Anna Besik

Anna Besik (née Chlibkewycz) of Elizabethtown, Kentucky and formerly of Philadelphia, died Wednesday, August 2, 2023 at her residence.  She was 78.

Anna was born in the Mittenwald Displaced Persons Camp in Germany to the late Joseph and Maria Chlibkewycz, in Bavaria, on June 8, 1945.  Along with many others in the Ukrainian community, she and her parents waited for sponsorship to immigrate to the United States. With the help of the United Ukrainian-American Relief Committee, they arrived in New York in December, 1949.  After living in New York City a short time, her family settled in Philadelphia, where she resided until she was 73.

She attended elementary school at the Ukrainian Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Cardinal Dougherty High School, continuing at Penn State’s local campus before working at American Automotive Association  (AAA) where she met her husband, Ali Besik.  They had one son, Ali Jon (Jon) Besik.  She was predeceased by her husband in 1979.  She returned to school to become a nurse, a profession in which she worked for over 20 years.  She moved to Elizabethtown, Kentucky in 2018 to be closer to her son, his wife and her four beloved grandchildren.

Anna is survived by her son, Colonel A. Jon Besik (Karen) and four grandchildren: Elizabeth, Katelyn, Anthony and Dominic; sister Maria Kozak (Petro), nephew Joseph, nieces, Stephanie and Marianna;  sister Sofyia Chapko, nephew Myroslav, niece Luba; and brother Michael (Rona), niece Christy (Ryan), as well as additional family in Ukraine.

Relatives and friends are invited to her Requiem Service on Friday, August 11 at 10 AM at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 830 N. Franklin Street, Philadelphia PA.   Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery, 438 Cedar Rd., Elkins Park, PA.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Anna’s memory may be made to:

United Ukrainian-American Relief Committee
1206 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19111
Web: https://www.uuarc.org/donations-in-memory-of/

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