
Thomas K. “Thom” Shepler
Age 72, of Penn Hills, passed away Wednesday, November 5, 2025. Beloved husband of 48 years to Michele Shepler; father of Cori (Andrew) Tray; grandfather of McKenna Grace Tray; son of the late William and Dorothy Shepler. Thomas worked in healthcare for 56 years; 33 years at St. Francis Hospital and 23 years at Tri Rivers Musculoskeletal Centers. He was an avid toy train collector, a member of the Train Collectors Association, and was instrumental in starting the local area Hi-Railers train group. He was the president of the Corvette Club of Western Pennsylvania and loved to drive his 2001, Z06 Corvette on sunny days. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to a cancer charity of your choice.
Friends and family will be received in William F Gross Funeral Home, LTD., 11735 Frankstown Rd. (at Rodi Rd.), Penn Hills on Sunday, November 9, 2025 from 1 p.m. until the time of the Funeral Service at 3:45 p.m.
Jeans and a sweatshirt are appropriate attire, per Thom.
Ruby B. Giles
Age 90, of Murrysville, passed away peacefully with her family by her side, Saturday, November 1, 2025. Beloved wife of the late Wardell Giles; mother of Marlon Giles, Leimond Giles, and Deirdre Giles; sister of Ruth Outler and several other late siblings. Also survived by numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She was a very special woman that was deeply loved by her family and friends.
Service and interment private

Joseph E. “Joe” Santoquido
Age 96, passed away Wednesday, October 29, 2025. He is survived by his daughters Christina Constantine and Anita Boehm, his beloved grandchildren Jenifer, John (Allie), and Luke Boehm, and great-grandchildren Matthew, Alexandra Josephine and Gwendolyn Boehm. Joe was preceded in death by his sisters Nancy Downs and Sara Paravati; and brother Anthony (Babe) Santaguida. He was the longtime loving companion of Dottie Manning.
Joe was formerly from Larimer Avenue, Morningside and finally Verona where he was a long-time member of the Verona Eagles 1634.
Joe proudly served our country in the Army actively fighting in the Korean War where he received two Bronze Stars.
Friends and family will be received in William F Gross Funeral Home, LTD., 11735 Frankstown Rd. (at Rodi Rd.), Penn Hills on Monday, November 3, 2025 from 1-7 p.m. A Blessing Service will be held at the funeral home on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. followed by a burial at Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery.

Frances Grazia (Caputo) Yancy
Of Penn Hills, passed away peacefully Wednesday, October 29, 2025, Wife of the late Agustus D. Yancy, Sr.; mother of Agustus D. “Gus” (Diane) Yancy, Jr., Theresa Maria Yancy, Carla Maria (Mark) Stanford and the late Christina Maria Yancy; grandmother of Nicholas, Daniel, Christopher, and Michael; step-grandmother of Alicia, Alexa, and DJ Condie; daughter of the late Ferdinando and Pia (DelFrate) Caputo; sister of the late Nancy Caputo, Norma J. DeRoma, and Mary G. “Babe” Sylvester.
Frances (Francesca) graduated from St. Mary’s of the Mount High School, then continued her education at Mount Mercy (Carlow University), where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Home Economics. Her first job was working at Mercy hospital as a Dietitian. It was there that she met her future husband, whom she had been married to for 18 years until his death.
Frances loved reading, an avid sports fan, gardening, and classic television shows. She loved cooking, baking, and teaching others family recipes, and reading multiple books at one time. Over the years, she has made close relationships with many people whom will miss her terribly, especially her laughter and smile.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Service and interment private.

Dorothy L. Kress
Age 88, of Oakmont, passed away Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Dorothy was born into a large close family in Squirrel Hill and lived there until she was kidnapped and taken into the wilds of New Kensington by her husband, Aaron, who preceded her in death three years ago.
Dorothy was a graduate of Allderdice High School and Oberlin College, where she studied art and met Pete Seeger a few times. Dorothy worked in book design in NYC for a short time, but she came back to Pittsburgh and we are all thankful for that because that’s when she met Aaron after he finished law school and they were married soon thereafter.
Dorothy and Aaron settled into New Kensington in 1962 and raised a family there. Dorothy taught in New Kensington and then Freeport while Aaron built his law practice. She was an active member of Beth Jacob Synagogue and taught Sunday school. She also volunteered at People’s Library, Project SEED, Easter Seals, and led a Brownie Troop. She was ahead of her time in being an advocate for inclusiveness and literacy with her work with children with disabilities and bringing Catholic and Jewish students together to learn about each other’s religions.
Dorothy was an artist and she instilled that creativity into her children and her grandchildren. Any random neighborhood kid who wandered into their home often had a paintbrush or ball of clay thrust into their hands.
With Aaron, Dorothy traveled the world. They biked, skied, and played tennis. Ever the artist, Dorothy took watercolor classes and photography classes. But mostly, Dorothy loved her children and grandchildren in extraordinary measure. She was never afraid to get on the floor or in the snow and reveled in playing make-believe with them for hours on end.
Mom was preceded in death by Aaron and her parents, Liv and Bernard Langer. She is survived by her brother, James Langer (Elinor), daughters, Becky (Phil) Fenoglietto and Margaret (Brian) Carlson; four grandchildren, Lew (Ally) Fenoglietto, Chris Fenoglietto, Emily Carlson, and Ben Carlson; three bonus grandchildren, Jessica, Kaylin, and Abby Kostic, and two great-granddaughters, Macy and Madeline Fenoglietto. She is also survived by a ton of cousins, most notably, Ellie Siegal.
She was loved and cherished by her tennis and book club friends who kept her going even when they stopped playing tennis and just met for lunch.
A Celebration of Life to honor both Dorothy and Aaron will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to People’s Library, 880 Barnes St., New Kensington, PA 15068, KNEAD Café, 1011 Barnes St., New Kensington, PA 15068, or Project SEED, c/o Alle-Kiski Valley Senior Citizens Center, 1039 3rd Ave., New Kensington, PA 15068. The family would like to thank Linda Venanzio and all of the caretakers at Longwood at Oakmont who gave her such loving care. Arrangements by William F. Gross Funeral Home, Ltd.