Maria Oprysk

Maria Oprysk died on October 13, 2019 after a short illness. She was born on July 14, 1937 in Zapalow, Ukraine to Michael and Ksenia (Wolanska) Szalaj. Sadly her mother died shortly after childbirth so Maria never got to know her. Her father was forced to go to work in Germany and young Maria was left to live with her maternal grandmother. Upon her grandmother’s death, Maria went to live with Tomasz and Ewa Czetyrba, friends of the family, who treated her like their own daughter. She worked on a collective farm through her teen years until she learned her father was living in the United States. After some correspondence, he sent for her and her young son Stanislaw to come live with him and his wife in Philadelphia.  Soon after coming to America in October of 1961, Maria met Andrej Oprysk.  After a short courtship, they married on July 27, 1963, and settled in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia.  A little over a year later they welcomed a son who they named Roman Andrew.  Years later, her beloved Andrej passed away on September 13, 1999. Sadly, she was also predeceased by her older son Stanislaw (Stanley) in December 19, 2015. 

Maria worked for several companies in the Philadelphia area: first as a seamstress, then for several businesses in the janitorial field.  Maria loved her family and was very happy when her sons gave her “daughters” by marriage.  She also doted on her granddaughter Larissa Marie. In her later years, she enjoyed playing with her dogs Moosie and Princess, knitting, and helping Lisa in the kitchen, be it chopping vegetables or being the “cookie helper” at Christmas time.

Maria loved her church dearly and was always volunteering when she was needed.  Whether it was working in the kitchen during bingo, cleaning and taking care of plants in the church, or making pyrohy, she did it happily until she could no longer do so.

Maria had a sharp wit and was always making people laugh by telling jokes.  She also loved regaling others with stories of “the old country”.  One story she loved to tell was about her dog that followed her to school (she would stress that it was 18 kilometers one way) and sat at the door until the teacher let him in.  He then curled up at her feet and stayed there until dismissal.  She laughed that the girls crowded around her on their way home; the boys couldn’t tease them because they were afraid of the dog so she was the heroine that day.

Always the optimist, when Maria was told she was very sick and nothing could be done to help her, she first said “oh no!” and got teary eyed.  After a few minutes of dwelling on the inevitable, she brightened and said “well, I’ll get to see tato (her husband Andrej) and finally get to meet my mother”.  

Maria will be missed by her son Roman and daughter-in-law Lisa, who she lived with for the last four years of her life; her daughter-in-law Larissa (+Stanley); granddaughter Larissa Marie; and friends, parishioners of the Cathedral and St. Michael’s in Cherry Hill, and of course her beloved Moosie and Princess.

We will miss you.  Until we meet again!  Vichnaya Pam’yat!

Maria's viewing will be held on Monday at 6 PM at the Fletcher-Nasevich Funeral Home.  Parastas prayers will be sung at 7 PM.  Her funeral will be held on Tuesday at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at 9 AM.  Requiem Liturgy will be celebrated at 10 AM.  Burial will follow at St. Mary Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery, Elkins Park, PA. 

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