Georgina C. Pion

Georgina Cornwall Barr Pion, affectionately known as “Dottie,” passed away peacefully on July 21, 2024 at the age of 96, surrounded by her loving children.  Formerly of College Heights, Loretto, Dottie spent her last few years in the extraordinary and loving care of Garvey Manor, Hollidaysburg.  She will rejoin her husband, Lawrence, who passed in February, 2022 after 72 years of marriage that produced 8 children, 25 grandkids and 40 great-grandkids.  Even in the late stages of Alzheimer’s, the sound of a child’s voice raised a smile and a reach – that gentle touch that guided her all of those years.

Dottie was raised in Port Deposit, Maryland and shortly after graduating from the Tome Academy, she packed her belongings in a single steamer trunk and moved to Washington, DC where she became a medical records transcriber at Bainbridge Medical Center.  There she met a young sailor from Pawtucket, Rhode Island who was serving as a corpsman.  Their romance blossomed and when WW II came to a close, she departed with Larry for a wedding in Pawtucket, RI and stops in Providence and New Hampshire for various degrees and ultimately Loretto, PA where he became employed as a college professor at St. Francis College.  From 1951 until 2016, Larry and Dottie were a fixture on the college campus.

Her talents as a homemaker were legendary and life’s lessons abundantly displayed.  Love your family and guard them with all your strength; treat everyone with kindness and respect; welcome all who come to your door.  Her cooking talents and the table she set were often crowded with guests, but more importantly, it was family time.  Share problems and celebrate occasions, but share and share alike. 

Birthdays and Holidays were celebrated with grandeur, family feted with care and love.  But it was the simple things, root beer floats, the strawberry rhubarb pies, the bagged lunches with a private note of love and support that we cherish. 

As her family grew and before the advent of cell phones, family news was reported to her from various sources.  Her communication skills led to a Sunday publication mailed to each family and complete with updates and photos to boot.  She was social media before social media.  Above all, it was a lesson to keep the family circle complete.

Dottie suffered a massive heart attack at age 50, long before medical advances in cardiology.  Her doctors suggested some walking would help her recovery.  She astonished her treaters with her recovery; she had too much to offer us to depart a young woman and did she ever recover.  The daily walks eventually stretched to three-mile jaunts.

Her guidance extended beyond her home.  In 2004, Dottie was awarded a doctorate degree in humanities from St. Francis University for the impact she had on so many new faculty and students.  Her quiet influence on so many lives did not go unnoticed.

Dottie leaves behind Marcia Vespa (Paul), Joanie Kosto (Bob), Larry (Nancy), Ed (Barbara Jo), Amy Erculiani (David), Joseph (Denise), John (Diane) and Ann Shrum (Rick) and rejoins her beloved Larry, grandson Dustin and son-in-law Ralph.  Comfort is shared by the living knowing those hands are extended to lead her away.

Friends will be received from 3 until 5 PM Sunday at the Gibbons Funeral Home, 1688 Liberty St. Ashville, PA 16613. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 AM Monday at the Basilica of St. Michael, Loretto, PA. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Garvey Manor Nursing Home in Dottie's memory. www.gibbonsfhashvillecoalport.com