Diana S. Parnell's Obituary
On Sunday, October 19, 2025, Diana ( Samargya) Parnell , age 97, of Freedom, PA. formerly of Baldwin, peacefully passed with family by her side. Daughter of the late Mike and Mary (Tepsic) Samargya; sister of the late Ruby Samargya and the late Mitchell (late Linda) Samargya; loving mother to Lynne (Matt) Burk of Wexford, Vicki (Bernard) Sulkowski of Winter Garden, Fl, Richard (Susan) Parnell of Murrysville, and Christopher (Bethany) Parnell of Sandusky, Ohio; proud grandmother of Sean, Shannon, Scott, Andrew, Victoria, Parnell, Benjamin, and Caitlyn; and doting great- grandmother of eight.
Arriving on May 19, 1928, in Weirton, West Virginia, she became part of her family's first generation to be born in the United States. She graduated from West Liberty College with a degree in Secondary Education and continued on to earn her master's degree from West Virginia University in 1951. While at WVU, she met and married Clair Edward (Ned) Parnell, Jr, a returning veteran. Upon graduation, they relocated to Pittsburgh and started their family. Sadly, losing her husband in 1975, she raised her four children as a single mother, while substitute teaching for Baldwin School District. She bravely defeated breast cancer twice and thyroid cancer. She was totally devoted to her family, never missing any event and stubbornly remained independent until her passing.
The family has chosen a private celebration of life, after which she will be laid to rest at Jefferson Hills Memorial Cemetery. If desired, memorial contributions in Diana's memory can be made to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation at https://www.komen.org.
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