Olena Slavchenko

Obituary

1923 - 2010 Died peacefully in the afternoon of Sunday, September 5, 2010 at the Runnymede Healthcare Centre, Toronto after a long and valiant struggle following two strokes in March of this year. Her deep and abiding faith was a comfort to her. Dear wife and Dobrodijka of the late Very Reverend Father Taras Slavchenko (1985). Ever-loving and beloved mother of sons Peter, Paul and George. Loved and cherished by her daughters-in-law Dianne Fenner and Dr. Lori Moore and granddaughter Sophia. Born May 29, 1923, in Rublivka, Hlobenskyy rajon, Poltava oblast', Ukraine, youngest daughter of Ilarion and Kateryna Voitenko. Predeceased by her one sister and three brothers. Fondly remembered by her nieces. Olena and her family were victims of Stalin's forced collectivization and the Holodomor-Famine Genocide of 1932-1933. When Hitler's armies invaded and occupied Ukraine, she was taken away to work in Germany. At the end of WWII, from 1945-1948, she was a secretary in Munich for the Red Cross and the United Nations Refugee Association (UNRA). She met her future husband, who had been a prisoner in a Nazi forced labour camp, but now was studying to become a priest. For 29 years of her husband's pastoral work in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, she was a great support to him and a selfless mother. She loved and was dedicated to her family and church. She was three times a godmother. She taught Sunday school and became a certified teacher of Ukrainian as a second language, using the A/V method. She was often elected Secretary of Parish Women's Associations. She sang in church choirs. In time, she became an active member of her parish's Golden Age Club. A widow for 25 years, she was heroically self-reliant and independent. A lifelong learner, she enjoyed flower gardening, travelling, baking, cooking, dressmaking, picture framing, embroidering, weaving, Easter-egg making, cultural events, walking, whale watching and sailing. Deeply compassionate, she supported her elder siblings and nieces in Ukraine with care packages. She will be remembered as a loving person, young at heart and with a twinkle in her eye, who made friends easily and never spoke an unkind word. Her smile was irresistible and she always put a smile on every face. She will be missed by all who knew her and by her children especially, for whom her loss is an infinite sorrow. Heartfelt thanks to all those who cared for her at the Toronto Western Hospital, St. Joseph's Health Centre and Runnymede Healthcare Centre. Visitation 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Cardinal Funeral Home, 366 Bathurst St., on Friday, September 10. Panakhyda Memorial Service at 7:30 p.m. Funeral on Saturday, at 10:45 a.m. at St. Volodymyr Cathedral. Interment at St. Volodymyr Cemetery, Oakville. Reception to follow at the St. Volodymyr Cultural Centre. Memorial donations may be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or to St. Volodymyr Cathedral.

Visitation

Service

Burial / Entombment / Cremation