Honoring a Daughter’s Legacy through the Arts 
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Honoring a Daughter’s Legacy through the Arts 

by Jennifer LoConte, Director of Communications 

A strong desire to help others in a way that made you never forget her, always rooting for the underdog, Latin music of Zumba, the color purple and high heels are all what comes to mind when remembering the life and spirit of Angela René Pessina, beloved and cherished daughter of Michele and Michael Pessina. ArtsQuest is humbled and beyond grateful for the generous gifts of support given by Angela’s parents, in their daughter’s memory; a daughter whose life was cut short during the early hours of October 28, 2012, as a result of a car accident. 

ArtsQuest will honor Angela and her parents along with her sister Alison and her husband Matthew Moors and grandsons Matthew Joseph and Liam Angelo, by naming a classroom in the new Cultural Center – the Angela René Pessina Classroom; the Angela René Pessina Scholarship Fund which will allow more students to attend arts classes; and bilingual signage that will be labeled on all classrooms, galleries, studios and additional rooms and spaces throughout the entire Cultural Center.  

I am honored to be able to write Angela’s story.  

Once your kids grow up, there’s a lot in their lives that you just don’t know about as a parent,” says Angela’s mom, Michele. “But after Angela passed away, we learned so much from people whose lives she touched in ways that we didn’t think possible, and we were truly the lucky ones to be her mom and dad.”  

Angela made friends wherever she went and maintained those friendships for decades. From attending summer camp as both a camper and counselor for nine years, to working at Lutron Electronics in customer service with South American customers while obtaining her teaching certificate, to all the people she met while working weekends as a server at Machs Gute. (Her photo with the words ‘Always a Machs Gute girl’ hangs prominently inside the restaurant), Angela was a friend to all she met. “She took the time to get to know others, like teaching a friend’s daughter Spanish each time they came to the restaurant to eat or teaching a high school football player how to knit to help his anxiety – and it worked,” comments Michael, semi-retired after 40 plus years with Lutron Electronics.  

Angela obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh where she majored in Spanish and minored in Portuguese. She briefly lived in Spain, then in Bethlehem with friends before moving home with her parents in 2012. Always active and busy, Angela also taught Zumba and had an affinity for the Latin music that accompanied it. “She also had a passion for art – doing illustrations and drawing, she had always taken many art classes growing up,” commented Michele, also a former teacher.  

Angela was a beloved Spanish teacher at Pen Argyl High School where she continued to make a difference. There was the high school janitor who danced to her Zumba music that she played in her classroom after school let out for the day and the student with mobility issues who told Angela’s parents that she helped him learn to ‘dance with his eyes’. The Pen Argyl High School football team wore her initials on their helmets just prior to the big game rivalry with Bangor High School and then presented Michele and Michael with the winning trophy. Angela made a deep and long-lasting impact in the lives of so many.  

Photo of Angela René Pessina

Photo of Michele and Michael Pessina

 

“She loved dressing up and wearing her high heels,” continues Michele. “At the funeral, many students wore heals to honor their Seniorita Pessina, even lifting up their pants leg to show them off to me.”  

“Angela was humble, like us,” says her father, “but she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, especially if she didn’t like the shirt or tie I was wearing,’ he said with a chuckle. “She truly cared about helping others, even though she had her own debt (as most college kids do), she donated frequently to St. Jude, something we weren’t even fully aware of.”  

While 12 years have passed, Michele and Michael still hear from so many who knew and loved Angela. It was from those countless stories they continued to hear through the years that moved them to continue Angela’s legacy, a legacy of helping others. “I didn’t expect our first meeting with ArtsQuest to result in a decision, but after meeting with Kassie, there was an immediate connection, and it felt right. The blending of services and programming was exactly what Angela would have wanted, and she also loved attending Musikfest with family and friends each August,” comments Michael. “We are also thankful to ArtsQuest for allowing us to be a part of something that is bigger than all of us. What this organization provides matches our vision of what we want to accomplish in preserving our daughter’s name.”  

“Angela’s classroom made a difference in the lives of her students,” continues Michael.  

“She had a strong connection with anyone who spent time there and we look forward to seeing how this new classroom (in her name) will make a lasting impact for all who learn here, scholarship funding so that anyone can participate in ArtsQuest programming and bilingual signage in a language that she loved.”  

To donate to the Angela René Scholarship Fund, please contact Selena Lavonier, Executive Director, ArtsQuest Foundation at slavonier@artsquest.org or 610-332-1345.