Olenka Santore

Olenka Santore (nee Litynski), 77, of Philadelphia, PA, passed away peacefully on April 11 2019. 

Born in Lodz, Poland, to Jaroslaw and Ania Litynski, Olenka was raised in Lviv, Ukraine, which she fled with her late mother and grandmother, Maria Derkach-Ciokan, during the Second World War.  After eight years in displaced-persons camps in Austria, the family immigrated to the US via Bremen, Germany, in 1952, settling in Philadelphia, where Olenka completed her elementary and high-school studies and attended college. She subsequently pursued a successful modeling career in Philadelphia and New York, working on major fashion and advertising assignments for the Ford Modeling Agency, among others, for more than 10 years. In 1963, she married illustrator Charles Santore of Philadelphia, PA, with whom she had three children. Olenka became a licensed realtor in the 1970s, specializing in the Center City residential property market for more than 40 years.  

She is survived by her husband and her children Christina (Hisham), Charles (Ruta) and Nicholas (Valerie) and grandchildren Louis, Simone and Celia.

Burial will be private. Family, friends and associates are invited to remember and celebrate Olenka’s life at a memorial gathering on Monday, April 29, 2019 from 10 AM-12 PM in the Great Hall of Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd & Spruce Streets, Philadelphia, PA.  In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory to charities of choice are encouraged.

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