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Nancy Truxal most likely would have sung to her husband of 64 years over a simple meal for Valentine's Day Tuesday evening.
Instead, her family will remember her life, which was full of singing and teaching.
“That was her life,” Carl Truxal, 89, said of his wife. “It was all she's ever done. … She never expected to do anything different.”
Nancy J. Tobin Truxal of Delmont died Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, in Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital. She was 87.
Mrs. Truxal received a bachelor's degree in music education from Indiana State Teachers College, where she met her husband. They married June 8, 1952.
Mrs. Truxal taught music in Philipsburg, Millersburg, New Wilmington and Greensburg Salem School District and directed 18 musicals and “scores of concerts,” said her son Steven Truxal, 61, of Greensburg.
She also served as a choir director at Maplewood United Presbyterian Church and Greensburg United Church of Christ.
“Oh, yeah, we (siblings) all sang. We learned how to project and make ourselves be heard. My confidence is attributed to her,” Steven Truxal said, adding that he and his siblings had roles in some of the musicals.
Her musical lessons extended outside the family. Mr. Truxal said his wife always made visitors sing — whether you wanted to or could, he said.
“She said, ‘If you can't sing good, sing loud.' She was kidding, but you know,” he said.
Mr. Truxal said his plans for celebrating Valentine's Day this year were simple but personal.
“I had a box of candy, shaped like a red heart, and a card that I was going to give her,” he said.
His advice for lasting love is just as simple.
“You have to communicate, always. There can't be any secrets and stuff like that. Oh … and it's ‘our' money,” Mr. Truxal said with a laugh.
Steven Truxal said his mother, in addition to an aptitude for teaching music, had a quick wit and a genuine love for all.
“It was a real challenge to get ahead of her; you could never get ahead of her. That's something we'll miss,” he said.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Truxal is survived by her children, David C. Truxal and his wife, Debbie, of Pittsburgh; Steven J. Truxal Sr. and his wife, Karen, of Greensburg; and Susan L. McLeod and her husband, Dale, of Murrysville; and seven grandchildren.
Family and friends will be received from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Kepple-Graft Funeral Home, 524 N. Main St., Greensburg, where a funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Interment will follow at Twin Valley Memorial Park.
Dillon Carr is a Tribune-Review staff writer.
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