O'Hara teacher's love of Irish heritage set example

As the former CEO of the Catholic Youth Association and national president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Ed Fay devoted his life to nonprofit Catholic-based charitable organizations.

"Ed Fay was a down-to-earth, low-key executive who was devoted to the CYA and enjoyed everything that was Irish," said Lawrenceville Realtor James Foley, the association's vice president.

Edward J. Fay of O'Hara, a former history and social studies teacher at Hampton High School, died on Monday, Aug. 10, 2009, in UPMC St. Margaret hospital, near Aspinwall. He was 86.

"And for years Ed helped organize the St. Patrick's Day parades in Downtown," Foley said.

The CYA provides educational, recreational and health-care opportunities for children and adults and free kindergarten at sites in Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Polish Hill and West Deer, said Mr. Fay's niece, Maureen Fay.

"And we also provide camping for youngsters 7 to 14 at Camp R in Ligonier," Fay, the CYA's site manager, added.

"My uncle organized the first annual Art Rooney Awards Dinner, which funds activities for the (association)," she said.

Maureen Fay remembered her uncle as always being there for her and his entire family. "He was kind to everybody. You couldn't help but love him.

"On St. Patrick's Day, our entire family would get together to celebrate. My uncle was also the national president for the Ancient Order of Hibernians and cherished the times when he attended the national conventions when they were held in Ireland."

Born and raised in the East End, Mr. Fay was one of 10 children in the family of Patrick and Ellen Fitzgerald Fay, who emigrated from Ireland. His father was a construction worker.

After graduation from Central Catholic High School, where he played football, Mr. Fay enrolled in the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., where he played varsity football and received his undergraduate degree in education.

Mr. Fay was a guard on the 1949 Notre Dame football team that won a national championship. In later years, he served as an assistant football coach at Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University.

While teaching at Hampton High School, Mr. Fay received his master's degree in teaching from Duquesne University.

In 1961, he married Dorothy Lessic, who was also a resident of the East End and for many years was employed by Bell Telephone Co.

Mr. Fay was preceded in death by a sister, Mary Freiland, and eight brothers, James, John, Thomas, William, Philip, Francis, Paul and Joseph Fay.

Visitation is from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Thomas M. Smith Funeral Home & Crematory Ltd., 930 Center Ave., Blawnox.

A Funeral Mass is scheduled for noon Saturday in St. Scholastica Church, Aspinwall.