Derkatch and his wife, Karla, moved to the village 43 years ago, relocating from Brooklyn to be near Karla's family in Hempstead.
In addition to his wife, Derkatch is survived by three children, Alison Carey (Dan), Marc Derkatch (Julie) and Evan Derkatch (Patty), as well as eight grandchildren.
He was the owner of Pen-Mill and Caliber Pharmacies in Hewlett, managing those businesses until the early 1980s, when he suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage. At that point he stepped back from the hectic schedule of a business owner to spend time with his family.
After leaving the business world, Derkatch continued to be active. He was an avid follower of the stock market, spending hours watching television to keep up with his investments. His daughter, Alison, also remembers him as a "great dancer" who was always young at heart. He and his wife spent a good part of their time in West Palm Beach, Fla., where they also had a home.
Derkatch's passion was the enjoyment his family brought him. In recent years, the entire family, including all of his grandchildren - Jenna, Jamie, Zachary, Lucas, Clare, Christopher, Matthew and Gavin - took annual cruises together.
Derkatch's family believes that his greatest accomplishment is the close relationships he had with his children and grandchildren, all of whom still live in Rockville Centre. His son Marc is the proprietor of Busco's Catering on Long Beach Road.
According to his daughter, "He never liked to say goodbye. He would just say, 'See you later.'"
