Mary Helen Ames, 85, of Gresham Road, Titusville, died at 6:05 am, Monday, March 31, 2014, at the Titusville Area Hospital.

Born October 15, 1928 in Marble, she was a daughter of the late Frank and Helen Baughman Hargenrader.

Mrs. Ames graduated from Shippenville High School in 1947, where she was a cheerleader.

She played softball as a pitcher for a local team in Marble.

Prior to her marriage, she worked for Farmer Mutual Insurance Company in Marble.

Mrs. Ames loved to square dance and called dances.

She was a very good seamstress and made lots of clothes for her 3 boys and daughter. She also made fancy sweatshirts and other clothes, did crafts, and helped her son Dan build a 2 story garage. She loved birthdays, anniversaries and had her school class in for dinner and played games and visited.

Mrs. Ames went to Ontario every August on a fishing trip and usually caught the largest fish.

She retired from the Oil City School District in 1991.

They had a cottage at Henrys Bend when the children were young where they had parties, mostly relatives for swimming, card games and horseshoe pitching. She especially enjoyed 500, canasta and pinochle.

On September 25, 1954 she married Charles J. Ames in St. Michael Church in Fryburg by Msgr. Theobold.

In addition to her husband, surviving are four children, Kirby Ames and wife Tammy, Linda McBride and husband Joe, Jeff Ames and wife Elizabeth, and Dan Ames and wife Leslie; 14 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.

Also surviving are a sister, Germaine Smith; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by four brothers, Harold Hargenrader, Edward Hargenrader, Paul Hargenrader and Henry (Hank) Hargenrader; and a sister Dolores Weaver.

Friends may call at the Morrison Funeral Home on Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 pm.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 2 pm Saturday in St. Venantius Church in Rouseville, with the Rev. Matthew Ruyechan, presiding.

Interment will be in the Dempseytown Lutheran Cemetery. A luncheon will follow in the social area of St. Venantius Church

The family suggests memorials be made to the St. Stephen Second Century Fund or to a charity of one’s choice.

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