Olga Chermak

Olga Chermak fell asleep in the Lord at her Beaver home on Friday June 3, 2022. She was 90 years old.
Born Olga Galadza in the Ukrainian village of Bilokrynytsya (then Poland) in 1932, she fled her homeland in 1944 with her parents and two younger siblings as World War II engulfed Europe. Olga immigrated with her family to the United States in 1949 from Bremerhaven, Germany.
While in Germany, then under Allied control, she met her future husband Borys Chermak at a displaced persons camp, housing those who had made the treacherous journey across war-torn Europe.
After the Galadza and Chermak families traveled separately to the U.S. — Olga to Joshua, Texas, and Borys to Hot Springs, Arkansas — they remained in touch. Olga attended Joshua High School, graduating with honors.
They married in Texas in 1950, then relocated with their families to Ambridge, Pennsylvania.
In 1965, Olga and Borys Chermak moved to Beaver with their eight children. Olga was active in the Great Books Society and a faithful parishioner of Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ambridge. Upon retirement as a homemaker after all her children successfully graduated from college, Olga enjoyed extensive travel throughout North America and Europe to visit her large extended family. At the time of Borys’ passing in 2015, they had been blessed with 65 years of marriage. Together they devoted their lives to their children’s upbringing, emphasizing the importance of a good education, including an appreciation for music, art, literature, and Ukrainian culture.
Olga is survived by her eight devoted children who cherished their parents’ love: Anne (Mark) Dillen of Denver; Elena of Chicago; Tanya (Joel Almquist) Chermak Maksymowicz of Boston; Nina (Richard) Rosenberg of Louisville; Alexander (Florence) of Westfield, NJ; Gregory of Beaver; Natalie (Elliot) Beneroff of Plainfield, NJ; and Michael (Angela) of Warwick, NY.  Also, fourteen grandchildren: Vanessa (Laure) Dillen deVulpillieres; Nicholas (Bethany) Dillen; Paul (Steph) and Alexander (Olivia) Maksymowicz; Natasha, Joshua and Olivia Rosenberg; Elena, Nicholas and Nina Chermak; Sofia and Ethan Beneroff; and Elias and Gabriel Chermak; and five great-grandchildren.  Olga is survived by her five siblings: Orysia Hladio, the Very Rev. Roman (Irene) Galadza, Irene Galadza Brown, Deacon Paul (Valerie) Galadza, and the Very Rev. Dr. Peter (Olenka) Galadza.  She was also the proud and greatly admired aunt and great-aunt of numerous nieces and nephews throughout the U.S. and Canada. As the matriarch of her family, she will be dearly missed.
Olga was preceded in death by her husband Borys, her parents Mychajlo and Theodosia Galadza, her brother-in-law William Hladio, her sister-in-law Lydia (the late Bronislaw) Nichols, her son-in-law Joel Maksymowicz, her nephew- in-law Robert Pepersack, and her nephew Jonathan Brown.
Friends will be received on Wednesday from 4-8 PM at the John Syka Funeral Home, Inc. 833 Kennedy Drive, Ambridge where a "Sharing of Memories" and a " Celebration of Life" will take place at 7 PM. Parastas services will follow at 7:45 PM. A Panachyda service will take place Thursday at 9:30 AM in the funeral home followed by a Ukrainian Order of Burial at 10:00 AM in SS Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church. Her brothers and her pastor, Father Michael Polosky will preside. Interment will follow in SS Peter and Paul Cemetery. Memorial contributions if desired may be made to SS Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church, 404 Sixth St. Ambridge, PA 15003
 

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