Jennie (Calve) Safreed, 105, Franklin Twp passed away peacefully in her sleep at Trinity Oaks in Ellwood City. She was the daughter of the late Nick and Caterine (Tornese) Calve and was born in the region of Calabria, Italy on March 11, 1921.
After going through immigration procedures at Ellis Island, Mrs. Safreed arrived with her family in Ellwood City on December 6, 1926.
Jennie Safreed lived and worked her entire life in the Ellwood City community. She worked in the accounting offices of the local US Steel plant from 1941 until the plant’s closing in 1975. During that time, she received further education. Mrs. Safreed was certified in Industrial Accounting from Penn State College in 1943 and received additional certification in the field of Business Machine Calculating from the Garfield Business Institute in 1947.
On December 19, 1970, Jennie married Paul Safreed, to whom she was married for 35 years. Mr. Safreed died on October 27, 2005. Jennie led an active life in the community. She was a CCD instructor at the former Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish. Mrs. Safreed was also a member and past president of the Ellwood City Garden Guild. She persisted in pursuing friendly card club activities offered in the Ellwood area. She maintained a gracious manner with numerous families, friends, and acquaintances, including a multitude of neighborhood children.
Other surviving family members include Wesley Ann (Calve) and her husband Vince Meneice of Franklin Twp., Paul (Rusty) Young of New Brighton. Mrs. Safreed also has several nieces and nephews living across the United States: John, Jim, and JoAnn Calve, Laura and Nancy LoBianco, Patricia, Josephine, Gene, and Edward Romano. Numerous great-nieces and great-nephews also survive, including those individuals living in the Ellwood City community: Carli (Young) and her husband Tanner Gilchrist and Samantha Young, Sarah (Calve) and her husband Zach Kruger, Andrew Calve, and her two great-great nieces; Lucy Ann and Mya Drew Gilchrist.
She is preceded in death by her husband Paul Safreed, by two sisters: Mary (Calve) LoBianco and Rose (Calve) Romano, three brothers: Francis Calve, Joseph Calve, and Nick Calve, and one nephew, David Calve and two nieces; Barbara (Calve) YoungJoAnn (LoBianco) Seidel.
The family would like to thank Trinity Oaks for their continued care, love and compassion shown to Jennie over the years she was a resident.
Friends may call on the family from 12:15pm-2:15pm on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Turner-Hyde Funeral Home in Ellwood City. A Mass of Christian Burial will immediately follow at Divine Grace Parish-Holy Redeemer Church at 2:30PM with Fr. James A. Wehner celebrating the mass.
Interment will be in Holy Redeemer Cemetery located in Ellwood City
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial donations be made in Jennie’s name to the Ellwood City Library.
Arrangements entrusted to the TURNER-HYDE FUNERAL & CREMATION SERVICES located at 6th and Park in Ellwood City.
“Aunt Jennie” was my dad’s (Nick) sister. My earliest memories were in the 60’s coming to my grandparent’s house after church seeing her at the stove cooking with my grandmother, who we called “Nana.” She was an amazing cook who made eggplant meatballs, homemade noodles, and of course Italian wedding soup with escarole.
Perhaps the best way to understand Aunt Jennie is to understand the environment she was raised in. My grandmother who I think my uncle Joe or dad nicknamed the “Warden”, was extremely strict especially with her daughters. Nana was the oldest daughter in her family, she completed second grade, and had to take care of her brothers and sisters while living in Italy.
Aunt Jennie married Uncle Paul Safreed in 1970, who our family nicknamed “John Wayne and Katherine Hepburn.” Together Aunt Jennie and Uncle Paul saw the country because Uncle Paul loved to drive; Aunt Jennie who was able to see many parts of the US that were unavailable to her, earlier in her life. Uncle Paul had a bit of a heavy foot and Aunt Jennie told me she sat in front seat of a speeding Cadillac while praying the rosary.
She and Uncle Paul initially lived on Spring Ave. (renting from Mrs. Mancini) around the corner from the “Tube Mill”, as it was called – before building and moving to Morningstar Drive. Uncle Paul supervised Ted Koziar who built the two houses. Uncle Paul was a gem who was very smart and seemed to know everything about building houses, cars…I was lucky to see them regularly, as I was their paperboy in the 70s delivering the Ellwood Ledger.
Aunt Jennie loved to travel and she visited Rome where her primarily uncles (Tornese) lived – after they relocated to Rome. Her relatives in Rome (as was the custom) would take August on vacation and Aunt Jennie joined them sometime enjoying the beach. Once-a-year she also took many wonderful US Steel sponsored vacation packages. She was perfect for traveling – as she was almost always upbeat, energetic, and fearless.
After Uncle Paul’s death, Aunt Jennie lived many years. She was tireless, I remember her running up the stairs even in her 70s, maybe her 80’s to stay in shape. And she seemed to manage the many changes in family, friends, and society. She had many wonderful neighbors on Morningstar including Theresa and Steve Gaydosz, and many others who looked after her (I apologize for not naming more of the wonderful neighbors).
As Aunt Jennie’s health began failed, the tireless Wesley, Vince, Andrew and Sarah took very great care of Aunt Jennie. Wesley who somehow flourishes on 3 hours of sleep, as many people know is a truly amazing person, who was extremely good to Aunt Jennie. She was also shrewd, assertive, & quite formidable when she had to be. This makes sense when you are under 5 feet tall, and grow up in a somewhat tough environment.
A writer, Edmund White, wrote that every time someone dies – a library burns. That seems especially true of Aunt Jennie. She told me about: picking figs from the trees (near her home in Italy) and laying them out in the sun to dry; how her dad made wine on a very large wine press in the basement, how he shipped in grapes from CA (Zinfandel…) and how they would turn the wine press and would then run upstairs and eat, visit, and of course – drink more wine.
My last great memory of Aunt Jennie was at Carli Young’s wedding. Aunt Jennie was determined to dance, even though the driver was more-than-ready to leave. I remember seeing Aunt Jennie being held by two young men who seemed to be twice her height – they were holding her up as she danced. She was laughing and smiling even as someone helped her to the car, the car that brought her home.