cousins, with whom she remained close despite distance and the passage of years.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, Feb. 10, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Casimir Church, 229 N. Jardin St., Shenandoah, with Msgr. Ronald C. Bocian, pastor, as the celebrant. Burial will be in St. Casimir Cemetery, Shenandoah Heights. Friends may call at the church, beginning at 9 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, Barbara asked that Masses and prayers be said for her soul and that of her beloved husband, Paul.