Eloria C. Cerkan, a resident of Chehalis, Washington, since 1957, died at the age of 91 on Aug. 5, 2024. She was born July 31, 1933, to Vincent and Bertha (Pantel) Kycek in South Bend, Washington.
After graduating from South Bend High School in 1951, Eloria worked as the first administrative secretary for the Willapa Harbor Community Hospital construction project before attending Seattle University.
On June 8, 1957, Eloria and Edward Cerkan of Pe Ell, Washington, were married at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in South Bend. They moved to Chehalis where they built a home and raised three children. At the time of Ed’s passing in 2020, they had been married nearly 63 years.
Eloria worked several years for Weyerhaeuser and the Soil Conservation Service before deciding to return to school. She attended Olympia Technical Community College, now South Puget Sound Community College, earning a degree in business. She then worked at the Lewis County Auditor’s Office as the financial reporting accountant for 13 years, retiring in 1993.
Music was a central part of her life, serving as the organist for her hometown parish of St. Lawrence in South Bend during her teenage years until she was married. She also played the violin in her junior high orchestra and participated in the high school band in the percussion section. During her high school years she also played the piano for a school of dance in Raymond and sometimes played in her brother Robert’s dance band. In Chehalis, she was the organist at St. Joseph Church from 1970-75.
Eloria was a past member of St. Joseph Altar Society and St. Madeline’s Circle, W.F. West Booster Club, Chehalis Little League Association and St. Joseph Catholic Church.
She greatly enjoyed family gatherings, watching her children and grandchildren’s baseball, softball and basketball games, playing tennis, baking and cooking, entertaining, traveling, her flower garden, reading, listening to classical music and spending time with dear friends during her retirement years. She will be remembered for her warm smile and enduring commitment to her family.
Eloria is survived by her children, Lynette Veenhouwer, Chehalis; Michael Cerkan, Chehalis; and Sandra (Ivan) Crews, Centralia; grandchildren, John, Danny (Jessica) and Natalie Veenhouwer, Olympia; and Madison and Nathan Crews, Centralia.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Vincent and Bertha Kycek; husband, Edward; brothers, Robert and Raymond Kycek; and sister, Jeanette (Kycek) Cooley.
A funeral will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Chehalis. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of Eloria to the Chehalis Foundation - Lewis County Regional Tennis & Wrestling Facility. Donations can be made online at chehalisfoundation.org.
