Joan Marie (Bakas) Halupa

Joan Marie (nee Bakas) Halupa, 88, passed away peacefully from complications related to cancer in Deer Lake at the home of her daughter, Darlene Behler, on February 4, 2025 at 11:20p.m., 

surrounded by her loving family. 

Born in Ashland on June 14, 1936, she was the only daughter of the late John and Mary (Kuchinsky) Bakas and was raised in Saint Clair. 

She graduated from Saint Clair High School earned an Associate's Degree from Ford School of Business.  She was employed as a secretary at J.C. Ehrlich Co. in Pottsville and a clerk at Boscov's. 

Joan Marie married her sweetheart, Metro ("Sonny") Halupa, at St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in Frackville on April 27, 1958, where she remained a member.  They lived in

Harrisburg and Frackville before moving to Saint Clair, next door to Joan Marie's parents.  They were blissfully married nearly 55 years, until Metro passed away on February 27, 2013.  

Beautiful inside and out, Joan Marie radiated warmth and charm.  She was kind, mild, loyal, dependable, giving, honest, patient, and gentle-but also strong, and at times, mischievous and 

hilariously funny.  A pretty and petite Lithuanian, she had red hair, sparkling blue eyes, and freckles.  Everyone who met her adored her, and many adopted her as a surrogate mother or 

grandmother.  She was an angel and is unforgettable.  

Her family and friends meant the world to her, and she always made sure they knew how much she loved them.  During her life, she enjoyed spending time with family and friends, dancing with

her husband, cooking holiday meals, enjoying blinis and pierogies, Boilo and Crown Royal, tending to her rose garden, playing slot machines at the casino, crossword puzzles, "spooky' movies, 

and watching her favorite soap operas, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy.  She was a member of the St. Clair Oldtimers Baseball Association.  

In addition to her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by her son-in-law Don Behler and dear friends Dorothy and Duke Kaunas.  

Joan Marie will be deeply missed and forever cherished by her daughter Darlene, widow of Don; daughter Mary Anne and son-in-law Harry Mistishen; grandchildren Stefanie Soriano and her 

husband Jose', Jacob Scholtes and his wife Ann, Joshua Scholtes and his wife Rachael, Justin Behler, Jaclyn DeLeo and her husband Vincent, and Derek Behler; great-granddaughters, Claire 

DeLeo and Harper Scholtes; brother John Bakas and sister-in-law Germaine; nieces and nephews; cousins; the Kaunas family; and countless extended family relatives and close friends.  

In her final days, she received excellent compassionate care from Compassus.  

Relatives and friends are invited to attend visitation in celebration of Joan Marie's life on February 12, 2025, from 9AM-10:30AM, at James H. Evans Funeral Home, Inc., St. Clair.  

Funeral services will be held at 11AM at St. Michael The Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in Frackville, with Rev. Petro Zvarych officiating.  Interment will follow in the parish cemetery.  

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital at 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105. 

James H. Evans Funeral Home, Inc., St. Clair is entrusted with arrangements.  

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