Amalia Derda

Amalia Josephine “Lia” Derda, age 88 years of Niles, Michigan died at 4:50 a.m. on Monday, December 15, 2014 at Buchanan Meadows Senior Living Center in Buchanan, Michigan following a brief illness.

She was born on May 6, 1926 in Treviso, Italy to Carlo and Maria (Beraldo) Massarin. She completed school in Italy, and moved from Venice to South Bend, Indiana in 1947, then settled in Niles in 1951. She was a co-owner with her husband of the L. J. Derda Cabinet Company, and later Derda, Incorporated.

Lia was a member of the Saint Mary Catholic Church in Niles and volunteered at its Christian Service Organization. She was also a member of the Daughters of Isabella for more than fifty years. She enjoyed traveling, and had visited most of Europe, the United States, and Mexico. She also enjoyed gardening, but her greatest interest was her family.

Lia met Leonard Joseph Derda, a native of South Bend, in Venice, Italy in 1945 while Leonard was serving in the United States Army during World War II. After Lia came to the United States, on June 14, 1947 at Saint Stanislaus Catholic Church in South Bend, she married Leonard with whom she celebrated the forty-fifth anniversary of their wedding prior to his death on August 23, 1992. She was also preceded in death by a son, Carlo J. Derda on September 18, 1980; and by an infant great-grandson, Leonard Joseph Mollison on September 5, 2007.

Surviving family includes her children, John (& Angela) Derda and Susanna Wilson all of South Bend, Rebecca McKee and Diana (& Gerald) Orosz all of Niles; grandchildren, Rev. Fr. Christopher Derda, Amanda (& Robert Mollison) McKee-Mollison, Shaun (& Traci) Derda, Anthony (& Elaine) McKee, Jason (& Jill) Wilson, Melissa (& Jason Wetenkamp) Orosz-Wetenkamp, Vanessa (& Glen) Orosz-Easterday, Nicholas (& Mary) Derda, Matthew (& Rachel) Lockwood, and Katrina Orosz; and great-grandchildren, Brenden, Carli, Joey, Reese, Alicia, Derek, Ashlee, Dylan, Benjamin, Daniel, Hunter, Allison, Madison, Andrew, Carlo, twins John and Joseph, Claire, and Evan.

The Mass of Christian Burial for Amalia Derda will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 20, 2014 at Saint Mary Catholic Church in Niles by The Rev. Fr. Christopher Derda of Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Battle Creek, Michigan with The Rev. Fr. Camillo Tirabassi concelebrating, and presiding priest The Rev. Fr. Alphonse Savarimuthu, MSFS of Saint Mary Catholic Church. Committal Rites will follow at Highland Cemetery in South Bend.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Friday from 2:00 until 4:00 and 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. at the Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles with Recitation of The Rosary at 7:00 p.m.