OBITUARY: Olena W. Stercho, lawyer, human rights activist, 48 (09/21/03)

OBITUARY: Olena W. Stercho, lawyer, human rights activist, 48

PHILADELPHIA - On September 2 the Ukrainian American community suffered a great loss, the sudden and untimely death of Olena W. Stercho, Esq. Parastas services were held on Friday, September 5, 2003, at Nasevich Funeral Home in Philadelphia, with the Very Rev. Dr. Ronald Popivchak, pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Bridgeport, Pa., officiating. On Saturday, September 6, a requiem liturgy was celebrated at Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church, followed by interment at the parish cemetery.

"Olenka," the daughter of Irena and the late Dr. Peter G. Stercho, is survived by her husband, Peter Choma; her mother, Irena Stercho; her brother, Dr. Yuriy P. Stercho, with his wife, Diane, and their son Peter; her sister, Maria Stercho, with her husband, Paul Gillespie; her mother-in-law, Olga Choma; her uncle, Mychaylo Urbhan; and her god-daughter, Olena Honcharuk. She is survived as well by a community of friends and colleagues much saddened by her loss, many of whom traveled from great distances to attend her funeral.

Ms. Stercho's life was marked by important milestones that were remembered by those attending the parastas, the requiem liturgy, the tryzna (memorial repast) that followed, and the intimate weekend-long gatherings of friends and colleagues who met to pay tribute to an extraordinary individual.

Olena W. Stercho was born on August 8, 1955. Her childhood was similar to that of most children raised by parents who had survived the terrible years of World War II and who had come to the United States in hopes of living a peaceful and secure life.

Ms. Stercho graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma from Drexel University in 1977 with a B.S. in economics. She attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School and graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1980. Soon afterwards she was awarded a prestigious clerkship with Judge Judith Jamison with the Orphans' Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County.

She became an associate at the Offices of Richard F. Stern in Jenkintown, Pa., in 1982, and from the start, was successful in developing a loyal following among the firm's clients who relied on her analytical skills and devotion to their matters. She became a partner in 1989 and took on the major responsibility of managing the firm, which continued to grow in size. In 1996, at Ms. Stercho's urging, she and her partner, Richard Stern, decided to form a title abstract company. Ms. Stercho decided on the name, and Terra Abstract Inc. was formed. The company now has a separate staff and is thriving.

Ms. Stercho was a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Montgomery County Bar Association, and was admitted to practice before all courts in Pennsylvania, including all federal District Courts and Pennsylvania's Supreme Court. Her ability to handle difficult and protracted legal matters earned her the respect and admiration of her clients and was instrumental in making Stern and Stercho a successful law firm.

It was her love of the law and her belief in justice, as well as her keen interest in her Ukrainian heritage, that prompted Ms. Stercho to become a member of the Philadelphia-based Ukrainian Human Rights Committee. She was a key figure in the committee's work on behalf of Ukrainian dissidents and political prisoners. With other committee members, she helped organize countless demonstrations and community meetings with leading Ukrainian political activists, such as Ivan Drach, Dmytro Pavlychko, Mykhailo Horyn, Vyacheslav Chornovil, and Mykola and Raisa Rudenko.

In her capacity as the UHRC's vice-president, Ms. Stercho frequently traveled to Washington for meetings with members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and State Department representatives on the issue of human rights in Ukraine. She was also actively engaged in the UHRC's efforts to disseminate information about the Great Famine of 1932-1933 and other atrocities perpetrated against the Ukrainian people by the Soviet regime, and served as the UHRC's legal counsel.

Her articles on the UHRC's activities, as well as those based on her personal observations of human rights issues in Ukraine, were frequently published in The Ukrainian Weekly. Other articles penned by Ms. Stercho for The Weekly covered topics as diverse as sailing and the arts.

Ms. Stercho's dedication and commitment to the Ukrainian community were evidenced in other significant ways. She served on the supervisory committee of Philadelphia's Ukrainian Self Reliance Federal Credit Union and on the board of directors of the Ukrainian National Choir, contributing her time and talent to strengthen both organizations.

Life for Ms. Stercho meant approaching problems, large and small, as puzzles to be solved, inconveniences to be battled with enthusiasm, energy and efficiency. Her one word answer to anything she perceived as unfair, or unethical, or defeatist was "unacceptable." She was strong, opinionated, compassionate, generous in spirit and creative, always managing to combine the traditional with the innovative, often doing things her own way.

Always learning and always curious about new things, she found nothing in life to be mundane. She lived her life with a passionate intensity, whether it was practicing law, gardening, fighting for human rights, cooking, shopping, music, driving, preparing legal briefs or writing introspective and insightful articles or letters to the editor.

For many years, Ms. Stercho hosted a pysanka party in her home, a tradition that evolved into a long-anticipated gathering of women of varying ages, some Ukrainian, some not. It was a core group that grew as the years went by, one that permitted the women attending to express their individual creative inclinations while bonding with one another and forging fast and enduring friendships.

One of Ms. Stercho's greatest passions was sailing. In 1993 she and a small group of Ukrainian Americans with a similar love of nautical adventuring took a sailing vacation in the British Virgin Islands. It was during this trip that the idea of establishing yet another tradition arose and, thus, the Ukrainian American Nautical Association Inc. was born. Ms. Stercho was one of the 13 founding members and served as the association's president in 1995-1996. As editor of the UANAI's newsletter, she devoted much effort and energy to writing articles about the group's activities and apprising members of upcoming adventures.

One of the members of the UANAI was Petro Choma, and it was during these sailing trips and during social gatherings at the homes of friends that Ms. Stercho discovered that her good friend Petro was becoming far more than a friend. As time passed, Olenka and Petro found that they had much in common and much to share with one another - for a lifetime. They were married by Father Ronald Popivchak at Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church on September 13, 1997, in a beautiful ceremony attended by family and friends who recognized a marriage of true hearts and minds.

Almost six years later, many of these friends gathered at the same little church in Bridgeport to bid a final farewell to a woman who had been so dear to them in innumerable ways. Well over 200 people gathered to weep, to offer condolences to a grieving husband, mother, sister and brother, and to share with one another special memories and reflections of a special individual who had touched so many lives in so many different ways. All of those who were privileged to call Olenka "friend" instinctively knew this was a person who would never betray a confidence, would always be loyal, would always offer a helping hand.

And though a spark has been extinguished all too soon, it will be rekindled over and over again in hearts and minds that will forever hold Olenka dear.

The family has suggested that donations in memory of Ms. Stercho may be sent to: The Ukrainian Weekly Press Fund, 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054; or The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, 1901 Vine St., Philadelphia, PA 19103-9358.

- compiled by Tamara Stadnychenko

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