Brockway Woman of the Year
BROCKWAY – Barbara Ann (Piccirillo) Varischetti has left her mark on the Brockway community in many ways, which led to her being named the 2023 Brockway Woman of the Year.
“Genuine faith needs to be lived out,” Monsignor Charles Kaza said at the Citizens of the Year Banquet. “That is certainly the case for Barb.”
Barbara Varischetti was a regular face at multiple committees, and her generosity is well-remembered around the community. Barbara was instrumental in everything from a chapel in St. Tobas Cemetery to the area’s Meals on Wheels. When she was born in Ridgway to Carmen and Helen Piccirillo on Feb. 19, 1943, her family instilled a sense of service and hard work from a very young age.
Carmen Piccirillo was an MP in the Navy. Barbara was the oldest child, and when she was born, she went with her mother to live in Jacksonville, Florida, where her father was stationed. Later, the remaining five children came along: Kay Shaw of Erie, Ann Cristini of Brockway, Francis Piccirillo
of Cleveland, David Piccirillo of DuBois, and Joette Derricks of
Hershey.
The hard work began when she came back to Ridgway. Her parents, along with her dad’s two brothers, owned Keystone Hardware on Main Street in Ridgway. Since the Piccirillo children did not get an allowance, they all had to work to earn money. She began working at 12 years old at Helene’s Dress Shop in downtown Ridgway. She loved clothes and working with the owner, so she held the job all through high school.
While she started school at St. Leo’s in Ridgway, she transferred to the public school system there and she could walk with her siblings to school. If they had a few pennies to spend, the children remember stopping at McMahon’s for penny candy.
Barbara graduated in 1960 and soon went to work in Washington DC. That lasted for a little while until she returned to Ridgway to work for Erie Insurance. Then, a job opportunity at Honeywell in Tampa brought her back to Florida, but that was complicated by meeting the love of her life, Frank Varischetti, just before she went to Tampa. The relationship grew, and she married him on Aug. 31, 1968. That year is when the couple moved to Brockway, where both Varischettis would soon leave their biggest marks in the world.
The Varischetti business grew, and Barbara supported this by working in the office and raising the family: sons Frank, Steven, Peter, and Nicholas.
At the banquet, Nick Varischetti said that his mother was nimble, committed, fun, and respected. He compared her to the Proverbs 31 Woman of the Bible. Peter Varischetti said, “My father said that the best decision he ever made was marrying her.”
Barbara was very involved n St. Tobias Catholic Church. She was responsible for the construction of the cemetery's chapel, and she spearheaded the Front Door Project on Main and Hewitt streets, which welcomed people to the church. She also worked on the Stance Committee of the church, and she was an inaugural member of the St. Vincent DePaul Society, which started in 1988, and she was the treasurer for many years. She liked to make holidays bright for those in need, shopping for clothes, food, supplies, and toys for families in the community.
That love of service led to joining Meals on Wheels. She developed nicknames for the recipients. There was “The Kissing Lady” who always gave them a kiss when she received her meal, “The Disappearing Man” whose voice they heard each visit but whose face they never saw, and “The Christmas Tree Man” who kept a tree up yearround and changed decorations to reflect the current season.
Barbara was a charter member of the Brockway Nursery School, a member of the Football Boosters, the Brockway Wrestling
Association, and the Brockway Progressive Women's Club.
Barbara is described as a staunch supporter of the American Cancer Society's Daffodil Days. She was often seen wearing yellow while delivering bouquets of daffodils throughout town. The community said it was her own way of “promoting a cause close to her heart while bringing a smile to many faces.”
Barbara now has 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren to keep her busy, and the community expects to see her at athletic events for years to come.
Barbara is perhaps best known as the president of the Frank Varischetti Foundation since it started in 2007.
She and her children formed the foundation to commemorate her late husband and to enhance the quality of life in the region. It supports nonprofit organizations that provide food, clothing, and shelter to those in need. They also support community projects that promote culture, recreation, health, and education. Visually, the Foundation left its mark on Brockway by commissioning the mural on the side of Carnesali's. The Foundation has led the Brockway
Recreational and Revitalization plan that enhanced Frank Varischetti Field and Taylor Memorial Park. It has also created the annual Frank Varischetti All-Star Football Game, which has provided over $100,000 in scholarships and highlights talented football players from 22 school districts in the region. It established the Frank Varischetti Memorial Scholarships at Brockway
and Ridgway high schools. In 2015, the Foundation added the Varischetti Family Incentive Scholarship, which support students at the Brockway Campus of Butler County Community College. In DuBois, the Foundation has led to the construction of the Boundless Playground where children with developmental disabilities can play. It has opened the Frank Varischetti Trauma
Center at Penn Highlands DuBois. It has also created the Frank Varischetti Aquatic Center at the DuBois YMCA. These are just a few highlights of the Frank Varischetti Foundation's contributions under Barbara's leadership.
“I am overwhelmed and absolutely shocked,” she said after accepting the award. “Thank you very much. I appreciate it.”
According to the Brockway Citizens of the Year Committee: “Barbara Ann Varischetti is being recognized for her long time of community service and generosity to Brockway community through the Varischetti Foundation and the St. Tobias Church. She is instrumental in many of the programs and services that make Brockway a great community.”