Maria (Elnikovskie) Strokan

Maria Strokan, age 91, beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Albuquerque, NM, formerly of Lincoln, NE, died Saturday, July 25, 2020.  She was born in Novoukrayinka, Ukraine on June 5, 1929 to Phillip and Natasha Elnikovskie.  She lived a remarkable life, punctuated by both hardships and good fortune.  As a 12-year-old child she was ripped from her home in the Ukraine by the Germans along with her beloved step-mother, Julia, father, and sister and was forced-marched by wagon train to Hungary from February to May 1941.  In Hungary they boarded a train to Hamburg, Germany where she was interned in a work camp for four years until liberated by the Russians at the end of World War II.

In the camp she encountered incredible starvation and remembered rummaging through trash for any scraps of food she could find.  It was there that she met her future husband, Basil. After a short relocation to Scotland where the couple married, they immigrated to England where two of Maria’s children, George and Nina, were born.  They resided in England until l963 when the family immigrated to Lincoln, NE to be reunited with her parents and sister and where their third child, Anthony was born.

In Lincoln, NE, while rearing her children, Maria worked first at Russell Stover Candies and later at Square D Electronics.  She retired after 31 years, having never missed a day of work.  Maria and her husband moved to Albuquerque, NM in 2005.

Maria was a woman of unshakeable faith, a lifelong active member of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and a steadfast friend.  After her retirement, she and her husband were advocates for the Ukrainian community in Lincoln, and assisted numerous recent immigrants both financially and by donating time to help them find employment and housing and to facilitate a smooth transition to their new life in their chosen country.

Maria had magic hands, which she used to create beautiful handicrafts and, similarly, to manufacture masterpieces in the kitchen.  She loved to knit and crochet.  She personally knit over 1,500 scarves, hats and slippers which were donated to various orphanages in the Ukraine and Belorussia.  Her Ukrainian cooking was masterful and savored by all who were fortunate enough to partake in her feasts.

She is survived by daughter and son-in-law, Nina and Stephen Greeley, Albuquerque; and son, Anthony Strokan, Lincoln, NE.  She also has six grandchildren; Brendan Greeley (Jaimi), Oak Harbor, WA; Tatiana Muley (Nicolas), Albuquerque; Natasha Duran (Tomas), Santa Fe; Nathan Strokan (Kalin), Colorado Springs, CO; Brooke and Marissa Strokan, Lincoln, NE.  In addition, she has eight great-grandchildren; Jacob and Gabriella Duran, Santa Fe; Benjamin, Mila and Patrick Muley, Albuquerque; and Emmett, Amelia and Ava Greeley, Oak Harbor, WA.   She was preceded in death by son, Dr. George Strokan, and husband, Basil Strokan.

Private Services for the family will be held on Wednesday, August 5, 2020, at All Saints of North America Orthodox Church, Albuquerque, with the Rev. Nikolai Miletkov presiding.  Maria will be interred next to her husband in Fairview Cemetery, Lincoln, NE.