Karen L. Stein Motosicky loved letting people know what was going on in the Alle-Kiski Valley.
A longtime senior news assistant at the Valley News Dispatch in Tarentum, Motosicky, 68, of New Kensington, died of Lewy body dementia on Saturday, Jan. 2. She had been living at Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Lower Burrell when she died.
Motosicky worked for the newspaper for more than 28 years, and was a strong proponent of local news.
She wrote news and editorial briefs, and assisted the late Ben “Skip” Beal with parts of “The Stroller” events column, which highlights community events. She took over the column for Beal when he retired.
“She did ‘The Stroller’ calendar. She did the little, personal anecdotes that you used to see in ‘The Stroller’ for years until Skip left. And often she would write the lead,” her daughter Kara Motosicky said.
A 1970 graduate of Valley High School, Motosicky started her Valley News Dispatch career in the sports department, taking Little League scores, her brother Bob Stein said.
From there, she moved on to writing obituaries, and eventually was responsible for community news that could be found in “The Stroller” and the Lifestyle section, Stein said. Bob Stein also worked at the newspaper from 1970 to 2015.
“I would dare to say that she had more contact with the readers than any other person in the editorial department,” said Stein, 69, of Toruń, Poland. “She was an excellent representative of the newspaper and a reliable resource for reporters, many who became lifelong friends.”
Kara Motosicky said what her mother loved most about working at the newspaper was the people she met in the newsroom and out in the community. She retired in 2015.
“She was such a people person and loved making those connections, and keeping up with those relationships,” said Kara Motosicky, 44, of New Hope. “A lot of those relationships she continued when she could, after she left the paper. She loved being around people.”
Motosicky was a “news junkie” who read a printed copy of the Tribune-Review’s Valley News Dispatch edition every single day.
She also read news online, but liked to have a physical copy of the newspaper because she knew how much time and effort went into producing it, her daughter said.
“People value what is going on in their local community, not just what’s going on around the country, around the state, whatever,” Kara Motosicky said. “She thought it was important that people continue to keep hearing about what was going on in their own local community. She supported that.”
Former Valley News Dispatch journalist Tom Yerace said Motosicky was likely, for many people, ‘the’ contact they had at the newspaper because of her affiliation with “The Stroller.”
“She used to do the fish fries, for instance, during Lent,” Yerace said.
Yerace said Motosicky was a fixture in the newsroom, lending an ear if you were going through a rough patch and helping young journalists who needed advice or had questions. They remained good friends through the years.
“Newsrooms are kind of like seasons. You get people blowing in and out all the time,” Yerace said. “But there are some people who become fixtures. They’re kind of like the oak trees that transcend the seasons. Karen was like that.”
Kara Motosicky said her mother valued family above all else. Funeral services will be family-only because of their large family.
In addition to her daughter, Motosicky is survived by her son Kristofer Motosicky of New Kensington; granddaughter Moriah Motosicky of Greenwood, Ark.; and several other relatives.
“Her biggest thing was her family, and anyone who knew her would tell you that,” Kara Motosicky said.
Madasyn Lee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Madasyn at 724-226-4702, mlee@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Categories: Local | Valley News Dispatch
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