Beth Anne Shaw

Beth Anne (Wakefield) Shaw, age 68, from Verona, Pennsylvania, passed away suddenly August 6, 2025 in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. She was preceded in death by her first husband Joseph Miller and third husband Fred Strough. She had three children; Amanda Miller, Adam Shaw and Allison (Strough) Weisneck, and two grandchildren; Tim and Emilia Weisneck. Beth had six siblings: Edward Wakefield, Steven Wakefield (Deceased), Diane Nagyiski, William Wakefield, Pamela Fitzroy and Lynn Wakefield. Now for the hard part, how to sum up an entire person in a few lines of text, because to those who knew and loved her she was so much more than words can say. Beth was born July 23, 1957 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, the 5th child of Evelyn (McHugh) Wakefield and Charles Wakefield. She was an employee of Mine Safety Appliances for over 30 years in various departments. As she liked to put it, she was "upgraded from a Major Pain to a General Ass(embler)." Beth enjoyed concerts and local cover band shows, movies, reading, and especially the companionship of her dog, Ziggy. Beth was jokingly an "avid hooker" (she loved to crochet.) When she decided to move to an apartment, her children made a game of yelling from room to room that they "FOUND MORE YARN!" as they cleared her house, finding it stuffed into every closet, cabinet, nook and cranny available. Except the kitchen - she drew the line at that. Instead, in the kitchen you could find every new gadget coming down the pike… each one gently used (meaning still in the box.) Unbeknownst to her children, Beth had finally started writing her first novel The Sum of All Lives after years of being told she should. She once joked she'd call it My Life and Why I Ended It if she ever got around to writing it. Beth always had a story to tell and could deliver it in a way that held your attention. She had a warm personality that endeared her to many and provided hours of entertainment. She could make a friend anywhere she went - including on a random flight to Nebraska. Her quick wit produced comebacks that were punny, sarcastic, or downright irreverent. Once, when the water bill spiked due to a leak, she mailed the company a photo of her firstborn male child as a down payment. They didn't find it funny. We did. She loved her family and was a lifelong friend to many, especially "Aunt" Mary (Wannagat). She will be missed and thought of often by those who knew and loved her. P.S. If you believe in psychics "phone" her up some time. We are sure she would love to hear from you. Services will be held 2pm Sunday, September 7, 2025 at Universal Banquet Hall located at 2240 Main St. Penn Hills, PA 15235. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Diabetes Association www.diabetes.org Professional services entrusted to Thomas M. Smith Funeral Home & Crematory Ltd, 930 Center Avenue, Blawnox, PA, 15238; www.thomasmsmithfuneralhome.com.

Beth Anne Shaw

July 23, 1957 - August 6, 2025