Edith L. Bottonari-Keimer

Edith Bottonari passed away peacefully, on August 31, 2015, in Upper St. Clair, PA. Born in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1931, and raised in the Swiss village of Chur, Edith was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend. She loved to experience the beauty, fun and adventure of life with her family and friends. Along the way, she learned to speak four languages and lived in several countries. She was also a gourmet who loved to teach cooking and entertain. A debutante at Chateau de Versailles, France, Edith was educated at the Sorbonne, Academie Maxim's, Paris, and Poggio Imperiale, Florence. She and her husband August, married 51 years, met in Rome, Italy and married at Santa Francesca Romana Church in the Roman Forum. They then lived in Naples, Italy for several years before moving to Upper St. Clair, where they raised their three children. In recent years she was a founding member of the Swiss Nationality Room Commitee at the University of Pittsburgh and was instrumental in the Swiss Room's conception and construction at the Cathedral of Learning. Edith is survived by her husband, August Bottonari; children, Caroline Rosenthal-Bottonari, Richard Bottonari, and Philip Bottonari; grandchildren, Philip, Alexander, Alexandra, Bear and Augusta; niece and goddaughter, Bettina Beichler-Alesch; and nephew, Peider Alesch; goddaughter, Yvonne Amschwand-Mueller; cousin, Hilda Mueller-Keimer; and lifelong friend, Angela Ganado-Cassar Torreggiani. She was preceded in death by her parents, Otto and Louise Keimer; and her sister, Elisabeth Alesch-Keimer.