WOLODYMYRA TEODORA KYSILEWSKY

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WOLODYMYRA TEODORA KYSILEWSKY It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother Wolodymyra Kysilewsky on the morning of December 19, 2005. Born on July 18, 1915 in the village of Yaseniw-Pilnyj in Western Ukraine, Wolodymyra spent her youth surrounded by music. Enamoured by the piano, she demonstrated an extraordinary musical ability and, in her later teens, became the protege of Vasyl Barwinsky, the world-renowned Ukrainian composer. Her dream was to become a concert pianist and, to this end, Wolodymyra completed her music education degree at Lviv's Ivan-Franko University (1935) and became a certified concert pianist by the Lviv Conservatory of Music (1937). Following her father's footsteps, she also completed a Masters of Law degree (1938). An avid member of Plast (Ukrainian Scouting Organization), she spent many of her summers in the Carpathian Mountains. It is there that she met the love of her life...a young theology graduate named Roman. They were married in August of 1939...it was to be the calm before the storm . In the spring of 1940, the ravages of the Second World War reached their doorstep. With the German front advancing, the married couple was forced to flee to Bilhoraj (present-day Poland) where their first daughter Tatiana was born in 1941. They returned briefly to Lviv but in 1944, due the threat of the despised, rapidly advancing Soviet army, and their likely exile to Siberia that came with the Soviet Bear , the two escaped with the rest of her immediate family to Bratislava (Slovakia). With the end of the war, they moved to Hohenems, a small village in the Austrian Tyrol where they celebrated the birth of their second daughter Wirlana in 1946. There, the family started a business manufacturing strings for musical instruments. With Austria in dire economic straits, the family applied for immigration to Canada through the Ukrainian Canadian Committee and on December 1, 1948, arrived in Halifax. They were immediately transferred to Western Canada, settling permanently in Winnipeg. In Winnipeg, the business of raising the family continued. With her husband often away working as a cook on the C.N.R., Wolodymyra worked hard to support her family. She became a member of the Registered Music Teachers Association and opened her own music school. With her school often numbering over 50 students, she taught from morning to night. In 1962, with special permission from the Vatican, Roman Kysilewsky was finally ordained a Ukrainian Catholic priest in Paris by Canada's Metropolitan Archbishop Maksym Hermaniuk, and was assigned to Winnipeg's Metropolitan Cathedral of Sts. Vladimir and Olga on McGregor Street, eventually becoming its Parish Priest. Being a deeply religious person, Wolodymyra dedicated herself to supporting her husband in his work with the congregation. She established the church choir, developing it into a large and very successful mixed-youth choir (later named Tyrsa ) that performed regularly in Winnipeg, as well as internationally. Despite all her professional involvements, family always came first, and Wolodymyra was extremely proud of both her daughters and their families. She glowed, when Wirlana, a brilliant concert pianist in her own right, furthered the legacy of Tyrsa choir and became a highly regarded music teacher. She beamed as she tirelessly tended to her grandchildren, teaching them the joy of music and all those wonderful scales . Her home was the central point of all our lives and she, a constant in ours. Pani Dobrodijka Wolodymyra Kysilewsky, R.M.T., was a strong-willed individual never afraid of hard work. A caring wife...a loving mother...a doting grandmother...Her absence leaves a void in our lives that tears cannot fill. We miss you Babtsia...Tonight we know you sing with choirs of angels... Don't make them practice too long! Vichna Tobi Pamiat'! Wolodymyra was predeceased by her parents, her husband Rev. Msgr. Roman Kysilewsky, her sister Lesia Melnyk and her son-in-law George Holowka. She leaves to mourn her absence, daughters, Tatiana (Ostap) Hawaleshka and Wirlana Holowka; grandchildren, Adio Hawaleshka and Natalka (Vladimir) Hutsulak; great-grandchildren, Nina and Maksym Hutsulak; and many other family members in Canada and in Ukraine. The family expresses its gratitude to Dr. Terry Babick and the staff at Concordia Hospital for their tireless care and support. Prayers: Sts. Vladimir and Olga Cathedral, 115 McGregor St., Thursday, December 22 at 7:00 p.m. Liturgy: Sts. Vladimir and Olga Cathedral, Friday, December 23 at 10:00 a.m., with Rt. Rev. Msgr. Michael Buyachok, officiating. Pallbearers: Adrian Hawaleshka, Vladimir Hutsulak, Petro Kurjewicz, Mark Kurjewicz, Slawko Holowka and Bohdan Smycniuk. Thanks to all. We thank Korban's Funeral Chapel for their professional and understanding service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sts. Vladimir and Olga Cathedral.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 21, 2005