Albert P. Oeler Jr.

Maloy-Schleifer Funeral Home

Obituaries | The Tube City Almanac | January 22, 2016

Albert P. Oeler, of West Mifflin, died Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. Well, this was bound to happen. So if you're reading this, you know my status of living has changed. I was born Wednesday, Oct. 9, 1918, in Nick Lee Hollow along the Thompson Run Creek in the City of Duquesne. I was the first-born son of Albert and Veronica (Weber) Oeler. My grandparents were John and Elizabeth (Sonderegger) Oeler and Joseph and Theresa (Goldbach) Weber.

My brother Tom and his wife, Marguerite, are still around, as are my sisters, Rosemary Shipe and Veronica Bowen, and brother-in-law, Ed (Sharon) Schorr. My wife, Ruth Schorr, to whom I was married for 50 years, passed away in 2005. Gone as well are my son, David; and my sister, Sister Cyrilla "Mary" Oeler. I have two other sons, Larry (Pam) and Bob (Jill), whose unions have produced three grandchildren, Kevin, Katie and Alex. I am told I have outlived all of my first cousins, making me the patriarch of the John Oeler family from Altstatten, Switzerland. I now pass this title to brother, Tom. Unfortunately, there is no bejeweled crown to go with this. I have had a great deal of curiosity about many things; namely, but not limited to, woodworking, photography, gardening, winemaking, grafting fruit trees, riding trains, beekeeping, linguistics, human physiology, genealogy, and old iron furnaces. I have worked up until my retirement first at the A& P in Duquesne, then during World War II as an operating room technician in the 56th Portable Surgical Hospital stationed in the Philippines. My life's work was with U.S. Steel, Duquesne Works as a chemical/metallurgical technician. In 1956, I moved to West Mifflin near the confluence of Bull Run and Thompson Run Creeks where Ruth and I raised our family. As I really liked flowers, I can no longer enjoy them. Perhaps a better way to memorialize me would be to make a donation to the David Oeler Award c/o G.P.S.I.A. University of Pittsburgh, 3601 Wesley W. Posvar Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. It helps out students that have the same interests that Dave had.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, at the MALOY-SCHLEIFER FUNERAL HOME, 915 Kennedy Ave., Duquesne, 412-466-3300, William B. Schleifer, Supervisor, William Brian Schleifer, Funeral Director. Blessing service will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, at the funeral home followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Agnes Church, West Mifflin, with the Rev. Joseph Grosko officiating. I will be buried next to Ruth and Dave in St. Joseph Cemetery with military honors. If you're in the area, stop by and visit. I'm not going anywhere.
Auf Wiedersehen, APO. We would like to thank his family, friends, co-workers, and caregivers for providing him with such an enriched life. The values that Dad, Mom, and Dave instilled in us will last for generations.

Originally published January 22, 2016.

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