Ann L. Friedman

CAMP HILL, Pa. -  Ann L. Friedman, 96, formerly of Girard, passed away late Wednesday evening, July 26, 2017, at Holy Spirit Hospital in Pennsylvania, following a long and fulfilling life.

Ann was born May 20, 1921, in the small coal-mining town of Lilly, Pa., to immigrant parents from Austria-Hungary, the late Frank and Anna Oklanchak Lenhart. When her father died following the collapse of a mine when she was 14, Ann moved to New York City to work and to be near an older sister. When she was 19, she married her husband, John Friedman, on Nov. 27, 1940, and shortly thereafter John served in the military in North Africa and Europe during World War II, earning four bronze stars. Ann was one of the “greatest generation” and contributed to the war effort, building munitions at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Virginia. 

After the war, Ann and John moved to the Youngstown area, where the couple raised their three children.

Mrs. Friedman had a love of home crafts, including baking, sewing, crocheting, and knitting, and she was a good gardener, especially good at growing tomatoes. There was always lots of delicious Slovak food in her home, and she tried to keep her cookie recipes a secret, though eventually they were figured out. Ann was sharp and funny and knew her own mind, and she had thriftiness down to an art.

She was a member of the former St. Casimir Church in Youngstown, and of its Altar & Rosary Society. Ann was a devout Catholic, and some members of her family believe they may have heard her swear only once!

Outside the home, Ann worked at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown, and also worked at Kmart for 12 years.

Ann leaves three children, Patricia (Don) Shelley of Camp Hill, Robert Friedman of Colorado Springs, Colo., and John (Lorraine) Friedman of Canterbury, England; seven grandchildren, Erin, Scott, and Brett (Daniela) Shelley, Colleen Shelley (Don) Bruno, and Eric, Nicole, and Victoria Friedman; and four great-grandchildren, Julian and Luca Bruno, Tyler Lewis, and Franchesscha Friedman.

Ann’s husband of 47 years, John Friedman, passed away July 9, 1988. Besides her husband, five sisters, Sue Lenhart, Mary Young, Katie Farrell, Helen Mack, and Agnes "Diddy" Leap, and a brother, Joe "West" Lenhart, preceded her in death.

Family and friends may call from 10 to 11 a.m., Monday, July 31, at Kinnick Funeral Home, 222 S. State St., Girard, where funeral services will follow at 11 a.m.

Interment will take place at Belmont Park Cemetery in Liberty Township, where Ann will be laid to rest with her husband.