Adrian Jaroslaw Kerod, 78, departed this life on Friday, March 15, 2024. Born to Iryna (Kiciuk) Kerod and Volodymyr Kerod, in Bad Wörishofen, Germany, on March 28, 1945, he was one of the thousands of displaced persons who emigrated to the United States after WWII. Arriving in New York City in December of 1950, Adrian and his family joined the large Ukrainian diaspora community. He attended Saint George School and Church, where he served as an altar boy, was a member of the Ukrainian scouting organization, Plast, and studied violin at the Ukrainian Music Institute. He was blessed with musical and artistic talents and had a keen interest in science and technology.

Adrian graduated from Stuyvesant, an elite public college-preparatory specialized high school in Manhattan. While in college, he switched his major from engineering to architecture. After receiving his degree from City College of New York (CCNY), he successfully passed the rigorous Architect Registration Examination, gained his license, and became a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). During his professional career, he was employed by Gruzen & Partners and several other major firms in the New York City area, as well as Morse Diesel in Washington, DC. Adrian was an active member of The Washington Group (TWG), an association of Ukrainian-American professionals, and served on its board of directors.

Being well versed in the architectural history of the 20th Century, Adrian continued to study this field as it transitioned from Bauhaus to post-modernism. His own work and commissions reflected these latest trends and developments. Among the architects whose designs he admired and philosophies he respected were Ludwig Mies van de Rohe, Philip Johnson, Louis Kahn and I. M. Pei, to name a few. He was drawn to the concepts of Buckminster Fuller and Robert Venturi.

In his personal life, Adrian loved toys, games and puzzles. When he was 11, his Christmas wish was for a Lionel train set. He struggled to hide his disappointment when his present turned out to be a portable typewriter. Years later, he was delighted with his first job as a salesclerk at the iconic toy store FAO Schwartz. He loved posing and solving riddles, setting clues and creating treasure hunts. As a teenager, he constructed a true-to-scale suspension bridge, out of precisely and painstakingly cut toothpicks, that spanned his bedroom. He built a model geodesic dome out of plastic straws. He searched for and discovered patterns in numbers. He was fascinated by computers and assembled one from parts well before they became common household items.

His Ukrainian roots took him on a number of trips to Ukraine where he met more members of his family - aunt, uncle, cousins. In 1988, Adrian participated in the Bridges for Peace March from Odesa to Kyiv. These visits awoke a deep interest in Ukrainian culture and language and uncovered yet another gift – he grew as a wordsmith in Ukrainian as well as English.

The camaraderie he experienced as a member of the Plast (Ukrainian Scout) fraternity, Chornomortsi (Sailors of the Black Sea), was an important part of Adrian's life. He enjoyed sailing, camping, bonfires, and singing with his friends. Together, they translated Beatles songs into Ukrainian, set traditional Ukrainian songs to modern rhythms, composed new music for which they wrote, sometimes quirky, lyrics. Adrian often traveled to Vermont, especially in winter, and was an avid cross-country skier. He had perfect pitch and could replicate on the piano, which he was happy to play any time – day or night - any tune that he heard, or that someone could hum.

Later in life, after retiring from architecture, Adrian found himself volunteering as a legal assistant at Prime - ECR in Lancaster, PA. His duties primarily revolved around helping immigrants through the hurdles of settling in a new country, supporting them through mountains of red tape and aiding in the acquisition of legal status and green cards. While architecture was always Adrian's passion, this opportunity gave him a newfound appreciation for helping others.

He was predeceased by his parents and his former wife Luba Stebelsky. At the time of his death, Adrian was living in Manheim, PA.  Care for Adrian in his final years was compassionately given by Oksana Kerod to whom he was married from 1993 until 2006.

At heart, Adrian was a free and creative spirit. He leaves his family in great sadness. Adrian is survived by his son, Oleksander Vsevolod Kerod, a geophysicist in Lancaster of whom he was very proud, fiancé of Ashley Stalnecker; his sister, Ivanna Kerod Reed; nephews Andrew Reed and William Reed and their families; his aunt Maria Kiciuk and many cousins both in the US and in Ukraine.

The celebration of Adrian's life will be held on Saturday,  July 6 at 1 p.m. at the Nativity of BVM Church, 504 Summit Ave, Reading,  PA 19611. Family and friends are welcome to arrive at 12 p.m. In lieu of flowers,  memorial contributions may be made to Revived Soldiers Ukraine either online at https://www.rsukraine.org/ways-to-help or by mailing a check to:

Revived Soldiers Ukraine

426 Raehn St

Orlando, FL 32806