Olga Cerato Lilienkamp

Olga Cerato Lilienkamp, 89, of Indianapolis passed away Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at her home surrounded by her family and friends. We are so sad to be without her, but glad for her that she went home to be in God’s presence, and to follow so many that she loved before.

Olga often said that she “had lived the most wonderful life.” Especially because she had been so lucky to have found such a caring husband, Hugh, and that they had shared 69 years together.

Friends are invited on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023 for visiting at 10 a.m., and for a funeral Mass at 11 a.m. at Christ the King Church, 5884 N. Crittenden Ave., Indianapolis, IN.

Olga is survived by her husband of 69 years, Hugh Lilienkamp, and by her three sons, Bryan Lilienkamp, John Lilienkamp, and Chris Lilienkamp, all of Indianapolis, plus her two faithful cats Maya and Chia, that kept her great company during the pandemic.

She was preceded in death by her father Battista Cerato of Boves Italy, her mother Emma Ugues Cerato, who passed away in Brooklyn when Olga was only 12 years old. She was also preceded in death by her two brothers: her older brother Joseph Cerato, and his wife Lia Cerato, of Brooklyn; and her younger brother John Cerato and his wife Grace Cerato, of Ronkonkama, Long Island.

There are many other cousins, nephews, nieces, and dear friends that she leaves behind. Especially her dear niece Cynthia Andruzzi, of Brooklyn, who has been like a daughter to her, and her loving niece Mary Pecka, of Newburgh, IN, who has been like a sister to her, since she and her husband Hugh were married in 1954.

She was born on December 27, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York to Emma Ugues Cerato and Battista Cerato, recent Italian immigrants from Boves, Italy. She grew up in Brooklyn Heights on Adams St., and later on Washington Ave. She attended Saint James Catholic School and Holy Spirit Catholic School, and graduated from Girls High School in Brooklyn, in 1952.

After graduating from high school, she was a secretary for the YMCA Association Press in Manhattan for four years. Her early profession was as administrative assistant in Manhattan, NY, and later as an executive secretary in Evansville, IN.

She married Navy seaman Hugh Lilienkamp of Evansville, IN, in Brooklyn NY, on October 2, 1954. They first lived as newlyweds in Brooklyn, NY while Hugh was deployed on ships. In 1957, Olga and Hugh moved to Hugh’s hometown of Evansville, IN. It was there that Hugh attended Evansville College. Before having children, Olga worked to help her husband Hugh finish his degree in Electronic Engineering from Evansville College.

Their first son Bryan was born in 1959, and their second son John in 1961. Hugh graduated from college in 1962, after which the family moved to Indianapolis, where their third son Chris was born in 1962.

Olga created a beautiful family and life in Indianapolis, as her second home in the Midwest. This is what she also meant as she described “having lived such a wonderful life.” It was hard for her to leave behind many loving family and friends in New York, but she never met a stranger, and she reached out to so many, building a loving community in Indianapolis.

Her spiritual life and faith in Jesus was very strong. We found a handwritten note on her dresser that includes a prayer that expresses well her genuine, practical, grounded faith. – “Dear Lord – We are sorry your friendship has not always seemed real to us. Too often we have acted as if your Love was not with us. We frequently fail to make your friendship real to other people. Forgive us for our refusal to love and trust and show us how to be better followers of your Son – We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”