TARAS YURI SNIHUROWYCZ -

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TARAS YURI SNIHUROWYCZ 1918 - 2011 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Taras Yuri Snihurowycz, beloved father, grandfather and uncle, mentor, teacher and artist. He died peacefully on the morning of July 5, 2011 after a lengthy illness. Taras Snihurowycz was born in Stanyslawiw, present-day Ivano-Frankivsk, on June 5, 1918 and arrived in Canada in 1950. He earned a doctorate in dental medicine in Munich, Germany, and attained a second doctorate as a member of the first graduating class of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Manitoba in 1962. As one of the original faculty instructors, Taras Snihurowycz was a dedicated educator and an innovator who pioneered the wax added technique and advocated the use of stereoscopy in the fabrication of fixed denture prostheses. After Dr. Snihurowycz retired from full-time teaching in 1993, he continued to maintain close ties with the Faculty of Dentistry as a senior scholar and part-time instructor. He was a life member of the Manitoba Dental Association and a charter member of the University of Manitoba Dental Alumni Association. In 1998 he became the inaugural recipient of the Faculty of Dentistry's Alumni of Distinction Award. Taras Snihurowycz was an ardent tennis player; as a retiree and senior player he consistently won matches against much younger opponents. Supported and guided by his wife Daria, a former ballerina, he evolved into a passionate art collector, filling their Winnipeg home with diverse works by Ukrainian artists. In 1975, his passion for collecting transmuted into a passion for creating. Without previous formal training, he began painting sacred icons, and embarked upon a second career as an artist and iconographer. Taras Snihurowycz's body of work encompasses over 1,000 pieces, mainly icons with Eastern Christian motifs, many of which are housed in public and private collections around the world. The Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg's Oseredok Ukrainian Cultural Centre and Millennium Library, the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, the Canadian Dental Association in Ottawa, and the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Manitoba are all home to his art. Throughout his life, Taras Snihurowycz pursued his goals and interests with unremitting fervor. An engaging, animated and forthright human being, his energy, curiosity and sense of humour were always in evidence. He will be missed by all who loved and admired him. Taras Snihurowycz is survived by his daughter Genia Snihurowycz Blum, son-in-law Joerg Blum and grandchildren Daria and Julian of Lucerne, Switzerland; his niece/daughter Daria Nyzankiwsky of New York and her son Yaroslav Strohyj of Toronto; the families Snihurowycz, Shulakewych, Radlowskyj; and his extended family around the world. He was predeceased by his wife Daria Nyzankiwska, his siblings Luba, Myroslaw, Natalia and Wolodymyr, and by his parents Severin and Helena. Sincere thanks are extended to the staff at Maples Personal Care Home for their compassion and care during his stay. In compliance with Dr. Snihurowycz's wishes, a funeral mass will be held at St. Volodymyr and Olga Cathedral, 115 McGregor Street, Winnipeg, on Saturday, July 16, at 10.00 a.m. Flowers are gratefully declined, but donations may be made to the Daria Nyzankiwska Dance Foundation, Metzgerrainle 9, CH-6004 Lucerne, Switzerland.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 13, 2011