Obituary of Elena Sikes

Elena C. Sikes, of Ridgewood, formerly Leonia, daughter of L. Pacifico Camacho and Constantina Q. de Camacho, passed away on November 17th. Born to a family of 8 children, on an hacienda in a remote, lush valley deep in the Peruvian Andes, she eventually lived in Buenos Aires, Paris, and the suburbs of New York City. She learned 4 languages, traveled to a dozen or more countries, made friends easily, participated in community life, e.g. volunteering to help small children learning English as a second language, raised 2 sons, one of whom became a successful filmmaker and the other developed effective approaches to rehabilitating mental patients. She had 4 young grandchildren who loved her dearly. In spite of her much-deteriorated health in later years, she managed to stay active in their lives. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, O.J. Sikes, III, of Ridgewood, sons O.J. Sikes, IV and John L. Sikes, daughters-in-law Leane Sikes and Michiyo O. Sikes, grandchildren O.J. Sikes, V, James G. Sikes, Kaisei O. Sikes, and Kaya O. Sikes, all of Ridgewood. Graveside services will be held at 2 pm, Friday, Nov. 20th, at George Washington Memorial Park Cemetery in Paramus.