Madelon Sheedy

Madelon Unkovic Sheedy embraced eternal rest October 21, 2025 amidst family and angelic Sisters of Charity from Elizabeth Seton Memory care Center and Heartland Hospice. Her life was defined by graceful generosity and she was blessed with a vast support network who responded in kind even as she endured the ravages of dementia. Mary Madelon Unkovic was born October 6, 1936 in Pittsburgh, PA, the oldest of Nicholas and Mary’s five children. She graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in Philadelphia, earned a bachelor’s degree from Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY, then returned to Pittsburgh to obtain a Fine Arts Degree from Carnegie Mellon University. Her artistic vision bloomed into a prolific career as a museum curator, educator, and champion of local artists. Madelon was well-traveled and always impressed her friends and family with masterful itineraries. She found great joy in visiting her niece in Normandy. She forever loved the ocean and snapped many ill focused photos of remote distant beaches, and her family cherishes the uniquely captured moments. Given warm weather, Madelon’s neighbors always greeted her outside. Some of the glorious gardens in the valley endure her legacy. She treasured plants, wildlife, and her beloved back yard stream where she fed native trout cheese every day. During colder months, she played bridge, knitted, and baked unmatched home-grown-raspberry pies for family and friends during the holidays. All the while, Madelon taxied 4 children, meticulously policed homework assignments, spoiled the pets she rescued, and prioritized family events every day of the year. An accomplished, published writer, Madelon was also a passionate reader and long-term supporter of Ligonier Valley Library. She devoted time and expertise to dozens of civic and arts entities including the Bottle Works Art Center, Touchstone Center for Crafts, The Ligonier Valley Historical Society, Mountain Playhouse, Johnstown Art League, and Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art (SAMA). Local merchants smile as they recount her November door-to-door visits on behalf of Fort Ligonier’s winter wreath sale, wreaths that Madelon made by hand. She also volunteered for Holy Trinity Church, Junior League of Pittsburgh, Westmoreland County Blind Association, Valley School of Ligonier, Meals on Wheels, and local cub scout and brownie troops. In her 50th high school reunion handbook, Madelon described herself as “way too busy. By choice!” Madelon is survived by two siblings, four children and their spouses, six grandchildren, dozens of nieces and nephews, and extended family members who admired and adored her. A memorial mass will be held at Holy Trinity Church at 342 W. Main in Ligonier on Tuesday, October 28 at 10:30AM. Consistent with her selflessness, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Sisters of Charity Elizabeth Seton Memory Care Center or any of the aforementioned organizations. Arrangements entrusted to the Snyder-Green Funeral Home Ligonier Pa.