Katarina Tkacik, 71
Katarina Tkacik, 71, of Boston, passed away January 6, 2026.
Born in Kosice, Slovakia, on January 20, 1954, she was the daughter of the late Marian Okal, a professor of physics, and Marta Okalova, a pharmacist.
As a child, when her homeland was still Czechoslovakia, she spent summers at her grandparents’ home. She spoke so fondly of those times, even in her last days of life. As she got older, she accompanied her father on hiking trips to the mountains with his students. By high school, she had a knack for painting and drawing, she composed poetry, she played basketball, and then she graduated valedictorian. She also excelled in math and science and was accepted to study chemistry at P.J. Safarik University. She went on to get her master’s in physical and analytical chemistry at Comenius University.
In August 1968, Soviet tanks rolled into Czechoslovakia. The Soviets would not leave until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Katarina would not wait. Pregnant, but not yet showing, she knew she had to escape or stay forever. Once in Austria, she gave birth to her daughter, Katka. Shortly after that, she and her then husband, Gabriel Tkacik, immigrated to the United States, the country she would call home for the rest of her life. She truly believed the United States was the best country in the world.
Her drive to constantly improve, learn, and grow helped her career once she got her foot in the door with a research assistant position at Dynatech. Her work contributed to the development of many medical devices, including blood gas analyzers, bleeding control devices for surgery, and biomarker discovery technology. She holds a U.S. patent. While working full time, she earned her MBA at Boston College and worked her way from research assistant to chemist to senior program manager. She lived the American Dream.
In her 30s she moved to Acton with her then husband, Mark Landrigan. She began playing pick-up basketball — something she would continue into her mid-60s. She frequented the MFA and other museums and attended concerts of all types of music. She ran the Acton Rec Fourth of July race for many years. She loved Acton. Her friends knew her as eclectic, quick-witted, stylish. Later in life, she moved to Boston to be close to culture and entertainment. She joined a philosophy club. From 2022 on, she spent more time in Spain with her daughter’s family.
Katarina was a writer, a questioner, a poet, an artist, a scientist, a project manager, a music lover, a trendsetter, a runner, a basketball player, an intellectual, a philosopher, a traveler, a coffee aficionado, a fencer, a dancer, a beauty, and a mother. She was everything — the most well-rounded, impressive person in any room. She was superlative.
She is survived by her daughter Katka and son-in-law Jorge; her three grandchildren Juan, Marta, and Emma,; her brother Marian; her sister-in-law Maria; and her nephew and nieces Marian, Tereza, and Margareta. She was predeceased by her parents, Marian and Marta.
Katarina’s funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Bernard’s Church at Holy Family Parish, 12 Monument Square, Acton Center, on Monday, January 19, at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to MFA Boston. mfa.org/give/mfa-fund
Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Acton. To share a memory or offer a condolence on her tribute page, visit DeeFuneralHome.com.
