Edith Dominici Antolak (100) of St. Clairsville, OH passed away at her daughter's home surrounded by family on October 24th, 2022.

She was born on October 13th, 1922 in Cabin Creek, WV to Angelo and Ernesta Bernadini Dominici, who immigrated from Perugia, Italy in 1920. From Cabin Creek, the family moved to Fairpoint, Ohio in 1923 where her father found employment as a coal miner, and there Edith grew up with her five siblings. Edith was a clever child who won spelling bees and excelled in arithmetic. Because of her responsibilities at home, she was only able to attend Fairpoint school through the 8th grade, but her continued thirst for knowledge led to her success in work and life.

During prohibition their house served as a hub of wine production, where they secretly made wine in the basement, only accessible through a hidden trap-door beneath a rug in the dining room. The family wine continued to be enjoyed during holidays and celebrations for years and years thereafter.

Edith was a real-life "Rosie Riveter." During World War II, Edith and her sister Jennie moved to Detroit, MI to work for Briggs Manufacturing, producing airplane parts for the war effort. During her time there, and, no doubt, because of her meticulous nature, Edith was promoted to an inspector.

She returned to the Ohio Valley after the war, and found employment at a printing company in St. Clairsville. Following that, she maintained a job at the A&P on Main Street, and soon thereafter, she met the love of her life, George Antolak. Edith and George were married in 1952, and remained so for forty-four years until George's death in 1996.

Edith seemed to never tire. Twice she traveled to Europe with Emery Stewart's Culture Club and   kept pace with the high school students. She maintained her own landscaping, cutting the lawn, weeding, and planting a garden until age 94.

Growing up during the Depression shaped her life to the point that she became adept and resourceful at repurposing items that most people would discard—cereal box liners, bread bags, Cool Whip containers, to-go boxes, even cleaning zip-loc bags so that she could reuse them.

Edith took pride in her house where she lived until her 95th birthday. The kind of homemaker who made life look easy, she kept home pristine and spotless. Nothing was ever out of place. Her attention to detail, organization, planning, and rigorous household routines meant that she was always ready for guests and never forgot a birthday or anniversary. Her servant's heart made life enjoyable for so many.

She had a passion for cooking and baking.  Her recipes had limited details, and she relied on her natural instincts for flavor to create her culinary delights, especially her famous homemade bread, poppyseed rolls, spaghetti sauce and meatballs. Every Christmas, she baked an astonishing 100 dozen cookies for her family and friends. She loved supporting her children and grandchildren, never missing one of their numerous sporting events or musical performances. She especially loved attending her son's baseball games, as Bob Antolak was quite an accomplished athlete. Following her son's passion for baseball, she was a dedicated Pittsburgh Pirates fan, and for years she watched every game, tracking all the players' stats by hand in a notebook that she kept by her chair.

Her devotion to her family was unwavering, and her pride in them unmatched. Even when she was ninety-nine and one hundred years old, she would light up with joy and pride whenever one of her great-grandchildren would walk into the room. On October 9th family and friends gathered and celebrated her 100th birthday.

In addition to her parents, Edith was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, George Antolak; brothers, Joseph and Dante Dominici; and sisters, Jennie Dominici, Helen Dominici, and Emma Dominici Pelot.

She is survived by her daughter, Rita Antolak Beck (Ron Kaclik) of St. Clairsville, George Antolak of St. Clairsville, and Robert (Donna) Antolak of Tennessee; devoted niece Elizabeth (Chris) Conrad of Florida; grandchildren, Shaye (Scott) Hanna, Jana (Robert) Kurth, Kelsey (Jack) Schott, Anthony (Carla) Antolak, Kellyn (Drew) Lakhardt, Meagan Antolak, and Sasha Kaclik Oakes; great grandchildren, Roby and Emmalynne Hanna, Geneva, Noah, and Rosalina Kurth, John, Edith, and Penelope Schott, Roman, Reed, and Nora Kolaczynski; grandnephew Corbin Cooper and grandniece Caroline Cooper.

She lived an extraordinary life, one that spanned nearly every significant event of the twentieth century, as well as the turbulent first two decades of the twenty-first. It was a complete life, one full of passion, labor, bootlegging, cooking, cleaning, but most of all, loving—loving her family in only the way the best mothers and grandmothers can love. She lived with a strength of spirit, body, and will that allowed her to always persevere in the face of numerous adversities. Hers was such a meaningful life and one that gave life to so many others. She will be dearly missed and always remembered.

Kelsey Schott's 2003 oil painting series of Edith will be on display at the funeral home.

Family and friends will be received on Wednesday, October 26th from 6 to 8 p.m. at Toothman Funeral Home in St. Clairsville, Ohio. Visitation at 1pm on Thursday, October 27th with a funeral service at 2pm.  Burial will follow at Union Cemetery, St. Clairsville.