Mrs. Natalie Bundza

Obituary

BUNDZA-IWANYTZKYJ, Natalie Nadia – Passed away at Toronto Grace Hospital on November 24^th, 2023, in her 88^th year.  Left to mourn her passing are sister Linda Bundza; nieces and nephews: Andrea, Michael, and Stefano; grand nieces and nephews: Matthew, Nicholas, Andrew and Katie; and family members in Ukraine.  Natalie was predeceased by her beloved husband Vasyl Iwanytzkyj, her sister Vera Olynyk, brother-in-law Henry (Andy) Olynyk, and niece Joanne. Born and raised in Toronto, Natalie was a patriotic Canadian with a lifelong commitment to the Ukrainian community.  Throughout her career at Bloor Travel, she was instrumental in leading dozens of performing arts tours and organizing many cultural exchanges from Ukraine to North and South America. Over the years, Natalie held many leadership positions within the Ukrainian community including: President of the Ukrainian National Youth Federation; President of the Ukrainian Women’s Organization of Canada; Board Member - UNF Foundation; and Honourary Board Member of the Ukrainian National Federation of Canada.  Natalie never missed a Ukrainian National Federation convention, attending as a delegate, and making lifelong connections across Canada.  She was present at the inception of the Ukrainian World Congress in 1967, remaining committed to its activities until her passing.  A trend setter and feminist before there was even a term for it, Natalie was the first female director of the Ukrainian Credit Union, a position she held for eighteen years. Natalie was a staunch nationalist, and had no trouble exerting her political views, even confronting communist officials during the Cold War.  Her unique experiences in the Soviet Union were documented in a Toronto Star article in July 2015, after declassified CSIS files were presented to her.  Natalie also took great pride in the work she and her late husband completed in erecting statues of Ukraine’s national bard Taras Shevchenko in over 25 sites in Ukraine. Although she had a gregarious presence and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the many friends she made around the world, Natalie was a private person at heart, and demonstrated that her strong bond to her immediate family was always her first priority.  Vichnaya Pamyat Natalka! Funeral will be held at the Cardinal Funeral Home Chapel (92 Annette Street) on Friday December 1, 2023.  Visitation from 10am to 11am, followed by Panachyda at 11am.  Burial to follow at York Cemetery (160 Beecroft Road).

For those wishing to view Natalie's Funeral Service via live stream, the link is listed below.

https://youtube.com/live/lNY7D19mBdw?feature=share

Visitation

Service

Burial