Rudy Kuchta, who started and expanded the art program at Thomas Jefferson High School, used his mind to inspire students and his hands to create beautiful objects. He made copper enameling, crown molding, furniture, jewelry, photographs and stained glass.

Mr. Kuchta died of complications of a stroke Oct. 10 at Norbert Personal Care in Carrick. Two days earlier, he and his wife, Shirley, had celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary.

Mr. Kuchta, 88, of Baldwin Borough, died Oct. 10 from complications of a stroke.

Mr. Kuchta retired in 1990 after a 40-year teaching career in the West Jefferson Hills School District, where he also produced the annual yearbook and filmed football games. A year earlier, his 29-year-old son, Matt, had died in an accidental fall. 

Mr. Kuchta served on the Baldwin Borough library board and was one of the founding directors of the community’s emergency medical system. But his biggest task began when, along with his wife and daughter, Kathleen “Casey” Farnish, he bought the  former convent at St. Albert the Great parish in Baldwin Borough.

When the family toured the old, neglected convent, Ms. Farnish said, “My dad immediately saw the potential for him to have all his tools and kiln in the basement.”

In 1991, the family began removing dropped ceilings, refinishing original oak floors and installing crown molding and woodwork that Mr. Kuchta made in his workshop. A wood-paneled chapel became Mr. Kuchta’s library for art books. He also made the front door and stained-glass windows for three of the rooms.

“When we moved in that summer, we used 120 gallons of paint to paint the interior of the house,” Ms. Farnish said, adding that the 14-room home has 52 windows.

“We worked round the clock. By Christmas we had an open house with more than 100 people. My dad was so proud of this house and he loved it,” she added.

Remodeling the convent and living there with his wife, daughter and granddaughters allowed Mr. Kuchta to be a parent and grandparent to Cassandra Evanek and Jessica Rahimzadeh.

“It was really nice for them because they are very close with my mom and dad,” Ms. Farnish said.

Mrs. Evanek, of Mt. Lebanon, said her grandfather was friendly, funny and caring. She recalls climbing the steps of the Eiffel Tower in Paris with her grandparents during a “grand tour” of European capitals in the late 1990s.

Mrs. Rahimzadeh said her grandfather “would set me up with canvases so I could paint in a playroom.” She is now an art director and graphic designer at an ad agency in Chicago.

The Kuchtas turned the former convent, once home to 14 nuns, into party central. Besides holiday gatherings, the family  hosted at least seven themed parties, sending out invitations that included coupons for Spotlight Costumes so guests could rent the right attire.

Ms. Farnish said her father would put up a stage in the large library, don a top hat and tuxedo and announce the musical acts or stage skits with a microphone. 

“He called himself Rudy Karmen and directed the orchestra. People would dance and we’d have cocktails,” Ms. Farnish said. There was a 1920s party, a 1940s party, a Mardi Gras bash featuring a parade through the house, a masquerade ball with skits and a toga party.

“For the ’40s party, my girlfriends and I got dressed in Army uniforms and sang ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy...,” Ms. Farnish recalled. “My girls look back at this and say, ‘Wow, this is really kind of cool.’”

Mr. Kuchta often became the center of attention when he visited museums.

“Every time they would tour a museum, he was the one who ended up talking about the paintings. The tourists would wind up gathering around him. He knew all kinds of weird facts about artists,” Ms. Farnish said.

The son of immigrant Slovak parents, Mr. Kuchta grew up in Creighton and was valedictorian of his East Deer High School class in 1947. He served in the Army during the Korean War and earned three battle stars. While stationed in Japan, he ran a photography shop; later, he was sent to the front lines and saw combat, Ms. Farnish said.   

In 1952, he earned a bachelor’s degree in art education from Edinboro College. Then he earned a master’s degree in art history from Penn State University. At a dance, he met his wife, Shirley, and they married in 1955.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at 3198 Schieck St. in Baldwin Borough. 

Marylynne Pitz: mpitz@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1648 or on Twitter:@mpitzpg

First Published: October 24, 2017, 4:00 a.m.