Remembering Matushka Helen Oleynick
Helen Rohal Oleynik was born April 15, 1921 in the steel town of Carnegie, Pennsylvania. Her early years growing up during the Great Depression forged her character and set her on the path of service to God, her country, family and friends. Her formative years were influenced by the blue collar industrial world that was Pittsburgh in the ‘20s and ‘30s. As the youngest of eight children, Helen was shielded from some of the harshness of the day-to-day fight for survival in the lean times following the Great Depression. She maintained an appreciation for simple things throughout her life.
When the country called, Helen answered. She joined the US Women’s Army Corps in 1943 where she served throughout WWII as an intercept radio operator in Petaluma, California. On a weekend visit to San Francisco, Helen met S.Sgt Vladimir Oleynik on her first and only visit to the choir loft at Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral. They courted while both were stationed on the West Coast and married after returning home in 1947.
Helen was a consummate homemaker, raising a family of three Baby Boomer boys, Gregory, Nicholas and David. As Vladimir’s career took them from Washington, DC to locations across Ohio and Pennsylvania, she lovingly maintained their home and warmly embraced each community. In each location, she became an active member of church communities including helping to establish Christ The Saviour Orthodox Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1961. Throughout her later years, Helen enjoyed bowling in a local league, playing bridge regularly, and spending time with family. Beloved wife of 47 years of the late Deacon Vladimir Oleynik, Helen is survived by her three sons and by five grandchildren.
Helen was a beloved and active member of St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral from 1967 until her passing in 2014. She was loved by so many in our community for her kindness, warmth and humor, made a mean pierogi and was a force for good at every step in her life’s journey.
