Helen Sites Derkash, 98, of Vero Beach, passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by her family, on Jan. 27, 2016.
She is survived by her four children: Bruce (Pat) of Rhode Island and Arizona, Bob (MJ) of Colorado, Judy Hollander (Brian) of Alaska, and Nancy Hanson (Tom) of Connecticut; 12 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Steve, her parents and three siblings, Eugene, Walter and Olga.
Derkash was born on May 15, 1917 in Perth Amboy, N.J., to immigrant parents from Horodyska, Ukraine. She and her two brothers and one sister were raised in Philadelphia, Penn., with the philosophy that family, faith and education were the three most important virtues to live by.
She and her siblings worked at the family delicatessen. She was an excellent student and excelled in academics. She attended Strayer Business School. She rose to the top of her class, where she was hired as Mr. Strayer’s personal assistant.
The Strayer Company grew rapidly and became a publicly traded company. Derkash continued her education at Temple University. She and her siblings all attended Ukrainian School in the afternoon. She learned to read and write Ukrainian with the Cyrillic alphabet. She excelled in dance, folk songs and Ukrainian history. She loved her 12 years in the choir at St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
She married Stephen Lionel Derkash on Nov. 20, 1941. She met him at a school dance when Steve was a medical student. They moved to Greenwich, Conn., where Steve was a family physician for 35 years and where they raised their four children.
They retired to Vero Beach in 1982. Derkash quickly became part of the community by joining the Holy Cross Catholic Church choir for the next 25 years. She was also involved in sewing, gardening and investments until her eyesight failed from macular degeneration.
Derkash always kept her priorities straight, with family and faith always first. She was a devoted wife and mother. She was present at Steve’s bedside where he died in her arms after 71 years of marriage.
A Memorial Mass will be held at St John of the Cross Catholic Church in Vero Beach on Monday Feb. 1, 2016 at 10 a.m. A second Memorial Mass will be held in the spring at St Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Philadelphia, Penn., with burial at Oakland Cemetery in Philadelphia, Penn., alongside her husband. Online condolences may be made at www.coxgiffordseawinds.com.