Mrs. Olha Swyntuch

Obituary

With great sadness, we announce the passing on April 19, 2024, of Olha Kathleen Zawerucha Swyntuch – our loving and devoted mother, grandmother, and sister.

Olha was born on January 18, 1937, in Sudbury, Ontario.  As a youth, she was very active in the Ukrainian community.  She helped her parents build the first Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Sudbury and worked alongside her husband Mykola in the Ukrainian Youth Association.

In 1966, Olha moved to Toronto together with her family where she continued to immerse herself in the Ukrainian community and courageously take on leadership responsibilities.  They became parish members of St. Demetrius Ukrainian Orthodox Church and she served as vice-president of the church council for 2 years.

Olha believed in the strength of the women’s movement and with her talents helped organize fellow Ukrainian women in the defense of the then subjugated Ukrainian nation.  Throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s Olha was an active member of many Ukrainian organizations, most notably the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women, the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organization, the Ukrainian Canadian Social Services and the Council for the Release of Ukrainian Political Prisoners.  In almost all of these organizations, she held leadership positions.

Profesionally, Olha honed her skills in the financial industry. Starting off as a teller in a small Sudbury credit union, by 1980 she was General Manager of Buduchnist Credit Union in Toronto, and then General Manager of So-Use Credit Union from 1986-1993. Understanding the important role of credit unions in the development and prosperity of the Ukrainian community, she devoted her efforts to the development of the Council of Ukrainian Credit Unions of Canada.

With the financial support of the Canadian government, in 1993 Olha headed up the first phase of the Credit Union Development Program in Ukraine.  The next three years, headquartered in Kyiv, she was responsible for establishing and developing credit unions across the country.  Eventually, over 700 credit unions began successfully functioning and offering banking services in all regions of Ukraine.

Embracing challenges, Olha always lived her life to the fullest with passion, commitment, and perseverance, buoyed by the strength of her family and community.

Olha Kathleen Zawerucha Swyntuch, predeceased by her husband of 65 years Mykola, is survived by her loving children Bohdan and Malvina (George), her grandchildren Miranda and Joseph, her sister Anne, her brother Stan, and family in Ukraine, United States and Canada.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Ukrainian Canadian Social Services -“Pomich Ukraini Fund”, or to the St. Demetrius Ukrainian Orthodox Church, would be greatly appreciated.

Visitation

Service

Burial