Ernestine Hrebeniuk

Ernestine Adelheid (Olczyk) Hrebeniuk passed away at home surrounded by her close friends on August 13, 2021. She was born in on 5/12/26 in the town of Beuthen, Germany to her mother Helen Adelheid Olczyk and father Herbert Herzog. She was proceeded in death by her mother, father, and sister Ursula Kroll and is survived by a half-brother in Germany, Siegbert Fröhlich. When Ernestine was 12 years old her mother had to leave and she then went to live with her grandmother. At the age of 19 she began working in accounting in Beuthen, Germany which became Bytom, Poland and overnight she had to change languages as that territory had been taken over by the Polish. After some years she fled Poland to West Germany where she worked in accounting again. She came to the United States with some friends in 1967 and met Alex Hrebeniuk in Lansdale, PA. She returned to West Germany and Alex was not going to lose this woman he had fallen in love with, so he sold his property where he was breeding Poinsettias, Mums, and Geraniums and went over to Germany to see Ernestine. He courted her and asked her to marry him. They were both in their 40's at the time. Alex stayed in West Germany 3 months until Ernestine was released from her office job. They had an engagement party in Germany, then came back to the United States and got married in Perkasie, PA in 1968. Alex built a duplex, until a home was built on that property selling his plants commercially until 1980. They had two greenhouses built where they worked alone together side-by-side until they moved to Sugar Run, PA to an 80-acre farm. They then built 2 smaller greenhouses, being that he was semi-retired. While living in Pennsylvania, Alex owned, grew and operated several poinsettia greenhouses. He was the only individual breeder of Poinsettias in the United States. He held 42 patents for poinsettia plants. These were sold to various companies throughout the United States. He decided to discontinue his commercial business to do research and worked on breeding his Poinsettias where he became involved with Penn State. After 20 years they moved to Ocala, FL. Her husband, Alexander, passed away February 12, 2011 at the age of 89. Ernestine lived to the age of 95 and celebrated her birthday with her good friends and caregivers, Cindy Meissner Speck, Cindy's spouse, Jim, Cindy's dad, Tom Meissner, and friends Roe and Dana Weaver. Barbara Dedics came to visit Ernestine to hear her life's story prior to her 95th birthday. She also stopped by to celebrate Ernestine's 95th birthday and brought a friend of hers, Lynne Galvin, who speaks fluent German. They had a wonderful time and I know Ernestine was grateful to meet Lynne. When the two met, you would have thought they were old friends as they spoke in German so it brought much joy to the two of them. A visitation will be held at Robert's Funeral Home Bruce Chapel West, 6241 SW State Road 200, Ocala on Tuesday, August 31, 2021 from 3pm to 6pm. The funeral service will take place on Wednesday, September 1, 2021 at the Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 6455 SW State Road 200, Ocala beginning at 8:30am. Interment following at Good Shepherd Memorial Gardens, 5050 SW 20th Street, Ocala.

Ernestine Hrebeniuk

May 12, 1926 - August 13, 2021