Magdelene Lynn (Ragazinsky) Soukup

MAGDELENE (LYNN) SOUKUP

On Friday, March 4th, Lynn Soukup, 79, peacefully stepped out of this earthly life into her next Great Adventure after a series of health struggles gradually dimmed her vibrant spark.

Born March 8, 1942 in Shenandoah, PA, one of Joseph and Theresa Ragazinsky’s four daughters, Lynn learned from an early age the value of faith, hard work, and responsibility helping with the family businesses, Ragazinsky Bottling Works and ice cream parlor. Lynn completed 12 years of Catholic education and went on to business school, preparing for an exciting career in Washington DC, where she progressed to administrative assistant for NASA. It was there that she met the man who would be her perfect match and partner, George Soukup.

George and Lynn married and ultimately moved to Western PA to raise their three children: Joel (Lynne) Soukup of Westborough, MA, Karen (Joe) Torta of Harrisburg and Laura Soukup of Ohio Township, PA. A spontaneous, creative spirit with a great love for literature, art, and language, Lynn was the mother and grandmother who encouraged every attempt and cheered every accomplishment. She always had her eyes open for educational or informational items to share with her family – her overflowing bookcases and file folders filled with articles, brochures, course schedules a testimony to her curiosity and passion for new horizons.

Sharing was something Lynn did as easily as breathing – she was happy to volunteer her time, energy and enthusiasm, spreading her unique joy in service through her church (Sacred Heart Church, Jeannette, PA) and community. She had a gift for connecting resources to the right people, personally collecting and distributing a variety of items over the years: compost bins, furniture, food donations, clothing, pamphlets, statues, and the occasional stray pet. Her heart was big enough to encompass any effort where she could make a difference, and her enthusiasm pulled in everyone around her, building a family legacy of volunteering and giving.

The family legacy also lives on in the immense love and dedication shared between George and Lynn throughout their 55 years of marriage and life together. Theirs was a true blending of complementary personalities, merging together to match each other’s weaker points with their own strengths, living an amazing life bringing out the best in each other. George provided the stable foundation of support and logistics to Lynn’s exuberance and spur-of-the-moment ideas. This led to many an entertaining story: Conestoga wagon rides, Amtrak adventures, shrines and pilgrimage discoveries, clam digging at dawn, road trips for amazing food at a hole-in-the-wall in a town you never heard off…that was Lynn and George at their best. We were privileged to witness this beautiful marriage lived to its fullest, with love and commitment at its center.

Lynn will be missed – her sense of humor, sharp wit, extensive vocabulary, her faith and love, her messy projects, cooking adventures – but we also know this is the journey she always imagined and prayed for. She was so sure and strong in her faith, even as her health began to decline, that we mourn only for our own loss, not her Eternal Gain.

Lynn leaves behind her husband, George, her three children with their families, six grandchildren, and a multitude of family and friends throughout the community. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Scottdale Healthcare and its hospice affiliate, Suncrest, for their compassionate and loving care of Lynn. Visitation will be held on March 9th from 2PM to 4PM and 6PM to 8PM in the Mason-Gelder Funeral Home, Inc. 201 N. First St. Jeannette PA. The Altar Rosary Society will pray the rosary at 3:30PM.  A mass of Christian burial will be held on March 10th at 11AM at Sacred Heart Church, 504 Cowan Ave. Jeannette PA. Interment will be held privately at Twin Valley Memorial Park, Delmont, PA. To send online condolences visit www.mason-gelder.com. 

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