Anna Mae "Schmidt" Serenka

Anna Mae (Schmidt) Serenka, 98, passed peacefully at home on March 11, 2026. Born on November 22, 1927, in Etna, Pennsylvania, to the late Frank Joseph and Elizabeth Marie Schmidt, she was the sister of the late Bette Marie (the late Frank) DeSimone and Richard F. Schmidt.

A graduate of Shaler High School, Anna Mae attended the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied English Literature. She worked as an Executive Assistant to the CEO of General Tire in Oakland and was an accomplished competition dance roller skater in her youth. She spent the last 74 years as a proud resident of West Homestead, where she cultivated a lifelong passion for gardening, inherited from her parents, and continued her early talent as a still life artist. A woman of deep faith, she was a longtime member of All Saints Parish in Etna, St. Anne’s Church in Homestead, Christ the Light of the World Parish in Duquesne, and most recently St. Thomas the Apostle Parish.

Anna Mae dedicated much of her life to serving others. After raising her three daughters, she volunteered at UPMC Braddock, local schools, the West Homestead Civic Association, St. Peter’s Child Development Center, and served for many years as Artist in Residence at Duquesne Catholic School. She was an active auxiliary member of the Marine Corps League 297, the Military Order of the Purple Heart Auxiliary, the Steel Valley Veterans, and the Sharing and Caring Organization, supporting her husband and fellow veterans. She also coached cheer teams throughout the Northeast and at Duquesne University.

She is survived by her daughters, Bette (Jack) Giran, Fran Serenka, and Sara Serenka; grandchildren Addy (Mike Zydel) Giran, Adam Giran, Kate Yonko (Cory) Savit, Tia (Jason Schwartz) Serenka Yonko, Abigail Catalano (Kevin) Eagan, Duncan Catalano, MacKenzie (Alex Victor) Catalano, and Wyatt Alexander Serenka; and great-grandchildren Gabriella Zimmerman, Jaxon Giran, Liliana Yonko, Gennaro Giran, Constantinos Savit, Benjamin Schwartz, and Leonidas Savit. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Bette Jayne Serenka, the families of Robert Serenka of New York and Russell Serenka of California, and her niece and nephew, F. Charles and Michelle DeSimone. Anna Mae instilled in her family and many “other daughters,” students, and community members the values of discipline, patience, and perspective through her teaching and art. She cherished time in the sun at the shore, especially visits to the Carolinas with Fran, winters in Florida with Bette and Jack, and trips to Hilton Head Island with the Women Marines and Sara. She found joy in ballroom dancing and attending the ballet, symphony, and theatre.