Ann Gohoshy Kobaly George – Belle Vernon
At age 92, Ann went to be with Jesus and her family who went before her on the morning of Nov. 14, 2020, at Westmoreland Hospital. After suffering a broken leg, she was rehabilitating in a skilled nursing facility in Hempfield, where she contacted COVID-19. Ann was very well-known around the Mon Valley area, where she lived most of her life. She was born to Albert and Jenny Miehl Gohosky on Sept. 28, 1928, in Whitsett, Pa. Both of her parents immigrated from Poland at the turn of the century and came through Ellis Island. She was the youngest of nine children and in 1947, the only one in her family to graduate from high school, from old Marion High School. Her father and mother were very proud of her and depended on her for family decisions. Ann was very hard working and wanted to achieve a better life for herself. She worked at the old “Dog House” as a teenager to pay for her prom dress and other school necessities. At the age of 22, she met and married Milton Kobaly in 1950. She did housework to help with finances, where she learned about the finer things in life. In the mid-1950s, Ann and Milton purchased the first Trocadero, a dance hall and tavern, from Milton’s parents, who wanted to retire. The old Trocadero was torn down and replaced with a new Trocadero closer to Route 201. Approximately seven years later, they added hotel rooms, a coffee shop, a state-of-the-art dining room, a banquet hall and an in-ground swimming pool. Many beautiful banquets and weddings took place at the New Trocadero Motor Lodge. The Bongo sign and business was a landmark to many. Ann was a natural businesswoman and managed the entire business. She did a wonderful job. She was very honest and had a wonderful personality. People really liked her and enjoyed her company, as she did theirs. Unfortunately, in the mid-1970s, Ann and Milton divorced, and Ann left the business. In the mid-1980s, Ann remarried to Audra George. They enjoyed 33 married years together. Ann was quite intelligent and made the most of her life, whatever was thrown at her. Her greatest heartache was the passing of three of her four children to various illnesses. She was very strong and handled the losses with the help of God. She was a lifelong member of St. Sebastian Catholic Church. God gave Ann many beautiful attributes. She said she loved being a mother to her children. Really, she was “everyone’s” mother and grandmother. She was a loving mother who gave it all for her children. Her children said God gave them the “best” mother. Ann took pride in cooking dinners, especially during the holidays, where there were extra place settings in case someone dropped in. She loved playing cards, being a homemaker and mother, running the business and enjoying her family. She got along with her neighbors and was a great friend to many. She never forgot where she came from and had compassion for those less fortunate. In her later years, she enjoyed going to the casino. She said it was like going on vacation. Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Audra George; her daughter, Bonita “Bonnie” Kline and husband Dennis; four grandchildren, Alesandra, Jacob, Milton III and Angel; two great-grandchildren, Claira and Elijah; and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her three children, Margaret, Cynthia and Milton II; five brothers, John, Albert, Rudy, Leonand and Joe Gohosky and their wives; three sisters, Jenny Brown, Bernice Santavicca and Helen Bochniak and their husbands; and many nieces and nephews. There was no public viewing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After a private family viewing, she was laid to rest in Belle Vernon Cemetery with her family. Father David J. Nazimek from St. Anne’s Church in Rostraver Township spoke at the small, private viewing and at the grave site on Nov. 19, 2020. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to ELEY/MCCRORY FUNERAL HOME INC., Fayette City.
