Memorials

Volunteer Memorials

Richard Karpinski
Whenever I began a phone call to Richard with the question: How are you? he would reply: Pretty damn fine. That was what I heard at 10:30 pm on Saturday, January 10th. On Sunday afternoon his wife and fellow LO*OP Board Member, Deirdre McGrath called me to announce that Richard was no longer "fine". She had returned from a knitting weekend to find him stretched out peacefully in the hallway between their bathroom and bedroom -- quite a sad shock. Although we'll never know, we suspected either a heart attack or a massive stroke took him before he knew what was happening.

Richard was a brilliant, gentle giant. He stood over six feet tall even with a hunch back and spent his retirement years pursuing too avocations: researching and promoting alternative treatments/cures for cancer and helping other people by performing numerous small acts of kindness. To help me, Richard phoned almost every day to make sure my tendency toward depression didn't leave me isolated from other people. He also served on the LO*OP Center board, edited and critiqued much of my writing in recent years and provided technical consultation about programming, engineering management, and internet use. Richard introduced me to "wikis" about 10 years ago and is the reason you are reading this on a wiki today.

To say he will be missed is an enormous understatement.



Connie Williams
WILLIAMS CONSTANCE ELIZABETH "CONNIE" Constance "Connie" Elizabeth Williams, 55, of San Mateo, California, passed away peacefully at Mills-Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingame, CA on August 13, 2011 following an 18 month bout with cancer. Born in Pittsburgh, PA on September 12, the oldest daughter of the late Walter H. and Elizabeth Walczak Williams. She was a 1977 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and worked for IBM in both New York and California. Connie was a valued member of the genealogy resource volunteer staff at the Menlo Park Family History Center in California. Connie is survived by two sisters, Maura Williams (and Mary Lou Hartzler) of Lansdowne, PA and Kristin Williams of Pittsburgh. Connie will be remembered for her generosity, creativity, thoughtfulness and devotion to family, friends and pets and for her appetite for life, and strength and determination despite challenges. Connie was still engaged in life and talking about future plans and hopes until the day of her hospitalization on August 5, 2011. Friends will be received on Friday, August 26 from 6-9 p.m. at the JOSEPH A. TOMON, JR. FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY, 97 Grim Ave., Ellport. Mass of Christian Burial will be on Saturday, August 27 at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Redeemer Church. Interment will follow in Holy Redeemer Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be made in Connie's name to Menlo Park Family History Center, c/o Sue Allen, 3784 Grove Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94303. Send condolences at post-gazette.com/gb

Published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on August 25, 2011