Sentimental Sunday: Vichnaya Pamyat

Forty-three years ago today my great grandmother, Bessie Matys Hruszczak, passed away. She was 77. I was only four when she passed away so sadly I cannot honestly say that I recall her. That's her holding me in the photo below. Also pictured are my grandparents and my Dad.

She was born on 5 June 1895 in what was then Fraga, Rohatya, Galicia to Joseph and Olena Vaspleship Matys. She boarded a ship in Hamburg on 16 October 1912 and arrived in Ellis Island 12 days later. She joined her brother Frank, who had come a year earlier, and settled in Coatesville, Chester County.

It was there she met my great grandfather Panko Hruszczak. They married 24 July 1915 at my church. At the time though the church was Ukrainian Greek Catholic (we switched to Ukrainian Orthodox back in 1940). They had 10 children. One died at age two. The others lived full lives. One aunt is still living!

Vichnaya Pamyat.

Sentimental Sunday is a genealogy prompt of GeneaBloggers.

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