Bernie Chupasko, known for 70-year tenure at Tony’s Lunch, mourned
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL FILE - Bernie Chupasko, right, stands on her porch as a parade drives by her house, celebrating her 90th birthday in 2021.
GIRARDVILLE – If you stopped by Tony’s Lunch at any point before 2014, you likely knew her.
Bernadine “Bernie” Leona Chupasko, 93, passed away Tuesday peacefully at a Pottsville nursing home.
For 70 years, she worked at Tony’s Lunch, a mainstay in town.
A lifelong resident of Girardville, Bernie raised four children and was a beloved member of the community, best known by local residents who frequently dined at Tony’s Lunch, where she worked for 59 years as a waitress. She started helping there around age 14, when her family owned the restaurant more than 40 years ago. Once it was sold, she decided to stay on with the new owners.
To Bernie, the best thing about working all those decades at Tony’s Lunch was the wonderful people she met and came to know.
On her 90th birthday in 2021, the community wanted to let her know she hadn’t been forgotten.
Dozens of vehicles, led by Girardville Police and the borough’s two fire companies, paraded past Bernie Chupasko’s house on West Mahanoy Street, according to the Sentinel at the time.
Chupasko stood on her porch and waved as passersby provided birthday wishes.
Her parents, Rose and Salvatore Ranieri, raised her on John Street, along with sisters Louise, Marian, Elizabeth and Angeline.
Bernie is survived by her children, Roseanne, Michael and Joseph, and grandchildren Sal, Matthew, and JoyAnne. She was predeceased by another daughter, Margaret, in 2021. She also leaves behind several cousins, nieces and nephews.
A devout Catholic, Bernie was a longtime member of the former St. Joseph’s Church and St. Vincent de Paul in Girardville.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, March 4 at 11am from St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church, Girardville with Rev. Giuseppe Esposito, pastor, as the celebrant.”
Friends are invited to her viewing at the Thomas M. Sullivan Funeral Home, Girardville on Sunday evening from 6pm to 8pm and again on Monday morning from 9:30am to 10:30am.
About Author
