Helen Barniak

~~Helen Barniak, 85, of Chester passed away at Morristown Memorial Hospital on February 1, 2016. A Funeral Mass will celebrated at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church, 60 North Jefferson Ave in Whippany on Friday, February 5th at 10am. Interment will follow at Holy Spirit Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery in Campbell Hall, New York. Friends are invited to visit at Bradley-Braviak Funeral Home, 49 Whippany Rd. in Whippany on Thursday, February 4th from 4 to 8pm. For further information or to send a condolence, please visit www.www.bradleyfuneralhomes.com.

Born in Dobriany, Ukraine, the daughter of Eustachij and Maria Skrut, Helen completed high school after the end of WWII while living in the Displaced Persons camp in Regensburg, Germany. She came to the United States in 1950. First settling in the Bronx, Helen had also lived in East Harlem, Astoria and Flushing Queens before moving to Chester in 1997. Early on, she had worked briefly as a chambermaid at the Biltmore Hotel in New York City then landed her “dream job” as a stock girl and office assistant at Henri Bendel on 5th Avenue. A 43 year member at Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church in Astoria, Helen was also a parishioner at St. John the Baptist UCC. She enjoyed Ukrainian embroidery, cooking, baking and ladies fashion.

Helen was the beloved wife of the late Wolodymyr Barniak who passed away in 2014. She is survived by her devoted and loving son, Roman Barniak. In lieu of flowers, donations in Helen’s memory may be made to either the Chester First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 337, Chester, NJ 07930 or St. John the Baptist UCC, 60 North Jefferson Ave, Whippany, NJ 07981