Susan Sniezek had a zest for life that was contagious.
When she and her husband, Martin, hosted parties at their Greensburg home, guests were reluctant to leave.
“She made everybody happy when she was around,” daughter Jennifer Ciafre said. “Everybody loved hugging her.”
Susan Ruth Sniezek of Greensburg died Monday, Feb. 25, 2019, at Excela Latrobe Hospital, after a battle with cancer. She was 69.
Born April 26, 1949, in New Castle, she was a daughter of the late J. Lynnford and Helen M. Groce.
Mrs. Sniezek attended Slippery Rock University after graduating from Mohawk Area High School in 1967.
Over the years, she worked at the Universal Rundle Corp., The Sun Parlor and in the dress department of the former Kaufmann’s department store at Westmoreland Mall, where she was the Kasper suit representative.
“They gave her suits to wear so people could see what they looked like,” her daughter said. “She really enjoyed helping people, making sure they found something that looked good on them.”
Mrs. Sniezek’s fashion sense was matched by her flair for crafts and home decor.
“She enjoyed going to craft shows with me, and she’d say, ‘Don’t buy that. We can make it,’ ” her daughter said. Selecting colorful beads, “she would make bracelets for everybody and give them away.”
She decorated her home for every holiday, populating it with her collection of more than 600 Santa Claus figurines each December.
“The whole house would get packed away, and everything would be Christmas,” her daughter said.
Mrs. Sniezek and her husband dubbed the home bar where they entertained guests the Neon Moon Saloon.
“They decorated it in floor-to-ceiling neon,” Jennifer Ciafre said, explaining that her parents enjoyed buying and selling neon signs.
An avid Steelers fan who listed Jerome Bettis as her favorite player, Mrs. Sniezek was a season ticket holder at Three Rivers Stadium and Heinz Field. According to her daughter, she held a seat license at the field, but usually “stood in the rotunda with friends, and they would all watch together.”
She coordinated gatherings at home games, including tailgating with up to 20 people, and took part in many bus trips to away games.
Retiring in 2004, she enjoyed gardening and playing bingo at St. Joseph’s Social Club. She also was a member of firemen’s clubs in Youngstown, Lloydsville and Kecksburg.
She passed along her passion for crafts to her granddaughter, Martina Ciafre, 14, who enjoyed making ornaments and painting birdhouses with her grandmother.
In addition to her husband of 50 years, Mrs. Sniezek’s survivors include daughter Jennifer Ciafre and her husband, Matthew, of Latrobe; and granddaughter Martina Ciafre.
Family and friends will be received from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the John J. Lopatich Funeral Home, 601 Weldon St., Latrobe, where a memorial service will be held at 3:30 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to the Rotary Club of Latrobe, Food for Thought Backpack Program, c/o The Latrobe Foundation, P.O. Box 110, Latrobe, PA 15650.
