In Memoriam: Matushka Valerie Katharine Herrick
TOPEKA, KS [MW Diocese Communications] — Matushka Valerie Katharine [Writer] Herrick, wife of the late Archpriest Michael Herrick, fell asleep in the Lord here on December 5, 2017.
Born in Denver, CO on November 14, 1936, she and her husband were married in 1959. After 27 years ministering as an Episcopalian priest, Father Michael, together with Matushka Valerie, embraced Orthodox Christianity in the mid-1980s. After Father Michael’s ordination to the priesthood of the Orthodox Church, the couple served Saint Matthew Mission, Green Bay, WI. Always a caregiver, Matushka Valerie worked as a CNA for many years.
Matushka Valerie is survived by three sons, Michael [Jessica], Grand Junction, CO; Christopher [Susan], Topeka, KS; and Hal [Akemi], Gambrills, MD; two sisters; three grandchildren, Caleb, Katie, and Ethan, and one great-granddaughter, McKinley.
Visitation will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 7, 2017 at the Brennan-Mathena Funeral Home, Topeka, KS. The Trisagion will be sung at 6:30 p.m. The Funeral Service will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, December 8, at Saints Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church, 2516 SW Huntoon, Topeka, KS, followed by interment at Mount Hope Cemetery.
May Matushka Valerie’s memory be eternal!