Marie Ciko

Maria was born in 1926 in Podiltsi, a small village in western Ukraine along the Dnister River.  She was the third of four children born to Ivan and Eufemia Lakota and sister to Peter, Ilia, and Olga.  Her family were among the Ukrainians forced into Germany by the Nazis in 1942 to provide slave labor during World War 2.

When the war ended, she was fortunate to be living in the area of Germany controlled by US/UK Allied Forces.  They were protected from forced return to Ukraine which was now controlled by Communist Russia.  She lived in a refugee camp with her family and was part of an Acting/Comedy troupe who travelled to other camps entertaining refugees.  She had an amazing opera voice.  While in Germany she met her husband Josef, married, and had her first child Halina.

In 1950,  they arrived in America and settled in Jersey City where they raised their 4 children, Halina, Jaroslav, Marie, and Anna.  Maria was active in her church in the Rosary Society (one of the Pierogi ladies).  She most definitely made thousands of pierogies over the years.  In addition to being a great cook and baker, she was also an expert seamstress and knitting, crocheting and embroidery were her hobbies.  For someone who never drove a car, she knew her way around by bus and the NYC subway system.

Maria was predeceased by her parents, siblings, husband Josef, son Jaroslav, and grandson Joseph.   She is survived by her daughters: Halina (& Mark) Prescott Geiss, Marie (& Michael) Marsh, and Anna (& Michael) Mitchell, (5 ) grandchildren:  Sara Barron, Christopher Osborne, Ryan Mitchell, Jonathan Ciko, and Rachel O’Neal.  In addition she was blessed with (13) great grandchildren: Joseph, Sean, Christian, Gabriel, Theresa, Jude and Abigail Barron, Lucy and Audrey Osborne, Shane O’Neal, Zelda, Alexander, and Eva Ciko.

Special thanks to Spring Oak and Grace Hospice for their loving care this past year.

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