Wiera Ochrymovych

Vera Okhrymovych was born on November 1, 1907 in Veldizh, Dolyna county, Ukraine. She graduated from high school in Lviv, and later worked at a bookstore "Ridna Shkola" in Lviv.

In the mid -1930s she married Stephan Popel. The marriage did not last long - after two years they divorced. After the war, Popiel had moved to the United States and lived in the State of Minnesota. He was an excellent chess player, one of the best in Lviv, and he also had good success in the United States.

When Halychyna ended up part of the Soviet Union in 1939, Vera tried to emigrate to the West - to Cracow. She was caught trying to cross the border and the Soviets exiled her (to five years hard labour), at first, to Siberia, and later to Kazakhstan. When the Polish General Anders was bringing back from exile his Polish soldiers, she was able to leave with them through Egypt to London, England. She married Julian Daniec, an officer who helped her escape from Kazakhstan. They later emigrated to the United States, where they lived not too far from Vera's sister - Luba. Julian died first, and Vera died on July 1, 1995 in New York from lung emphysema.