Katherine Wasylaschuk

 Katherine Wasylaschuk (nee Tuckowsky), a devoted mother and loving grandmother, passed away on October 24th 2025 at the age of 85. 

Born in Lviv, Ukraine in 1939, Katherine was the cherished daughter of Dmytro and Rosalia. The family experienced tragedies during World War II but emerged stronger. She developed close bonds with her brother and sisters and was raised by her uncle and extended family. Despite these obstacles, Katherine earned a technical degree as a fashion buyer and spent years traveling the USSR for her job.

In 1960s, she came to the USA to visit her father and decided to stay and create a new life in America. She forged lifelong friendships during those early years as she learned to speak English and establish herself. She was amazed by the choices and numerous options in the USA and she was known to eat an entire bag of apples for a meal. 

Katherine met her future husband, Walter John, on a job interview in Philadelphia. They connected over their shared Ukrainian heritage and married a few years later. They had two children, Christine and Walter Roman, and lived in Northeast Philadelphia for the rest of their lives. She loved hosting her children’s friends over for games, lunch and snacks and was generous and kind to all. She developed close bonds with her children as they spent the entire summer down the shore at Wildwood (while her husband worked during the week). 

Katherine was a loving wife and mother and devoted many years helping her children and family through illness. Katherine provided loving care to her husband as he battled illness the last few years of his life. She will always be remembered for her devotion to her children and husband.

Katherine loved her neighborhood and the many nice friends and neighbors. She loved spending time with her friends whether it be a trip to Dunkin’ Donuts, clothes shopping, grocery shopping or time at church. Her son often accompanied her grocery shopping on weekends and their trip always started with coffee and donuts as they prepared the shopping list.

In her later years, Katherine enjoyed life as a grandmother and loving playing with her granddaughter (and her toys), seeing her photos and hearing the stories of her life.

Over the past few years, Katherine faced a series of health challenges following a stroke and related complications. She faced this challenging time with grit and determination and received loving care from her children, especially her daughter Christine. Despite her health challenges, she always found the strength to attend Easter and Christmas gatherings with family. 

Katherine will be missed by all the family and friends whose lives she touched with her kindness. She will live forever in our hearts. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to United Ukrainian American Relief Committee, Inc.  Ways of Giving  https://www.uuarc.org/ways-of-giving 
Please indicate on your donation “In memory of Katherine Wasylaschuk”.

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