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September 1, 2009
Leonard Olerta, 75, of Williams Street, Edwardsville, passed away on Tuesday, September 1, 2009, in Allied Services Skilled Nursing Center, Scranton, where he had been a patient since this past February, following a stroke.
A son of the late Alexander and Anna (Zigmantanis) Olerta, Leonard was born and raised in the Mayflower section of Wilkes-Barre. He was a graduate of GAR Memorial High School, Class of 1951, where he made many lifelong friends.
Leonard retired from Nesbitt Memorial Hospital in 1995 after more than 20 years in the maintenance department. He also worked as a prison guard in the early ’70s at Graterford Prison, and before that was employed for many years as a carpet and linoleum layer for Modern Floor.
Leonard was an avid sports fan. His favorite teams were the Nittany Lions of Penn State, the Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also loved cars and was a huge racing fan.
A hunter for most of his life, Leonard loved being in the woods. He loved to tell tales of the deer that got away.
He was a member of All Saints Parish, formerly St. Mary’s of Plymouth, where he served as an usher and was a member of the Usher’s Club. He was a member of the Larksville American Legion and The Knights of Columbus, Luzerne.
Leonard was preceded in death by his wife, Rosalie, who passed away in 1997.
Surviving are his children, Leonard Jr., Kingston; Lisa Talpash and her husband, Michael, Larksville; Christopher and his wife, Sheli, Sugar Notch; grandchildren Christen Hogan and her husband, Brian; Dylan Olerta, Sugar Notch; Rachael and Christa Talpash, Larksville; great-grandchild Alexander Hogan; brother Thomas and his wife, Elaine, Exeter; sisters Theresa Vasauskas and her husband, Ronald, Maryland; Lillian Dankovitch and her husband, Frank, Nuangola; brother-in-law Edward Dlugosh and his wife, Timmy, Larksville; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
The funeral will be Saturday at 9 a.m. from the Piszczek-Desiderio Funeral Home Inc., 70 E. Main St., Plymouth, Pa., with a funeral Mass at 9:30 at All Saints Parish, Willow Street, Plymouth. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Plymouth Township, Pa. Friends may call Friday evening, from 6 to 9 p.m.