Mary Jean Milich, age 82, of Center Township, passed away Wednesday, March 18, 2020, at Concordia Lutheran Ministries in Cabot.
Born in Pittsburgh on April 2, 1937, Mary Jean was the daughter of the late William E. and Jean Connolly Blankenstein.
She was a member of Saint Paul Roman Catholic Church.
Mary Jean was a graduate of Crafton High School and Cornell University. After post-graduate study at Carnegie-Mellon University she taught in the Pittsburgh Public Schools and, following that, she was employed as a legal secretary in Pittsburgh and later in Washington, D.C. She returned to Pittsburgh in 1965 to work for the Richard King Mellon Foundation.
In 1970 Mary Jean met and married Gene Milich. Their daughter Ellen was born in 1971. Mary Jean then retired to become a full-time mother and homemaker. In 1980 the Milichs purchased property in rural Center Township and “Milwood Acres” became home for them and their beloved Great Danes. There Mary Jean finally realized her life-long dream of having a horse and soon three horses occupied their barn.
In addition to caring for her family and animals Mary Jean pursued many hobbies, especially needlepoint and drawing and painting. She was a member of the Associated Artists of Butler County and the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society.
Mary Jean was preceded in death in 2012 by her husband, Gene, and her brother Bill Blankenstein. She is survived by her cherished daughter, Ellen, of Butler, and her sister, Nancy Blankenstein, of Pittsburgh.
There was no visitation, and funeral services were private.
Burial took place in Calvary Mausoleum, Butler.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Butler County Humane Society, 1015 Evans City Road, Renfrew, PA 16053.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to the care of Martin Funeral Home, Inc., 429 Center Avenue, Butler.