Mildred Ruth Kowalik (Міла Ковалик), who, along with her husband, founded the First Ukrainian Baptist Church of Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the 1950s, passed on to gloryland on Saturday, December 9, 2023, at the age of 101 (about a month short of 102).
Born in Minneapolis, Mildred served as the organist and pianist at the Slovak Baptist Church in Minneapolis during her teenage years. She married Wasyl Kowalik in 1945 and was married for 58 years until he died in 2003. Together they founded the Ukrainian church, where Rev. Kowalik was the pastor and she played the organ and piano.
Sister Kowalik also was a Sunday School teacher and attended many annual conferences of the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Convention (UEBC) in the United States. She also served for a few years as an officer in the UEBC’s women’s association.
Mildred attended Minneapolis Business College. Her first job was at 3M in St. Paul in the accounting department. Later, she worked in the accounting department at Flour City Architectural Metals.
Condolences are expressed to her three children, daughter Janice Vischer (husband Robert); son Tim (wife Karen); and daughter Jeane Lerman; six grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday, December 16, at 1:30 p.m. at the Washburn-McReavy Hillside Chapel in Minneapolis.
The arms of Jesus embraced Lucy Koroluk (Люда Іващенко Королюк) the night of Thursday, November 2, 2023 in Naperville, Illinois.
Sister Koroluk, who was a former member of the Ukrainian Baptist Church of Chicago, was 87 years old when she passed away from heart failure.
She was born near Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, and during World War II ended up in a displaced persons camp in Germany with her family.
The family immigrated to Chicago in 1950 under the sponsorship of Rev. Olexa Harbuziuk. Lucy soon was baptized at the Ukrainian Baptist Church of Chicago, where she later met her future husband. They were married in February 1954.
Sister Koroluk was active in the women’s circle at the Ukrainian church, and she served as secretary, vice president and president at various times.
She loved the Lord and was known to help immigrants who arrived from Ukraine in the 1990s.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Theodore, in 1992, and her son James in 2017. She is survived by her elder son, Rev. Theodore (wife Del Marie); three granddaughters; nine great-grandchildren; three siblings; and many nieces and nephews.
A private committal service is planned for Thursday at Woodlawn Memorial Park, 7750 West Cermak Road, Forest Park, Illinois, followed by interment in the family plot.
Volodymyr Sokolovskyy enters eternal life
More obituaries may be found on the "Deaths in 2022" page; the "Deaths in 2021" page, the "Deaths in 2020" page, the "Deaths in 2019" page, the "Deaths in 2018" page, the "Deaths in 2017" page, the "Deaths in 2016" page, the "Deaths 2012-2015" page and the "Deaths Before 2012" page.
Rev. olexa Harbuziuk Legacy
Пастор олекса Романович Гарбузюк
Vasyl Kozachuk passed to his eternal glory
Helen Barchuk Kuzmyn enters her eternal rest
Those listed were members or former members of Ukrainian Baptist churches in the United States and Canada, or others who had a connection to those churches. If you have information that you would like to share, please send an email to aharbuziuk@gmail.com
Cancer claims the life of Eugene Paprockyj
The earthly journey of Volodymyr Sokolovskyy, a member of the Ukrainian Baptist Church of Chicago, came to an end on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.
Brother Sokolovskyy, who was born in Ukraine on April 22, 1932, was 90 years old.
A funeral was held Monday, March 20, at Moss Family Funeral Home in Batavia. Interment was in West Batavia Cemetery.
Condolences are expressed to Olga, his wife of 63 years; three children, Natalia, Nadia and Andrew; eight grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren, and other relatives.
Rev. Skoworodko, pastor, evangelist, TV preacher
Dr. Inna Artysiewicz-Huryn, pastor's wife, 92
Rev. Skoworodko in his younger years.
The Rev. Dr. Steve Skoworodko (Степан Федорович Сковородько), a beloved pastor and evangelist, left this earth on February 9, 2023, to meet his Lord and Savior, whom he served all of his life.
Pastor Skoworodko, who was born in Blueberry, Alberta, Canada, on Sept. 24, 1929, was 93 years old.
He was pastor of the Ukrainian Baptist Church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, for about 35 years. The church later changed its name to Fairmont Baptist Church.
He started the “Ukrainian Gospel Program” TV broadcast in 1978, and it continued for more than 35 years.
He attended The Ukrainian Bible Institute in Saskatoon for four years in the early 1950s. There, he met his future wife, Martha, and they married on November 4, 1954. She died in 2017.
Brother Skoworodko served as the guest evangelist at the Ukrainian Baptist Church in Chicago on at least three occasions, including 1969, 1972 and 1976.
He served as an officer in various church associations.
Rev. Skoworodko received an honorary doctorate from the Baptist Theological Seminary in Kyiv, Ukraine in 1998.
Condolences are expressed to his two sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held Tuesday, February 14, at Fairmont Baptist Church.
Lucy Koroluk called home by her Savior at 87
Helen in her youth.
Helen in 2008.
Eugene "Gene" Paprockyj (Євген Папроцький), who grew up in the First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, died of esophageal cancer on Wednesday, June 21, 2023.
Gene was 72 years old. He battled the disease for about four years.
Gene's father, Rev. Jaroslaw Paprockyj, was the founding pastor of the Philadelphia church and served as its pastor for many decades. He died in 2006. Gene's mother, Maria, died in August 2022 at age 99.
Gene sang in the church choir and played in the church orchestra. He earned a degree in architectural design from Temple University. He served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.
Condolences are expressed to his wife, Judy; three children; his brother, Don; and other relatives.
Mildred Kowalik, church founder in Minneapolis
Helena Tesluk embraced by Jesus at age 101
Obituaries 2023 /
Посмертні згадки
Maria Kowalik meets her savior at age 93
Heaven welcomes Ruth McDermott, 69
Helen Kuzmyn (Галина Кузьмин), who spent her growing-up years attending the Ukrainian Baptist Church of Chicago, went to be with her Lord Jesus on Monday, April 17, 2023.
She was 78 years old. Helen was born on July 1, 1944 in Warsaw, Poland. The family then ended up in Germany. Her parents brought her to the United States in 1949.
Sister Kuzmyn (nee Barchuk) also sang in the alto section of the church choir.
Her father, Rev. John Barchuk, was a renowned preacher who delivered numerous sermons, not only from the church pulpit, but also over the radio in Chicago and via short-wave stations into Ukraine and other countries. He also wrote about 30 books on religious topics.
Visitation will be held Sunday, April 23, 2023 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory in Crystal Lake, Illinois.
Visitation will resume on Monday from 11 a.m. until the 1 p.m. service at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Windridge Memorial Park.
Condolences are expressed to her husband of 53 years, Wladyslau ("Wally") Kuzmyn; three daughters, Christine, Carolyn and Cindy; nine grandchildren; one great-grandchild; siblings Lucy Waden, Gloria Perekrest and George Barchuk; and other relatives.
Dr. Inna Artysiewicz-Huryn (Інна Гурин), a former member of the First Ukrainian Baptist Church in Hemet, California, entered heaven on Thursday night, November 21, 2023.
She was 92 years old.
Sister Huryn was married to Rev. Aleksander Huryn for 57 years until he died in 2016.
Dr. Huryn earned a degree in dentistry and practiced for about 20 years in Europe before moving to America in 1970.
The family moved to Hemet in 1977, where Rev. Huryn served as pastor. Previously, he had been pastor in Crum Lynne, Pennsylvania, and Los Angeles.
A funeral is scheduled for Thursday, December 14, at 10 a.m. at McWane Family Funeral Home in Hemet. Burial will be at San Jacinto Valley Cemetery in San Jacinto, California.
Condolences are expressed to her three sons, Jaroslaw (wife Dr. Tatyana Dankulich-Huryn), Bohdan and Swiatoslaw (wife Kristen Okura); three grandchildren, and a brother, Peter Artysiewicz.
Ruth Harbus McDermott (Рут Гарбуз), a former member of the First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church of Philadelphia, passed away on August 29, 2023 at St. Mary Hospital in Langhorne, PA.
She was 69 years old.
Ruth was born in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and grew up in Philadelphia. She graduated from Cedar Grove Christian Academy in Philadelphia and earned an associate’s degree in computer science in college.
Condolences are expressed to her daughter, three grandchildren, three sisters and a brother.
Maria I. Kowalik (Марія Ковалик), a member of the Ukrainian Baptist Church in North Port, Florida, passed away on April 22, 2023.
She was 93 years old.
Sister Kowalik was born in Ukraine and immigrated to America in 1990 with her husband. In 2021, they moved from Syracuse, NY, to North Port.
A funeral service was held April 28. She was laid to rest at Gulf Pines Memorial Park in Englewood, Florida.
Condolences are expressed to her four children, 18 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and other relatives.
Her husband died in 2022.
Helena Tesluk (Хелена Теслюк), a longtime member of the Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church in Toronto, Canada, went to be with her Lord and Saviour on June 8, 2023.
She was 101 years old.
Sister Tesluk sang in the mixed choir and the ladies' choir at the Toronto church. Her husband, Andrew Tesluk, was the choir director for many years. He died in 2007.
The Tesluks immigrated to Canada in December 1960 from Poland. They had four sons, Michael, Aleksander, Andy and Pete.
A graveside service is being planned for Thursday, June 15, at York Cemetery in North York, officiated by Walter Kohut.
Condolences are expressed to her sons, grandchildren and other relatives.
Vasyl Parfenovich Kozachuk (Василь Козачук), a member of the First Ukrainian Evangelical Baptist Church in Santa Barbara, California, went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on January 18, 2023.
Brother Kozachuk, who was 93 years old, was born in Ukraine and immigrated to Santa Barbara in 1999.
Because he was a leader of an underground church during the Communist era, he served some time in prison.
He was a preacher in Ukraine and in Santa Barbara.
Condolences are expressed to his wife of 64 years, Praskovija; two sons; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren and other relatives.
A funeral service will be held Tuesday, January 24, at 10 a.m. at Welch-Ryce-Haider Funeral Chapel in Santa Barbara, followed by burial at the Goleta Cemetery.