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Mary Jane (Gates) Siatkowski

Sept. 1, 1929 – Jan. 8, 2021

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Hollidaysburg Area School District crossing guard Jenny Wilt of Hollidaysburg stops traffic to allow students to safely cross Penn and Garber streets Friday.

Mary Jane (Gates) Siatkowski, 91, passed away in the late hours of Jan. 8, 2021, but not before saying goodbye to her family and many friends. She was born to Leslie and Georgiana Gates in Cresson.

After graduating from Saint Francis University in 1951, she followed in the footsteps of her mother and became a public school teacher. She taught in several school districts in Pennsylvania, and then relocated to Arlington, Va., County Public Schools from 1955-61 to teach English and Virginia history.

During her time in suburban Washington, D.C., she became lifelong friends with several federal government employees, occasionally driving right up to the White House doors and walking inside to pick one of them up for lunch.

A Pennsylvanian through and through, she returned to Cresson and met her future husband, Raymond Siatkowski, at the Rustic Isle in Duncansville, and they married on Oct. 13, 1961. Together, they frequented dance halls, attended musical and theater events and traveled often, especially enjoying Las Vegas and Florida. They had many wonderful friendships and enjoyed socializing with fellow Cressonites and many PA State Police families.

Jane served for many years in various capacities in the Penn Cambria School District until 1992. After retirement, she and Ray thoroughly enjoyed spending their winters on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They were married for exactly 54 1/2 years to the day before Ray’s passing in 2016.

Jane’s true joy in life was connecting with others. She held her family close to her heart, and her grandchildren were the light of her life. She prepared for their visits by stocking the fridge and cabinets with a multitude of snacks, cookies and other miscellaneous goodies.

Her passion for reaching out to others extended far beyond her family: she kept in touch with many of her former students and could often be found striking up conversations with strangers in public places. A favorite pastime of hers was sitting on her porch and talking to those passing by, whether she already knew them or not (which she mostly did).

In her later years, she enjoyed going to the Senior Activities Center in Cresson, even taking a stab at Wii bowling in her late 80s. Although she spent her final months in Oklahoma City to be closer to her son, Michael, and his family, Cresson truly was her home.

She is survived by her son, Mike; daughter-in-law, Rhea; and grandchildren: Abigail, Elizabeth and Joshua.

Her family would like to thank the congregation of the 28th St. Church of the Brethren in Altoona, of which Jane was a member for over 30 years, as well as Kathy and Bob Sheehan, for their wonderful friendships and special care in her final years.

Due to the pandemic, a celebration of life service will be held at a later date.