ORYSIA TRACZ

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ORYSIA TRACZ September 8, 1945 - November 10, 2016 With deep sadness and immense sorrow, the Tracz family announces the sudden peaceful passing of Orysia Paszczak Tracz on November 10, 2016. Through this sadness, we, along with her friends, celebrate the life of a remarkable, thoughtful, and caring woman. Following the Second World War and her family's escape to the West, Orysia was born in a displaced person's camp in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, was raised in New Jersey, and made her family home in Winnipeg - but her heart was in her beloved Ukraine. At Soyuzivka, a Ukrainian resort in upstate New York, Orysia met her husband Myroslaw. They married in 1967. Arriving in Winnipeg in 1968, Orysia and Myroslaw found a city where they were able to raise their children in a community that embraced Ukrainian culture. Orysia's love and knowledge of Ukrainian traditions, ethnography, and song, were the essence of her spirit. A writer, researcher, lecturer, translator, and storyteller, her activities spanned the globe, from Australia, throughout Canada, the US and Ukraine. Most recently, Orysia entered the prime of her life where she was able to channel her energy into her passion for books and telling the story of our rich and ancient heritage. Last year, she published "The First Star I See Tonight", a collection of her articles on Ukrainian Christmas traditions - the first of what was to be many books on why Ukrainians do "The Things We Do." Her gifts to us are the stories, songs, rituals, and traditions which she shared with us. She is known to all as a treasure of the Ukrainian community, giving selflessly of her time, knowledge and incredible curiosity for researching the "back story". She enriched the lives of so many. Her legacy is her family, who embraced her strength, her kindness, and her love of others and all things Ukrainian. She is survived by her husband Myroslaw; her three sons, Boyan, Dobryan, and Ruslan; her sister Nusia Denysyk (Oleh); nephew Ruslan (Kristin); nieces, Dara (Will) and Lana (Mike); and grand-nieces, Clara and Evelyn. She follows her parents, Sofia Mazepa and Wasyl, and her elder sister Lesia into eternal memory. The Tracz family would like to thank and recognize the compassionate staff at the Health Sciences Centre who made Orysia's final hours comfortable and who provided support to the family. A prayer service will be held at Holy Eucharist Parish, 505 Watt St., at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, November 14, 2016. It was Orysia's wish that all participants wear Vyshyvanky (Ukrainian Embroidered Shirts). Any donations, in lieu of flowers, are requested to be made to the Canadian Ukrainian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko (https://shevchenkofoundation.com/). VICHNAYA PAMYAT KORBAN FUNERAL CHAPEL 204-956-2193 www.korbanchapel.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 14, 2016