Loretta Mhley Chegin

March 7,1922 – April 19, 2014

Loretta, affectionately known as ‘Babe’, was born in New Salem, Pa and grew up in Beaver Meadows Pa. She was the youngest daughter of the late Rev. Anthony Mhley, a Byzantine Rite Catholic Priest and Yolanda (Mankovich) Mhley, who were both born in Hungary. She was preceded in death by her loving husband, Colonel Tom Chegin in 2010, who was a career military diplomat and by all her siblings, Agatha, Cornelius, Gabriel, Monica Martyak, Anyarita Coggeshall, and Mary Drenning.

Loretta graduated from Hazleton High School where she was a prominent member of the class of 1940 and listed in their “Hall of Fame”. She graduated from Seton Hill College in Greensburg, Pa in 1944 where she was a distinguished student and was listed in ‘Who’s Who of American Colleges’. In later years Loretta served twice as President of the Seton Hill Alumnae Association, Washington, DC and was the founding President of the Seton Hill Alumnae, Gold Coast Chapter. In August of 1944 she married Captain Thomas E. Chegin, US Army, at Fort Hood in Temple, Texas. She was the quintessential ‘Army Wife’, fluent in several languages and an expert in the ‘correctness’ of diplomatic entertaining. Loretta was Tom’s greatest asset throughout his military career with diplomatic assignments in Washington, D.C., and U.S. Embassies, including twice in Rome, Italy, where by special invitation she attended the Sistine Chapel Historical Meeting and Joint Services of His Holiness Pope Paul VI and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Loretta also attended multiple U.S., Vatican-Swiss Guard events and affairs of embassies of many other nations, including the Canonization of Pope Pius X and Mother Elizabeth Seton. When her husband was the Military Attache to the U.S. Embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay, Loretta was the President of the U.S. Embassy Wives “Las Amigas del Paraguay,” where she edited and published the first English Guide/Information book on Paraguay titled “The Land of Lace and Legend”. She also served as an interpreter for Mrs. Richard Nixon and other dignitaries during Vice-President Nixon’s trip to Paraguay in the late 1950’s. Loretta also lived in Fort Carson, Colorado, Honolulu, Hawaii (while Tom served in Vietnam) and Fort Meade, Maryland. Loretta and Tom moved to Key Biscayne, Florida in 1973 when Tom retired after a 30 year military intelligence career. Loretta was a volunteer Docent at Villa Viscaya for many years, and in 1994 they moved to PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens where she was an active member of the PGA Garden Club, the American Red Cross, and the Women’s Guild at St. Ignatius Cathedral. In 2005 Loretta and Tom chose Lourdes-McKeen Towers in West Palm Beach as their residence. Loretta and Tom raised three children, Marya (Sergio) Porsia of Rome, Italy, Kateri (Louis) Piancone of Gladstone, New Jersey and Thomas (Desiree) Chegin of Austin, Texas. She also has 7 grandchildren, Marc, Steve, Lia, Bobby, Adam, Sean and Tim and 3 great grand-children, Beatrice, Francesco and Adriano. She also is survived by many loving nieces and nephews, especially her niece (and ‘third daughter’) Nan (Ahmed) Martyak-Ramatalla of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Loretta loved, and was very proud of her Byzantine Rite Catholic faith and her Hungarian heritage.

There will be a memorial mass for Loretta on Tuesday, April 22 at 11:00 am at Lourdes-Noreen McKeen first floor chapel.

Her funeral mass will be held on Thursday, April 24 at 10:30 am at St. Cyril & Methodius Byzantine Catholic Church, 1002 Bahama Ave., Fort Pierce, Florida 34982.

Loretta will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. with her husband.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Carmelite Sisters, Lourdes-Noreen McKeen Residence, 315 So. Flagler Dr., West Palm Beach, Florida 33401 or the Sisters of Charity, Seton Hill University, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, 15601.