ALEX UNGURIAN

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ALEX UNGURIAN

Alex was born on the farm in Shell Valley, MB, the fourth child of 13 children to Peter and Elena Ungurian. He was born into this world by a midwife, his mom's cousin. He was a bright boy and learned quickly, however because of the poor and tough times he only had a grade 2 education. That never held him back, he taught himself to read and write and many lifetime skills like carpentry, playing the accordion, and building furniture.
At a very young age he had a keen interest in God and the Orthodox Faith that he was baptized in. In 1953-1954 he took over the family farm and homestead. Early in his farming debut he learned how precarious the relationship is between farming and the elements. In the early morning of June 6, 1955, the beautiful green field of wheat, four inches high the day before, was now a bright shining silver in the early morning sunlight. A bittersweet, beautiful, but devastating scene for a young 28 year old novice farmer with his first crop. A killer frost had painted over and put it's final touch on Alex's wheat field canvass. A painful setback, but because of his faith and trust in God he took it in stride and we moved forward with our mixed farming. He was a successful farmer with the family homestead, land he owned, and rented.
He retired from farming in the late 1960s when he met and married his wife Mary. They moved to Winnipeg and he started a new career in carpentry till his eventual permanent retirement.
Alex was a man of great faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and lived an exemplary Christian life and lifestyle. He read and studied the scriptures daily, they were his daily Eucharist. Over the 93 years of his life, his faith grew and was the foundation to everything in our family. He was very involved in the church communities in Shell Valley and later at St. George Orthodox Church in Winnipeg. Tonsured a reader (canter) he loved the hours (prayers) before the Holy Liturgy started and he was always there early Sunday mornings. The greatest gift he offered and sacrificed to God was his evangelism spirit; he helped many who were interested in the Faith of Our Fathers, sponsoring newcomers in baptisms, chrismation, and marriages over the many years of his life. In our large family Alex was the senior advisor on matters, our spiritual guide, and our elder. We all have great respect for the faithful and humble servant of God. As a philanthropist he sponsored orphans through The Unitarian Service Committee in Ottawa ON. He helped the poor and needy, home and abroad and received a letter of acknowledgement and recommendation from the Federal Government of Canada for his efforts with the less fortunate.
After his wife died Alex led a solitary, austere, ascetic and disciplined life reading and studying the bible. Alone in his small apartment, much like a monastic, he used his time in prayer and contemplation. He seldom went out except to church to receive the Holy Eucharist and to be with his family and church family whom he so dearly loved.
Truly a man of great faith and dignity, a man of God, whose hope and belief was in the resurrection and was called from this fallen world on Resurrection Sunday, April 19, 2020.

God's speed to heaven dear brother.
May his memory be eternal.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 30, 2020