Wilma (Kocher) Yeschke

Wilma (Kocher) Yeschke
July 9, 1943 – May 20, 2024
Age 80, of the North Side, passed away peacefully on Monday, May 20, 2024, at home with her family. Beloved wife of Walter Yeschke; mother of Sharon Tomasic VanOuse (Phil), Matthew Yeschke (Magda), Karen Wingert (Bruce), and Eric Yeschke (Lisa Christopher); grandmother of Julian and Will Wingert and Maya Yeschke; and daughter of the late Margaret Gannon and the late William Kocher.
 Arrangements by Stephen M. Brady Funeral Home. Private blessing service and burial at St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery, Pittsburgh.
A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Allegheny High School, Wilma attended the University of Pittsburgh to study art, where she met her future husband Walt in sculpture class. They were married for 58 years.
She continued to draw and paint throughout her life, even as a dedicated mother who instilled a drive for excellence -- and insisted on kindness and creative pursuits -- in her children; a nurturing “pet mom” tending to a menagerie of furry, feathered, and finned creatures -- including rescuing and fostering animals in need; and an industrious homemaker known for her accomplished cooking, baking, and holiday feasts.
Wilma relished good coffee and bad TV, and she also enjoyed staying up late, researching the family tree, and scouring thrift shops and rummage sales for second-hand treasures with her compadre Ann. She wore her Irish heritage proudly -- and not only on St. Patrick’s Day -- and few could match her enthusiasm for Halloween kitsch.
She also was a nearly 25-year cancer survivor who faced the complications of heart disease later in life with customary grit, wit, and courage. Her family thanks the AHN Healthcare @ Home Hospice team for their compassionate care.