Nancy (Mattern) Happel

Nancy Mattern Happel

Age 94, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

Nancy was born in Cadiz, Ohio on October 10, 1928 to John Elmo and Edith Freeburn Mattern.  After graduating from high school, she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she met her husband, William James Happel.  She was an avid musician all her life and after raising her children, she enrolled in college. In 1988, she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Chatham University. She was an active member in Pittsburgh’s Tuesday Musical Club and continued to perform in the area with a final two piano performance for the Steinway Society of Western Pennsylvania.  She loved music and enjoyed sharing her passion for the piano by teaching scores of aspiring musicians.   After retirement, Nancy and her husband enjoyed spending their summers in Maine. 

Nancy was also an active community member. She worked at the O’Hara Township polling station for many years and volunteered in the archeology section at the Carnegie Mellon Museum of Natural History. She and her husband attended Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church and were proud to be among the church’s original charter members.   

Nancy is predeceased by her husband of 58 years, William James Happel and her sister Constance Mattern North. She is survived by her children Lindsay (Art), Megan (Eric), Bill (Cathy) and Sam (Barb), ten grandchildren, ten great grandchildren, by her sister Marilyn Mills as well as numerous nieces and nephews.  Nancy was a wonderful, loving mother and wife.  In addition to music, her interests included reading, two or three books at a time, crossword puzzles, in ink, and family genealogy.  She will be remembered for her strength, her wit and sense of humor, and for her love of family.  

The family would like to offer a special thank you to the staff at Woodside Place and The Willows of Presbyterian Senior Care, Bridges Hospice and especially to Cathy C. and the staff at Comfort Keepers for their care and compassion over the years.

A private memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements by Weddell-Ajak Funeral Home, Aspinwall.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to: Woodside at the Willows c/o Presbyterian Senior Care Foundation, 1215 Hulton Road, Oakmont, PA 15139.

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