Anna Rose Kasinec Yarish
formerly of Masontown
Beloved mother, grandmother, and great- grandmother, Anna “Ann” Rose Kasinec Yarish, of Fairfax, Va., died peacefully Tuesday, May 26, 2026. She was 95 years old.
A proud matriarch, sharp card-player, and lifelong quick-wit, Ann was born December 22, 1930, in Masontown, the daughter of Frank and Sophie Kasinec. Her emigrated through New York City in 1915 and 1918 and after meeting, quickly married and moved to Masontown to find work in the coal industry. There, Ann’s father worked in the mines and her mother operated a grocery out of their family home.
Ann grew up one of 13 children, eight of whom survived to adulthood. She was predeceased by her elder siblings Mike, George, Mary, Margaret; as well as by her younger siblings, Chuck and Martha “Babe”.
In her early years, Ann worked jobs cleaning homes, dusting at the local furniture store, and running the firemen’s bingo night. It was a bingo hall happenstance that led her to be set up on a blind date with the love of her life, Bill Yarish. She first met Bill in May 1948, shortly before her high school graduation. During their at-first secret (from Ann’s mother) dates, the two went out for drives, walks, and meals – often joined by Bill’s pre-teen sisters Nancy, Judy and Joyce, for whom Bill served as a caregiver. Looking back, Ann explained it simply: she fell in love with Bill because he was a “sweet, good guy.”
Bill and Ann were married June 10, 1950, and moved to Carmichaels, where Bill’s father operated a service station and he worked on cars at the garage. Later, Bill opened Yarish Garage on Route 21 in Carmichaels, along with Yarish Car Wash and a John Deere dealership. Ann kept the books. Together, they raised four children, who Ann gave the inspiration and encouragement to attend college. Ann and Bill remained happily married for 49 years until Bill’s death in 2000. Ann cherished Bill’s memory until her own passing, insisting all those years later that she was “still married.”
In addition to her bookkeeping duties and caregiving as a mother to four, Ann was a thoughtful, whip-smart, and outgoing organizer of people, places and things. While living in Carmichaels, she organized games of bridge, class reunions, church gatherings, and floats for the Bituminous King Coal Show. She was a longtime member of the Flenniken Public Library board (also managing the library’s accounting books).
She hosted decades of welcoming gatherings of her and Bill’s extended families for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other occasions, and was also a frequent visitor and enthusiastic care- provider to her six grandchildren-making many short trips to Uniontown and longer journeys to Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.
Later in life, Ann moved to Fairfax in 2019, joining The Woodlands Retirement Community. There, too, she organized and connected: making new friends, welcoming new residents, and becoming active in weekly games of dominoes, bridge, three-thirteen rummy, and Rummikub. Even as her mobility was diminished in recent years, Ann’s wit and competitive spirit burned bright, and she looked ever-forward to regular visits by her children and grandchildren for games and laughter.
Ann is survived by her sister, Betty Wolfe; her sisters-in-law, Judy Hollop and Joyce Kopinski; and her children, Billy Yarish, Mark Yarish, Sandy Bainum (Stewart), and Jamey Yarish (Leslie). She is also survived by her grandchildren, Brad Bainum (Mai Tyler), Alexa Yarish, Rebecca Luketich (Sam), Matt Bainum (Morgan), Emily Yarish, and Andrew Yarish. Ann was proud to be blessed with the recent arrival of two great-grandchildren, Evelyn Luketich and Lincoln Bainum. Together, they’ll carry with them the blessing of Ann’s memory, and her admonition to “wear a smile; it goes with everything.”
A wake will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 19, in YOSKOVICH FUNERAL HOME, INC. in Carmichaels. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 20, in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Carmichaels. Interment will follow at Laurel Point Cemetery.
Ann hated to dress in black, so please wear colors.
Additionally, a celebration of life event will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 21, in The Woodlands, a retirement community located at 4320 Forest Hill Drive in Fairfax, Va.-Ann’s home for most of the past decade.
No flowers, please. If moved to make a gift in Ann’s memory, please consider supporting: the Flenniken Public Library; the Corner Cupboard Food Bank; or St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 224 S. Market Street, Carmichaels, PA 15320.
Condolences can be made to the family at www.yoskovichfh.com