Mary Joan Stanisha

Our beloved mother, Mary Joan (Nara) Stanisha, age 92, passed peacefully on Tuesday, 4/8/25 in Gibsonia, PA with family at her side.

Mary Joan, (aka Joan, Joanie or MJ), was the oldest of six children - 4 girls, 2 boys - and born in a home on Oregon Avenue in Crafton, PA to parents George R. and Beatrice (Rebstock) Nara. She graduated from Elizabeth Seton High School (1951) and received a Bachelors in Music with Minors in Philosophy, Spanish, and Music Theory from Ursuline College in Louisville, KY (1955). She later went on to earn a Masters in Music Education from Duquesne University.

After graduating from college, she taught 5th grade at St. Sylvester’s in Beechview for 4 years (Fall 1955 – spring 1959) at which time she retired from teaching and married Louis Philip Stanisha of Bellevue, PA in July of 1959. They settled down in Ross Township and immediately set about the business of starting a family having 7 children in 10 years.

Mary Joan was a music lover all her life and enjoyed classical music and opera. She started playing the piano at the age of 6. While actively raising her family, she had a long career as a piano teacher to over 50 students in her lifetime. She was also an active member and held various officer positions in the Pittsburgh Piano Teacher’s Association (PPTA), the Pennsylvania Federation of Music Clubs (PFMC) and the Piano Teacher’s Guild (Hall of Fame member) well into her 80s. Her grandfather, John Rock Rebstock, was a founding member of the Pittsburgh Piano Tuner’s Association.

Also while raising her family, she started a couple of side businesses. One was her own cake decorating business, Memorable Confections. She made many beautiful wedding and specialty cakes for all sorts of occasions. The other business was an entertainment company she had with her husband Lou, where she read palms and Lou played the accordion. They did several corporate events and special occasions together as well as individually. She read palms at various after proms and other events in the Pittsburgh area.

Mary Joan was the consummate planner and organized countless events, trips, family reunions, skits, and recitals. She additionally was a Girl Scout Leader for her daughter's troop and led them on many fun activities and camping excursions.

She and Lou were also active in The Tamburitzan Alumni (Lou was an accordionist with the Tammies 1945-1946). Mary Joan helped plan many Communion Breakfasts.

She remained married to her husband Lou for 56 years until his death in 2015 after which she moved to St. Barnabas Village where she lived for the last 10 years of her life and enjoyed playing bridge multiple times per week and ran a bridge class weekly to anyone who wanted to learn. At age 88, she organized, co-directed and played piano in a talent show for the residents as well as directed a skit – Scheherazade – at her 90th birthday party.

Mary Joan is preceded in death by her husband Louis Philip Stanisha, granddaughter Erikka Marie Stanisha, her parents George R. and Beatrice (Rebstock) Nara and her brother John Nara.

She is survived by her seven children: Rebecca (Scott) Porter, Robert (Patricia), Teresa, Charles (Dianna), Jennifer, Joseph (Leah), David (Terri). She is lovingly called Mimi by her 11 grandchildren: Erikka, Joshua, Cameron, Nicholas, Nina, Rachel, Connor, Emily, Madeleine, Olivia and Ava.

Mary Joan is the older sister to Thomas (Elizabeth) Nara, Ann (James) Heeg, Josephine (Jack) Wollheim, John (Sandra) Nara, and Lucy (Mel) Castelli.

Visitation will be held at H.P. Brandt Funeral Home,1032 Perry Highway, Pittsburgh, PA 15237 on Tuesday, 4/15/25 between 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, 4/16/25 at 10 am in St. Bonaventure Church, 2001 Mt. Royal Blvd, Glenshaw, PA 15116. Burial will follow at Mount Royal Cemetery.