Funeral director was tied to his community
In a widely diverse ethnic area, Val Szal was a successful funeral director.
His secret⢠He knew his people.
"As a boy, my father learned Polish at home," said his son, Marcel Szal. "When he opened his funeral home in 1953, he took time to learn all of the Slavonic languages so he could accommodate the families of the deceased, who appreciated talking with my father in their own language."
Valerian F. "Val" Szal, a resident of McKees Rocks and a talented musician, died of complications from a stroke on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2001, in Sycamore Creek Nursing Center, Kennedy Township. He was 81.
"My father had a kind disposition," said his son. "When he decided to become a funeral director and opened his own funeral home, he opted for McKees Rocks because he could relate to the people.
"Dad grew up with them, went to school with them, socialized with them and worked for a while at the old Press Car Steel Co."
Marcel Szal also recalled how his father, realizing what a diverse ethnic area he was doing business in, was able to work through the ethnicity that prevailed and stay in the good graces of the numerous ethnic churches that he dealt with - Roman Catholic, Ukrainian Catholic, Ukrainian Orthodox and Byzantine to name a few.
Born and raised in McKees Rocks, Mr. Szal was one of 10 children of the family of Michael and Josephine Redmerski Szal, who emigrated from Poland and settled in the "Rocks."
While attending McKees Rocks High School, Mr. Szal played the trumpet in the school band. Following his graduation in 1937, he enrolled in the music program at Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University.
Before being drafted in 1942, Mr. Szal managed to put together two orchestras - Gale Valerian and Orchestra and Val Szal's All-Girls Orchestra - that played primarily in the tri-state area. One of his musicians was Florence "Flo" Drost, a young woman from the North Side.
"Dad had recruited Mom, who played both the piano and the organ," Marcel Szal said. "They soon became serious about each other and were married in 1948, after Dad returned from the service."
As a member of the Army 8th Infantry, Mr. Szal saw action in Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland and Central Europe. "Something changed Dad's mind while he was overseas," said his son. "Instead of going back to music, he decided to become a funeral director."
Following graduation from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, Mr. Szal was employed by several area funeral directors before opening his own funeral home.
Although Val and Flo Szal continued to play for various events, they were firmly committed to the family business. "My parents worked side by side at the funeral home for nearly 50 years," recalled their son. "Mom was outgoing. Dad was sort of quiet."
Jerry Kirsch, a resident of Green Tree and a former dispatcher for Wilbert of Pittsburgh Burial Vault Co., recalled what a pleasure it was to work with the Szals.
"It was a first-class funeral home. And the whole family was involved. Flo was the greeter. She went out of her way to make the families of the deceased comfortable and the visitors welcomed.
"When the call came in from their daughter, Sissy, who worked in the office, our men liked dealing with the Szals. They treated all of our men with respect."
Mr. Szal is survived by his wife, Florence "Flo" Drost Szal; daughter, Sissy Ferrell of Green Tree; sons, Valerian "Brother" Szal Jr. of Reading, Berks County, and Marcel Szal of Kennedy Township; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
He also was the brother of Martha Rohr, Marcella Enick, Helen Dzon, Michael Szal Jr. and the late Francis, Felix, Rose and Sophie Szal and Josephine Barnowski.
Visitation is from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today in the Valerian F. Szal Funeral Home Inc., 238 Helen St., McKees Rocks, where a prayer service will be held at 7:30 p.m.
There will be no visitation on Thanksgiving Day. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at St. John of God Parish, St. Marks Church.
