Mr. Illaryj Kushnirenko

Obituary

Peacefully, after a brief illness at his residence in Toronto on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at the age of 91. For 65 years, the beloved husband of Kateryna (nee: Rudyk) and a loving, caring father to sons Marko (Mirella) and Pavlo (Liijanna). Proud Dido to Aria and Luka (Marko) and Zakary, Alexya and Gabriel (Pavlo). Born in the village of Yamnycza, Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, Ukraine on the 7th of April 1923, “Larry” (as everyone knew him) achieved his Diploma of Commerce from the Ivano-Frankivsk Gymnasium of Trade and Commerce in 1940. His career as an accountant was interrupted by the Second World War and in 1944 he joined the 1st Division of the Ukrainian National Army achieving the rank of sub-lieutenant in the Quartermasters corps. Post war, he was interned in Rimini Italy until passage to England was obtained in 1947. In England he met his wife to be, Kateryna “Kathy” Rudyk and married in 1949. Ilarij maintained strong ties to his military brothers throughout his life by twice being elected “Stanychnij” of Toronto as well as executing the responsibilities of Treasurer of the Brotherhood of Veterans of the 1st Division of the Ukrainian National Army for Canada for many, many years. Right until the end, he was the administrator for the quarterly journal “Visti Kombantanta” (Veteran’s News). Sensing opportunity, Larry and Kathy immigrated to Canada in 1952 and as they prospered their sons Marko and Pavlo were born in 1956 and 1967 respectively. Ilarij was a successful and respected businessman. He credited his success to his philosophy: “For this to work, everyone has to make a buck.” In Canada he owned and operated a succession of grocery stores, the next one always slightly bigger than the previous. Recognizing his business acumen, he was recruited to join wholesale food distributor UBA Trading Co. Ltd. where he rose to the position of Chief of Administration and Human Resources until his retirement in 1990. While business was in his head and his family was in his heart, his passion was for the stage: as a dancer and an actor. In Toronto, he was a founding member of the Ukrainian Dramatic Ensemble “Zahrava” and in 1979 achieved the distinction of being named “Best Supporting Actor” in the Ontario Multi Cultural Theater festival for his portrayal of “Zhevakin” in Hohol’s “The Marriage Broker”. A long held dream of appearing on stage in Kyiv was achieved during “Zaharava’s” tour of Ukraine in 1993. His passion and efforts were recognized in Canada when the Ukrainian Canadian Committee awarded him the Shevchenko medal in 2007 and in 2010 Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko designated him a “Distinguished Fellow of Ukrainian Culture”. ===============================================

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