William and Helen Sorokes Family Memorial Fund Established to Support Olean Community
A lasting legacy of faith, family, and service lives on through a new memorial fund at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation.
PHOTO CAPTINON: Helen and William Sorokes
OLEAN - Married for nearly 70 years, William and Helen Sorokes devoted their lives to family and community. William "Bill" Sorokes was born in the Pittsburgh area in 1927 and moved to Cleveland (OH)) as a young man. Like many young men in the 1940s, he joined the U.S. Navy and served in various locations in the Pacific Ocean. On one of his leaves, he was invited by some fellow sailors to join them on a visit to their hometown - Olean, New York.
While in Olean, Bill met Helen Chokrach, an Olean native, and they soon were inseparable. He returned to Olean every chance he got, and they married in 1950 at St. John's Catholic Church in Olean. From there, they lived briefly in southern California while Bill finished his Navy stint, and he remained in the Naval Reserves after they moved back to Olean. Helen worked in the accounting department of Clark Brothers, the precursor to Dresser-Rand and Siemens Energy.
They made their home in South Olean in the early 1950s, where they would live for the rest of their years together. They raised six children and integrated their lives in the community, schools, civic and cultural activities, volunteer work, and recreation of the Olean area for nearly 70 years. Their six children, too, all enjoyed successful careers and raised their families in the Olean area.
After serving in both World War II and the Korean War, Bill spent most of his career as a machinist at Clair Manufacturing in Olean, and Helen was a dedicated mother, homemaker and volunteer. They taught their children from early childhood the importance of volunteer work, giving back to one's community, and having faith in God at all times.
While they never had personal wealth, they generously shared everything they had with family, friends, and neighbors, and their happiest moments were when their entire family, including 16 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, were together. Through all of life's ups and downs, they remained thankful for what they had and reminded their children and grandchildren that you don't need wealth to be kind and giving.
Bill passed away in 2019 at the age of 92, and Helen lived to be 95, celebrating that birthday just days before she died at the Pines Healthcare Center in 2025. Their children agreed that the most fitting way to remember and celebrate their lives would be to create a means of giving back to the community that they so dearly loved and which had been so good to them. The William and Helen Sorokes Family Memorial Fund was established upon Helen's passing. The fund will support grants to charitable causes in the greater Olean and Cattaraugus County community that enhance the lives of community residents and meet their changing needs. Grants will be made annually during William and Helen’s anniversary month in December at the recommendation of the fund advisors.
“William and Helen Sorokes embodied the very best of what it means to live a life rooted in family, faith, and service,” said Kirk Windus, CRCF Executive Director. The creation of this fund is a beautiful continuation of that legacy, ensuring that their spirit of giving will continue to strengthen the Olean community for generations to come.”
The Sorokes children agreed that this fund should serve as a reminder that anyone can make a difference in their community, and everyone should take time to reflect on the goodness in each of their lives. They are grateful to the staff at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation for assisting them with kindness and expediency when they asked to establish this fund upon the passing of their mother.
Donations can be made to the William and Helen Sorokes Family Memorial Fund at CRCF, 301 North Union St., Suite 203, Olean, NY 14731 or online at cattfoundation.org.