Obituary of Mary Ann Opalka

Town of Perth, NY? Mary Ann Opalka, 66, of Reidel Road, passed away Monday at her home. Born September 27, 1939 in Fort Johnson, New York, she was the daughter of Barney and Stella Motyl Taboleski. She was a life long area resident and was a graduate of Perth Central High School. Mary Ann was employed by the former Nichols Department Store in Amsterdam and later she worked for Wal-Mart in Gloversville until retiring in January of 2005. She was a parishioner of the Sacred Heart Church in Tribes Hill. Mary Ann was an avid knitter, reader and enjoyed bird watching, especially seeing the cardinals. She made blankets for HUGS and sweaters for the Guide Post. She loved to watch NASCAR and was a fan of Dale, Sr. and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Survivors include two sons, Jeffrey E. Opalka and his wife Nancy of Fort Johnson and Thomas A. Opalka and his wife Rebecca of Glendale, Arizona; two sisters, Virginia Szyjkowski of Tribes Hill and Teresa Swinarski of Sedalia, Colorado; two grandsons, Spencer and Vaughan; several aunts, nieces, nephews and cousins also survive. Funeral services will be held on Thursday at 12:00 noon at the Betz, Rossi & Bellinger Family Funeral Home, 171 Guy Park Avenue, Amsterdam with the Rev. Kevin Kenny officiating. Burial of her cremated remains will take place in Pine Grove Cemetery in Tribes Hill. The family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday from 4 to 7 pm at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Mary Ann?s memory to the Amsterdam Community Cancer Center, 1700 Riverfront Center, Amsterdam, NY 12010 or to the National Kidney Foundation of NENY, 99 Troy Road, Suite 200 East Greenbush, NY 12061.