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Greensburg Parish Honors Eldest Member, April 28, 1982 (The following has been extracted from a story written by Ruth Love, for the Byzantine Catholic World, May 23, 1982.) Another longtime resident of Westmoreland County has joined the growing number who have passed the century milestone. John Lopushansky has lived most of his life within a few miles of the Crows Nest Mine, Crows Nest (now Bovard), that provided his livelihood and where he was the victim of an accident that left him disabled. Born 100 years ago, April 8, 1882, of Ukrainian descent, in Hwosdesh, in the province of Galicia, Austria Hungary. About the time he reached the age of being drafted into the Polish Army, he decided to come to America. His uncle gave him the money to pay for the trip to America, by way of Tieste, Italy. He came to this country in 1900, from New York he came to Greensburg, PA an found immediate employment as a miner in the Luxor Mine, Jamison No. 1, of the Jamison Coal & Coke Company. Sometime around 1916 he moved to the Crows Nest Mine of the Keystone Coal & Coke Company, at Crows Nest (Bovard), Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. |
| Also working in the mine was a fellow Ukrainian, Michael Pollock
[Polyak]. Their families were neighbors back in Galicia, "the Old Country."
Remembering there was a daughter in the Pollock [Polyak] family, John Lopushansky
learned she was still single. He asked permission to marry her. Consent
was granted for reason Lopushansky was "young, industrious and gave every
evidence of being a good provider." There was a lengthy delay, however, until
the father could forward passage money enabling his daughter to make the
ocean voyage to america.
But on the 29th of May, 1909, at the age of 19, Mary Pollock [Polyak], born June 10th, 1891, became Mrs. Mary Lopushansky. The priest, Rev. Julius Pastolyi, from St. Mary's Greek Catholic Church in Trauger, PA performed the marriage ceremony in the Chapel at Luxor, PA. The couple "went to housekeeping" in one of the little coal town's company houses in the coal patch at Luxor. Later, they moved to Bridgeville, PA, near Carnegie, where the young husband obtained a job in the copper factory, which he did not like. But the call of the mines proved irresistable and, within a short time he returned to Bovard and the Crows Nest Mine in 1916. |
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| Through the years came five daughters and four sons. They are Mrs. Anne Craig, Norvelt; Mrs. Estelle Ware, Bovard; Mrs. Catherine Senic, Mrs. Mary Mesich, Mrs. Margaret Cutia, Nicholas and John, Jr., all residing in Hempfield Township; Charles in Sheridan and Micheal, Latrobe. |
| As he neared the time when, hopefully, he could retire from the mine, Lopushansky was crushed under a fall of slate in the Crows Nest Mine, where he had spent many years, on Nov. 9, 1938. The injuries left him disabled to necessitate subsequent operations and medical treatment. |
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Naturalized as a Citizen On April 28th, 1944, at the age of 62, John Lopuzansky was naturalized as a citizen of the United States at the Courthouse in Greensburg, Pennsylvania |
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In May of 1959, John and Mary Lopushansky celebrated their 50th Wedding
Anniversary. The picture at the left was taken at this celebration.
He had been a member of the Saint Demetrius Church in Jeannette. Desiring a place to worship more convenient to his home, he became one of the founders of the Saint Nicholas Bzyantine Church, on East Pittsburgh Street, Greensburg, PA . The church celebrated its 25th jubilee in 1980. The pastor, Father Richard Lambert, conducted a special blessing liturgy in honor of the centenarian's birthday. And the family joined with the parishioners, who had arranged a celebration highlighted by an enormous cake conveying iced congratulations and best wishes. Lopushansky's wife, Mary, passed away in 1969. John Lopushansky passed away on Feb.14, 1986, at the age of 104. A special thanks to Chuck Lopushansky, of Littleton, CO for the above information about John Lopushansky. |
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