Maria "Minkey" Tirpack

MARIA “MINKEY” TIRPACK, 93

 CAMPBELL…Maria “Minkey” Tirpack passed away peacefully on February 24, 2025 at home, surrounded by her devoted family. Born on June 2, 1931 in her childhood home in Campbell, Ohio, she was the cherished daughter of Ukrainian immigrants Stephen Melnik and Eva Litwin and the youngest of five siblings.

Minkey grew up in Campbell, attending Reed Elementary School before graduating from Campbell Memorial High School in 1949. A proud and active member of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church in Youngstown, she embraced her Ukrainian heritage by participating in the church choir and folk-dance performances.

After high school, Minkey attended Youngstown College (now Youngstown State University), where she honed her typing skills, leading to a secretarial position at Campbell Sheet and Tube, where she worked until 1958.

During her college years, fate brought her together with the love of her life, Ed Tirpack, in a chance encounter under a clock in downtown Youngstown. Their connection blossomed into a lifelong partnership and were married at Holy Trinity Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church on May 6, 1956.

Ed and Minkey built their forever home behind her childhood home, completing it in 1957. It became the heart of their growing family, where they lovingly raised their three greatest blessings: Kevin, Mark, and Maryellen.

Minkey and her family became devoted members of St. Michael’s Byzantine Catholic Church in Campbell, where they remained active parishioners. She had a beautiful singing voice and especially loved singing in church. Minkey was a proud member of the Infant Jesus Guild. At the request of Msgr. Victor Romza, she took on a temporary secretarial role at Byzantine Catholic Central School (BCC) in Struthers, Ohio, which turned into a fulfilling career for 22 years, eventually retiring in 1993.

Above all, Minkey was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother ("Baba"), whose warmth and generosity knew no bounds. She found her greatest joy in family, traveling across the country to visit her children and grandchildren, always bringing a piece of home with her. A master of navigation, she never needed a map, knowing every road and route by heart.

Minkey loved hosting family gatherings and holiday celebrations, creating a home filled with laughter and love. An exceptional cook and baker, she preserved her Ukrainian traditions through her beloved recipes, making pierogi, halupki, and kolache which she lovingly shared with family and friends. She also took great pride in decorating traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs for her Easter baskets.

Minkey will be profoundly missed by her devoted husband Eddie of 68 years, as well as her loving children: Kevin Tirpack (Ellen from a previous marriage) of California; Mark Tirpack of North Carolina; and Maryellen Tirpack Jones (Tom) of Maryland. She was the beloved grandmother of Tommy, Aidan, Danielle, Bryan, and Doug, and a special grandpuppy, Colt.

She will also be remembered by her in-laws, Patti Tirpack, Kenny and Marian Tirpack, and Charles Kihm as well as many loving nieces and nephews, all of whom were dear to her.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother Peter; her brother Walter (Lajo) and his wife Anne; her sister Ann (Hunka) Kihm; her sister Olga Kowalczyk and her husband Frank; her sister-in-law Agnes and her husband Joe DelSignore; and her brother-in-law Ray Tirpack.

The Tirpack family has entrusted Maria’s care to the Wasko Funeral Home in Campbell. Family and friends may call on Saturday March 1, 2025 from 10-10:45 at St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church in Campbell. A Funeral Divine Liturgy will follow in the church at 11am with the Very Rev. Kevin E. Marks, officiating.

Maria will be laid to rest at St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church Cemetery.

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