Victor Diachenko was born September 27, 1923 in Ukraine. After childhood, he traveled from his home and was forced to fight in World War II. He escaped the Soviet Union and met his wife Zina at a displaced persons camp in Austria. The two were married in 1946, had their son Eugene, and immigrated to the United States.
They settled in Metropolitan Detroit and expanded their family having daughters Tania and Julia.
Victor was very proud of his accomplishments working at Ford Motor Company where his successes in the paint department led to several acknowledgements. His expertise with di noc and woodgrain application was locally known through his own business. He also hosted the “Russian Radio Hour” program on WCAR for several years.
Besides his career, Victor valued his Orthodox faith, enjoyed gardening, was enthusiastic about hockey, loved fishing, and was a talented artist with his oil painting skills.
Victor passed away May 7, 2019 in Livonia and will be deeply missed by his surviving wife Zina Diachenko, son Eugene (Andrea) Diachenko, daughters Tania (Bruce) Blanton and Julia (Michael) Inglis, grandchildren Larissa Inglis, Eva Diachenko, Daniel (Dana) Diachenko, Meredith (Steve) Wheeler, and Anne Ball-Blanton, and great-grandchildren Robert and Makayla.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Victor’s memory can be made to “Team Fox in The D,” to support Parkinson’s research, “Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Cathedral” in Ferndale, “Marywood Nursing Care Center” in Livonia, or to a charity of your choice.