Ihor Popchuk

James (Jim) Ihor Popchuk passed away on September 14, 2023, at the age of 83. He was born August 16, 1940 in Rothenburg, Germany to Ukrainian parents who escaped their homeland to seek a better, freer life. The family eventually settled in Philadelphia, where Jim started school at the age of 9 with minimal English-speaking ability.  To learn the language, he did something most children would never dream of doing: he read dictionaries!  His love of learning the language turned him into a walking dictionary—as anyone he talked to can attest; THEY would need a dictionary to understand what he was saying.

No surprise, Jim became a teacher after graduating college and taught history for three years before starting a career in sales/training, where he continued to educate in a different capacity.  After retirement, he and wife Irene enjoyed traveling all over the US and Europe.

Ever the loquacious* and ebullient* entertainer, Jim had a compendium* of wonderful, close friends from all phases of life who he loved to talk to (often for HOURS on the phone), visit around the country, and host at his own domicile.* Everyone was warmly greeted with a slap on the back and a shot (or “snort” as he curiously liked to call it) of Stoli. (*If you had to look up the meaning of any of these “Jim words,” it’s just what he would have wanted.)

A lifelong resident of Pennsylvania (first Philadelphia, then Doylestown and Warrington), Jim and Irene moved to Tampa, Florida in 2021 to be closer to their daughter and her family.  While he complained about the heat (he loved the cold and snow), he was grateful for the time he got to spend with his family in his final years.

Jim is survived by his wife of 53 years, Irene (Lychyk), daughter Larissa (Long), son-in-law John, granddaughters Carina and Ellie, and brother Nick.

Services will be held Saturday, September 23, starting with a 9:00am viewing and followed by a 10:00am Requiem Service, at St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral (where Jim and Irene were married and were lifetime members). Everyone is also welcome to attend a repast afterward at La Strada Restaurant to share memories of (and ideally lots of laughs about) our beloved Jim.

In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions in Jim's name to St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral.

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