Alexander Kortiak

He was preceded in death by his parents, Olga and Paulo. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Ieda, his children Boris and Martha (Serdar), his grandchildren Michael and Rachael (Dan), and great-grandchildren Wesley, Aydon and Adriana.

He was born in Nova Rus’, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine on June 1, 1936. His family became part of the post-World War II Ukrainian diaspora, emigrating to Brazil where he spent his formative years and met Ieda. They were married in Sao Paulo, Brazil on November 25, 1956. Four years later, and just over a month after the arrival of their son, Boris, they emigrated to the United States together with Alex’s parents, and settled in Trenton, New Jersey where he became a member of St. George’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Their daughter Martha arrived four years later in 1964. With little to no English, but with support from others in the Ukrainian and Brazilian immigrant communities, Alex worked in factories and construction work initially while taking courses that led him to become a computer programmer and eventually start his own information technology business.

Alex loved gardening and flowers. When they purchased their home in Bensalem, Pennsylvania in 1972, he and Ieda were delighted to acquire a large but empty yard. They set to work on it and created one of the most beautiful yards in the neighborhood. They planted numerous flowers and trees – maples, white birch, dogwood, magnolia, poplars, and a small orchard of crabapple, apples and pears – and tended a summer vegetable garden that produced bountiful tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and more, with plenty for the neighbors.

Alex also loved to read and stay informed, and to discuss and debate ideas. One of the saddest parts of Alzheimer’s was to see him lose the ability to comprehend and engage in conversations.

Alex entered semi-retirement in 2001, and in 2002, he and Ieda settled in Arlington, Virginia, where Alex became a regular at the pool in the summer and made many friends in their condo community.

Alex will be remembered by all those who knew him as a kind and generous person who was happy and cheerful.

The family will commemorate him in a private ceremony. We are comforted to know that he is at peace.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.murphy-funeralhomes.com for the Kortiak family.