Obituaries

Louise Essey Zdilla

Date of Death: October 8, 2023
Obituary

Friends will be received on Friday, 3 November at a 10:00am visitation followed at 11:00am for Service and Burial at:

Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church
222 Mary St, Belle Vernon, PA 15012
(724) 929-9194

In lieu of flowers, Louise would want donation contributions to:

St Anthony the Great Orthodox Church,
66 Saint Anthony Way
Bozeman, MT 59718

Or

Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter
1549 E Cameron Bridge Rd, Bozeman, MT 59718

Louise Essey Zdilla, 96 of Big Sky Montana, and formerly of Rostraver PA for 50 years, died peacefully on October 8 at the Big Sky Medical Center in Big Sky Montana. She was born July 31, 1927 in Monessen PA the daughter of the late Ra’ifa (Jacobs - Antakli), and Slaybey Essey. She was a graduate of Monessen High School in 1943.
The founder of All Seasons Travel Agency, Rostraver, PA, Louise was an avid traveler and loved doing business with the Mon Valley community. A successful businesswoman, she nurtured four travel agencies in Monessen, Belle Vernon, New Stanton and Los Angeles California with her family members. She was a member of the Rostraver business association for years and was always involved in their activities.
In addition to her studies at the International School of Travel in Philadelphia PA, and obtaining her certificate as a Certified Travel Consultant, Louise loved cooking and graduated with an degree in culinary arts at Westmoreland County Community College. Louise’s love of cooking was coupled with her deep love for her family and family traditions. Her home and fabulous cooking was always at the center of family and friend gatherings for picnics, parties and holiday dinners.
Her cooking extended to always helping her church as she was member of St. Michael ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX church for more than 80 years and loved cooking with the St. Michael Ladies Society for dinners, church picnics and bake sales. She loved liturgical music and was a member of the choir.
Living in Montana, she cooked Syrian food for a local Bozeman restaurant and her son’s Catholic church. She loved offering her foods to friends in her Bozeman community, always hosting lunches and parties for them at her home. She was especially proud of her son and loved going to Mass at his church while always committed to her own Eastern Orthodox faith. Many years she celebrated the Holy Week liturgies when Fr Val would take her to the local Orthodox Church since she could no longer drive. She loved the ancient faith of her Syrian family until she died.
In the mid 50s, Louise and her husband Val owned and operated V.A.L (Val And Louise) restaurant in Monessen, PA where families and steel workers would come in for their delicious food.
Prior to her marriage, her love of beautiful clothes and dress led her to work at Millers department store in Charleroi, PA. Louise also worked for years at Hills Department Store in Belle Vernon, PA.
An avid lover of all animals, Louise and her husband always had animals and in her later years loved living in the midst of Montana’s wildlife near her son. She also loved the cabin her joint family owned in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland and took her family there often. Louise was also politically savvy and smart as a whip concerning anything to do with politics. Louise loved movies and delighted in watching movies as a young girl with her mother and later with her son and daughter. Louise especially loved her granddaughter Desiree and took great pride in helping raise her and was blessed to welcome her great-granddaughter Brynlee Louise into the family.
She was loved everywhere she went and was loved especially for her generous heart and unconditional love.
Louise is survived by her son Father Val Zdilla of Big Sky Montana, a daughter Adrienne (Jim) Galvin of Oro Valley Arizona, her granddaughter Desiree (Matt) Durka of Monongahela, great-granddaughter Brynlee and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Valley A Zdilla, her sister Mary Jacob, brothers Joe Essey, Ed Essey, George Essey, William Essey, and Emil Essey. In her last months she would mention how she looked forward to seeing them all again. Her Orthodox faith was her foundation.