Wasyl Szczerban

Wasyl Szczerban of Wilmington, DE joined his wife in the arms of the Lord on Thursday, December 11, 2014. He was 94 years old. He will be remembered as a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend.

  Wasyl was born in Perevoloka, Ukraine on February 26, 1920 to Simon and Palagna Szczerban. He was the third of their four children; he left home when conscripted to work on a German farm during World War II. There, he met his wife of 65 years, Justyna (Melnyk) Szczerban, who passed in 2011. They were married in Hof, Germany on September 6, 1945 and were sponsored by the Whitten family of East New Market, MD to come to the United States in May 1949.    

  Wasyl soon brought his family to Wilmington, DE, where he was a steelworker. He worked on electric-motor locomotives on the Pennsylvania Railroad, and as a decorative glass cutter and installer for the Kaufman Glass Company. He was employed for many years at the Chrysler auto body plant in Newark, DE, and retired as one of its four chief inspectors in 1982.

   Wasyl had a knack for fixing things, a green thumb in his garden, and a love for music and song that he shared through his last breaths. He was active in St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, where he was a member of several men’s clubs and the church choir. He was supportive of many Ukrainian causes and regularly sent care packages to his relatives in Ukraine.

   He took great joy in his children and grandchildren, and was affectionately known as Dido to friends and family. He is survived by his son, Walter Szczerban, and Walter’s wife Marbeth of Wilmington, DE; his daughter, Jane Rettig, of West Palm Beach, FL; and four grandchildren: Christopher Szczerban, Erik Rettig, Michael Szczerban, and Kate (Szczerban) Zinn. His daughter Olga predeceased him in Germany.

  Visitation will be at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 16 at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, Miller Rd. & Lea Blvd. Visitation will be followed by Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m. Wasyl will be buried in Cathedral Cemetery.

   In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Wasyl’s name be sent to St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, 801 Lea Blvd., Wilmington, DE 19802.

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