Sep 11, 2025

Carroll Township

While amyloidosis may have taken Rick Puskar from this earth Monday, September 8, 2025, the disease was never defined by a life lived with love, kindness and compassion.

Throughout his 60 years, Rick, who lived in Carroll Township, touched the lives of his family and friends in immeasurable ways, always ready to help, listen, share a laugh or express his deeply held Catholic faith.

Rick grew up as part of a hard-working middle-class family in Uniontown. His late father, Paul, was employed by Cavert Wire in Oliver and his mother, Joyce, was a schoolteacher at R.W. Clark Elementary School. They instilled a work ethic that was a foundation for him in many aspects of life.

In 1988, he married fellow Laurel Highlands High School graduate Lora Kolar. They embodied what a partnership based on unconditional love and support should look like. Lora was the love of his life and he called her his angel on earth. Lora had a steadfast devotion in caring for him for nearly 8 years during his battle with amyloidosis, multiple myeloma, and a brain tumor.

Rick had an enduring devotion to his family and his greatest joy in life was raising his son, Michael. They did everything together, from playing sports and cycling, to travelling all over the world. He supported Michael with everything in life, never missing a hockey, basketball or baseball game.

Rick lived a life rich with academic, athletic and professional accomplishments. He earned a full basketball scholarship to Waynesburg University; he was a two-time Division II Academic All-American and was an honorable mention First Team All-American. He was consistently ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. in field goal percentage. Above all his personal accomplishments at Waynesburg, he was most proud of winning as a team. Throughout his career, the team went 73-13 with three District 18 titles. The teammates he played with became lifelong friends.

After graduating from Waynesburg magna cum laude with a degree in finance, he began his career in the telecommunications industry at IBM and established its first health care vertical sales organization. He then transitioned to Siemens and held various executive leadership roles in a senior vice president capacity. He led teams of 800+ people in 120 countries while taking Siemens into new markets, assisting with mergers and acquisitions and setting the long-term vision and strategy for all products and solutions. He finished his career with Schneider Electric, headquartered in France. He served as the chief marketing officer and senior vice president of the IT Division. Although he had many professional accomplishments and commitments, there was never anything more important to Rick than his family.

Rick had many passions outside the workplace.

He taught CCD and started a chaplet and prayer ministry to raise awareness of God and prayer. He was an avid cyclist amassing over 4,000 miles per year and raised thousands of dollars for various charities. Even though his job required long hours and extensive travel, he found time to coach Michael’s baseball and basketball teams and established a youth travel basketball program in 1994 for the Mon Valley YMCA. He won many awards over the years including the YMCA Outstanding Leadership and Service Award, the Sam Collier Award, the Memorial Courage Award from the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, and the Laurel Highlands Lifetime Achievement Award. He coached various high school basketball teams at Charleroi and Belle Vernon high schools, which brought him great joy. Because of his passion for coaching and mentoring youth, his favorite quote was: “A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”

He was a devout Catholic and a member of St. Andrew the Apostle Parish. Rick found great comfort in going to Mass and developing a close bond with the parish priests. After his diagnosis in 2017, he invited people to send him prayer requests, which he sent out via text message, to others of faith. Over the years, the group – whom he referred to as “Prayer Warriors” – grew exponentially. His prayer life and chaplet ministry sustained him during his illnesses. His faith did not waver, and he channeled his love for God into a mission that touched thousands of lives.

There are so many people to thank for their generosity of time, kindness and spirit that it would be impossible to list them all. Just know that each of you has his family’s eternal appreciation.

To those of you left to remember him, Rick’s wish would be simple: For those of you who believe in God to unabashedly share your faith; for those of you who’ve lapsed in your faith to return to it; and for those of you who do not have faith to open your heart to the beliefs he unconditionally held.

Rick was born August 3, 1965, a son of the late Paul Puskar and Joyce Smorada Puskar of Uniontown.

In addition to his mother, he is survived by his adoring wife of 37 years, Lora Kolar Puskar of Carroll Township; and loving son, Michael Puskar and his fiancee, Elle Eutsey of Pittsburgh; sister, Jennifer Garofalo and husband Michael of Latrobe; brother-in-law, Barry Kolar and wife Maria of Morgantown, W.Va.; brother-in-law, Kevin Kolar and wife Lucy of Wake Forest, N.C.; brother-in-law, Chris Kolar of Uniontown; mother-in-law, Carole Vargo Kolar of Uniontown; and many nieces and nephews.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the ANTHONY L. MASSAFRA FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION SERVICE, INC., 40 Second Street Extension, Carroll Township / Donora, PA 15033, where the family will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, September 11, and from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday, September 12. Prayers will be recited in the funeral home at 9:45 a.m. Saturday, September 13, followed by a 10:30 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial in St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, Charleroi site. Interment will follow in Mt. St. Macrina Cemetery, Uniontown.

If desired, memorial contributions can be made to St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, 624 Washington Avenue, Charleroi, PA 15022.