Agnes Helene Dorasavage Palko

Agnes Helene Dorasavage Palko, affectionately known as “Chickie”, 95, of Blakeslee, Pennsylvania, formerly of Greensburg and Pottsville, Pennsylvania died peacefully at home on August 30, 2026.

She had celebrated her 95th birthday just weeks earlier surrounded by her beloved family, a precious occasion for which they will remain forever grateful.

Born June 19, 1931, in Pottsville, Agnes was the youngest of five children of the late William C. Dorasavage, MD and Mary Unitas Dorasavage. All four of her grandparents were of Lithuanian heritage, having immigrated to the United States in the late nineteenth century. She was very proud of her Lithuanian ancestry.

Agnes attended Saint John the Baptist Catholic Grammar School in Pottsville. She graduated in 1949 from Pottsville Catholic High School where she was a cheerleader, a tap dancer and editor of the class yearbook. Academically,

Agnes had a keen interest in the sciences spurred on by interactions with her father, a surgeon. Dr. Dorasavage took her on house calls while visiting patients and allowed her to observe him in the operating room during surgery. Those experiences motivated Agnes to pursue a path of higher education at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, where she graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. She formed cherished friendships there that lasted throughout her lifetime.

During high school Chickie met the love of her life, Michael J. Palko Jr., at a corner soda shop. She returned home and told her family that she had met the man she would marry. Their marriage was a beautiful love story. Shortly after their marriage on August 8, 1953, Agnes accompanied Michael to France, where he was stationed for military service. It was there that they began their life together as newlyweds.

After the completion of Michael’s military service in France, the couple returned to Pennsylvania to raise a family. The legacy of her father’s medical profession continued through her four surviving children, all of whom became physicians. Chickie took great pride in their accomplishments and, above all, in the compassionate people they became.

After Michael’s death at the young age of 45, Agnes raised their children with remarkable strength, faith and optimism. She never remarried as Michael remained the love of her life. Her greatest calling and joy was her family. While raising her children she also served as a Girl Scout leader and a substitute teacher at Greensburg Central Catholic High School. She gave generously of herself to her family and community and created a home filled with love, kindness and faith.

A devout Catholic, Agnes was a member of Saint John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Pottsville and Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Pocono Pines. Her faith guided her throughout her life and was reflected in the love and care she gave to her children, her parents and other family members.

Agnes was warm, outgoing and devoted to family and friends. She maintained lifelong friendships from childhood, high school and her years at Chestnut Hill College. She also loved the Poconos, where her parents’ vacation cabin became a treasured gathering place for generations of family members. In later years, she made Blakeslee in the Poconos her home.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Michael J. Palko Jr.; her infant son, Michael David; her parents, Dr. William C. and Mary Unitas Dorasavage; and her siblings, John Dorasavage, Margaret Monahan, William Dorasavage and Mary Elizabeth Rees.

Agnes is survived by her loving children, William M. Palko, MD and his wife Maria Palko of Wichita, Kansas; Michael J. Palko III, MD of Bluffton, South Carolina; David B. Palko, MD and his wife Lisa Palko, PharmD of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Mary Beth Palko, MD and her husband Michael Flanagan, MD of Lebanon, New Hampshire. Chickie is also survived by nine cherished grandchildren— Nicholas, Gregory, Caitlin, Jessica (JoJo), Benjamin, Adam, Micah, James and Paul; ten adored great-grandchildren — Gemma, Roma, Luca, Asa, Paloma, Gianna, Ennis, Grant, Beckett and June; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family extends its heartfelt gratitude to Chickie’s caregivers, Abigail Grigsby and Memuna Bangura, for the extraordinary love, kindness and compassionate care they gave her. They became beloved members of the family and will always be remembered with profound gratitude.

Agnes’s greatest legacy is the loving and close family she helped create. Through her example she passed on the values of faith, kindness, compassion and devotion to family—values that continue throughout the generations. She was always there for her family, and for this we will be forever thankful.

Her life was a blessing, her love was a gift, and her memory will remain forever in the hearts of all who knew and loved Chickie.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Saint John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Pottsville, with the Rev. Peter J. Iorio as celebrant and the Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin as concelebrant. Family and friends are invited for a visitation in the vestibule of the church from 10:00 a.m. until the start of Mass. Interment will follow at Saint John the Baptist Roman Catholic Cemetery #02 in Pottsville.

If you wish, the family would prefer that donations in memory of Agnes be made to the St. John Memorial Fund, 913 Mahantongo St., Pottsville, PA 17901.

Arrangements are under the care of James E. Humphrey Funeral Home, Pottsville.