Daria Ewanik of Lewes, Delaware passed away unexpectedly on November 2, 2026. Born in Newark, New Jersey on June 26, 1954, she grew up in Cranford, New Jersey and spent her childhood summers at Penn Lake in White Haven, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Cranford Senior High School in 1972.

Daria attended The University of Massachusetts Amherst and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1976. She obtained an MBA from New York University in 1980. Her meticulous attention to detail served her well during her career at Merck in Rahway, New Jersey, where she was the Director of Clinical Operations until her retirement in 2006.

In retirement, Daria recovered from the professional world by diving into energy medicine and quilting as community service. She was a proud member of the Ocean Waves Quilt Guild, Inc. in Lewes, Delaware, where she made patriotic quilts and teddy bears for families of fallen service members at Dover Air Force Base. She also designed, cut, and packaged baby quilt kits for guild members to sew on their own. Daria had an eye for making beautiful patterns, a soft spot for fabric sales, and a steady hand for wielding a rotary cutter to make perfectly square 4-inch fabric blocks.

Family was the most important thing for Daria. She purchased her residence in Delaware so that the whole family could spend time there, and they did just that. She welcomed both friends and family as visitors, and the house rules were that you did what you wanted, you worked on whatever puzzle was set up on the dining room table, and if you were cold, you grabbed a blanket from the large collection of ugly afghans in the upstairs bedroom.

Daria was always present at family milestones – birthdays, graduations, weddings, and marching band trips to Disney World. She was the fun aunt to her nieces and nephews, and there is no mistake that they were as important to her as she was to them. She was so proud of her family members Jesse, Megan, and Dustin for serving in the military and never missed a chance to donate to charities supporting our troops.

Daria is pre-deceased by her parents, Rosalie and Leon Bagenski, and William Ewanik, and her aunt, Barbara Walko. She will be missed by her sisters, Tamara (David) Bay of Danvers, Massachusetts and Larisa (Spike) Payton of Penn Lake, Pennsylvania; her nephews and nieces, Jesse (Megan) Payton, Lisa (Jens) Payton Sjöbergh, and Dustin Payton, and Rebecca and Matthew Bay; and her grand-nieces and grand-nephew, Annabelle and Bryce Payton, and Freya Sjöbergh.

Daria had a quick wit and strong opinions, and you always knew where you stood with her, especially if you were a telemarketer trying to sell her a subscription over the phone on a Saturday morning. Her handwriting was beautiful, her fabric collection was organized by color and theme, and her sewing table was always piled high with at least five different in-process quilt projects. She was a world traveler, a chef, a crafter, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, and a friend. She will be deeply missed.

A requiem funeral service will be conducted 11 am on Thursday, November 12, 2026 at the Yeosock Funeral Home, 40 S Main St Plains 18705, with the V. Rev. Innocent Neal officiating.  Friends and family are invited to the funeral home at 10 am for a viewing until the time services.  All services are in the funeral home on Thursday.

Memorial contributions can be made to Friends of the Fallen Dover AFB, PO Box 2081, Dover, DE 19902.