Stella Pasquinelli Burich worked as a retail store accountant, but the great drama of her life came when she was on stage.

Which was all the time, said her family, remembering their sister's powerful soprano voice, theatrical body language and flair for fashion.

For three decades, Mrs. Burich was a third lead for the Pittsburgh Opera, said her family, even once playing the role of the high priestess in "Aida."

"She had a flair for the dramatic," said her sister, Eleanor Pasquinelli of Lawrenceville.

Mrs. Burich, 89, of Whitehall, died on Wednesday of a gastrointestinal disorder at Jefferson Memorial Hospital.

Born and raised in the Knoxville section of Pittsburgh, she went to St. Canice High School, where a nun whetted her appetite for music by saying "Stella had a beautiful, natural voice," Ms. Pasquinelli said.

Mrs. Burich finished high school in three years, and because of the Depression, had to go to work.

But she found time to perform with the girl group Sally, Irene and Mary, which frequently sang on KDKA radio.

She later won a music scholarship to the Pennsylvania College for Women, now Chatham College, and took drama and music lessons at Carnegie Institute of Technology, the precursor to CMU.

During the war, she entertained at the veterans hospital and sang at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.

Later in life, she sang with a group of senior citizens known as the Seasoned Players, which entertained at assisted living facilities.

She is survived by another sister, Linda Lupp of Whitehall, and brothers Alfred Pasquinelli of Whitehall and Raymond Pasquinelli of Brookline.

A funeral prayer will be offered at 9:15 a.m. today at John F. Slater Funeral Home, 4201 Brownsville Road, Brentwood, followed by Mass at 10 a.m. at St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin Church, 5200 Greenbridge Drive, Whitehall. Entombment will be in Mt. Lebanon Cemetery.