Grace Cecelia Munhall's forefathers came to this country from Ireland before the Civil War, founding what is now the borough of Munhall.
"Throughout her long life, Aunt Grace was the North Star of our family," said her nephew, Robert Munhall. "She provided leadership and guidance from the time her father (William) died while she was still in school, up until the time of her death."
Miss Munhall, of Shadyside, died Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2005, at her home. She was 102.
"Aunt Grace, who graduated from Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1926, was studying for her doctoral degree in psychology at Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.) when her father, who owned the Freehold Real Estate Co., died in 1935," said her nephew, a retired Hampton school teacher.
"Being that she was the eldest of the children, she returned home to help her mother (Grace Sweeney Munhall) run the business.
"When Aunt Grace was able to return to school, she received her home economics certificate from Carnegie Tech and taught home economics in the Pittsburgh Public Schools until she retired, in 1968, as supervisor of the Home Economics Department."
Miss Munhall's forefathers, the Munhall brothers -- John, Michael and William -- were involved in the shipbuilding and coal industries. They founded the Duquesne National Bank and owned the property that eventually became the boroughs of Munhall and Homestead.
"Upon her death, we all received a note from her telling us, 'Be sure to love those who are the hardest to love,'" Robert Munhall said.
Miss Munhall is survived by 58 nieces and nephews spanning three generations.
She was the sister of the late Col. William V. and J. Kenneth Munhall, Ursula Wise, Mary Regina Panneton and Rosemary Nogosek.
There will be no visitation. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in St. Paul Cathedral, Oakland.
Arrangements are being handled by John A. Freyvogel Sons Inc., Oakland.
