AMY NADINE (nee RUFF) MAHEN

Amy Nadine (nee Ruff) Mahen, age 55, of Allegheny County PA, passed away on October 3, 2025. She was the nurturing mother of Mackenzie (Jonathan) McGoran, Mallory Mahen and Mandy Mahen; former spouse of Mark Mahen; sister of Melissa Jane Ruff and Thomas Justin Ruff; daughter of Wendy Jane (nee Kress) Ruff and her Dad, Thomas Howard Ruff. Amy was a graduate of North Allegheny High School in Wexford PA and Allegheny College in Meadville PA where she was an Alden Scholar and inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, America's most prestigious honor society for academic excellence. A Latin major, Amy was one of thirty-five students in the USA, chosen by Stanford University, to study for a semester at the InterCollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome, Italy. Since 1st grade, Amy would complete her homework as soon as she arrived home from school. At age 5 years, Dad impressed upon Amy to study as much Latin as she could because many English words are derived from it. Dad meant in High School and he did not know until her Junior year at Allegheny College that Amy's major was Latin. Before beginning her studies in Rome, Amy and Dad toured/self-navigated using maps and asking questions to locals, (via train, on foot, and afloat) Western Europe, including Frankfurt am Main, Baden-Baden, and the Black Forest (savoring genuine Black Forest Cake, entering the open/unattended Konrad Adenauer Chapel within the forest and Dad watching his fearless/adventurous daughter climbing about the boulders at stupendous waterfalls, in Germany. In France at Strasbourg (she particularly enjoyed riding an old Carousel like a child jockeying the Whirlwind at Kennywood Park) and in Paris (ascending the Eiffel Tower and visiting the Louvre Museum - she was especially desirous to view the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci), and exploring the Notre-Dame Cathedral. In Venice, Italy, Amy and Dad traversed many canals via Gondola boats, dined at various outdoor cafés, and they were transported by a speedboat to an island where the glassblowing process was actively performed by artisans. The final leg of their journey together was to Rome, Italy where, among others, they saw the ruins of the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and Vatican City where they entered Saint Peter's Basilica. Amy and Dad found Rome at night to be spectacular, captivating, and enchanting with its lighted fountains, statues and other architectures. Especially pleasing to them were its outdoor cafés, whether dining day or night, and its bistros serving authentic pizza, pastries, and other Italian cuisine. Leaving his picturesque and astonishing daughter, Amy, in Rome was extremely demanding for Dad but he knew that she would thrive on her own. Amy learned to appreciate cultural differences and she relished ingesting varying ethnic foods. She was quite fond of the many outdoor cafés in Europe. Besides having excellent study habits and excelling in academics, Amy was an accomplished pianist, iron-willed, and a fierce competitor (losing was antithetical to her). Although Amy played hard, she prized having fun and being a mother. Services were held, on October 12, 2025, at the Thomas M. Smith Funeral Home in Blawnox PA 15238. Her internment, on October 13, 2025, was at Mount Royal Cemetery in Glenshaw PA 15116, alongside Amy's maternal grandparents Virginia Neff Kress and Robert William Kress. Amy's paternal grandparents, Albert Howard Ruff and Alfretta Tomlinson Ruff are interned at Mount Royal Cemetery too. Albeit she will be missed by many in our mortal time, Amy's soul is with our loving Heavenly Father; she is resting and at peace.

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