Katherine Dubyk

Katherine Dubik was born in Ihnashi, near the city of Jaroslaw, in Western Ukraine on December 25, 1923, the third daughter of Ivan Dubik and Ahafia Terebenetz. Her brothers and sisters included Oleksa, Dmytro, Maria, Parania, and Slavko.

Katherine and her siblings went to school in Radawa. She often spoke fondly about school and how she excelled in math. Her teachers recommended she continue her education beyond the village, as she was one of the top students in her grade. However, since her brothers, Oleksa and Dmytro, were away from home, she had to help with the farm work and thus was not sent away for a higher education. Her mother, Ahafia, instilled in her a very strong sense of hard work, faith, and importance of family, which influenced her values for the rest of her life. Many years later she cared for Ahafia until she turned 105. As her parents came from large families, she would spend all the religious holidays together with her many uncles, aunts, and cousins.

From an early age, she loved to embroider. Her family grew flax and spun it into thread. Her future husband’s family wove the cloth. Each Easter, Katherine embroidered a new dress or blouse with traditional colored embroidery often working late into the night to the light of a single kerosene lamp. During the war, she used her hard-earned money to buy thread and embroidered to create the colorful patterns typical of her region. She brought this skill to Canada where she continued to embroider blouses, pillows and floral pictures to embellish her new house. 

On April 28, 1947, the government of Poland commenced the implementation of a military operation, Akcja Wisla, to relocate the inhabitants of those Ukrainian ethnic territories that had become part of the post-war Polish state, and dispersed them in non-concentrated numbers throughout western and northern Poland. The 23-year-old Katherine, along with her parents, siblings, and neighbors were deported to the town of Lajzy near the city of Olsztyn in northeastern Poland. Having experienced WWII and forced deportation from Ukraine to Poland due to Akcja Wisla, home became very important to her for the rest of her life.

She and her family continued their strong Ukrainian identity in Poland in private. Although they learned to speak Polish, their first language remained Ukrainian. In 1953 She married Ivan Dubik of Cetulia. His parents had also been deported to the same area in Poland.  Katherine and her husband had three children in Poland: Marika, Myroslava, and Irene.

Katherine’s older brother Oleksa and sister Parania sponsored Katherine and her family to Canada in 1959.  Katherine and her husband worked tirelessly to start a new life in Canada and were soon able to purchase their first home on Boyd Avenue, then moved to Atlantic Avenue, and finally onto Woodcrest Drive where they lived for nearly forty years. Each house had the mandatory large garden and apple trees. Their tomatoes were legendary. In the summertime they picked mushrooms, kalyna, and blueberries at her sister Parania’s farm in Badger, Manitoba. Hundreds of jars of berries, fruit, pickles and sauerkraut were preserved for winter. In Canada they continued their Ukrainian traditions and svyata.

Over the years, many of their hometown friends also immigrated to Canada and their friendship continued with home visits on Sundays and attending each other’s family celebrations. They were happiest reminiscing about their memories and experiences growing up.

Katherine and her family joined St. Nicholas Ukr. Catholic Church and were parishioners for the next 65 years.  She and her husband supported the Ukrainian organizations Institute Prosvita attending community concerts and events there, and Chitalnya Prosvita, where her daughters Marika & Miroslava attended Ukrainian school.

On Sunday afternoons, she could be found writing letters to family and friends who had been left behind in Poland. She was able to return to Poland in 1978 to visit her family and with them visited the original family homestead in the town of Cetulia and Radava. It was only after this visit that her homesickness somewhat subsided.

From the time Kateryna moved to Canada she worked first as a baker in various bakeries often alongside friends and neighbours from her youth. She mostly spoke Ukrainian at home and at work and only finally learned to speak English later in life. Deciding to change careers, she worked hard to improve her English skills and landed a job at the Canada Wheat Board until retirement. 

For Katherine success in life came through home ownership, hard work, cooking, tending her garden, and being surrounded by friends and family. She enjoyed watching her daughter Marika graduate nursing school and Miroslava the University of Manitoba. Both daughters moved to Toronto, got married, and had children. Often, her five grandchildren Oleh, Orest, Olenka, Adrian, and Andrij would visit her in Winnipeg always going home with boxes of varennyky, apples, or home-made fruit jams.

Once she retired, she stayed active by joining the seniors club at the St Nicholas church, travelling for day trips around Manitoba and the USA and joining the Winnipeg Wellness Institute where she religiously attended seniors water exercises for many years, well into her 90’s.

Having experienced many hardships throughout the war and forced deportation, then moving to Canada where she did not speak the language, her home and family remained a source of security, joy and contentment. She was proud to live in her own home independently until she was 98 years old.

As she aged, well into her eighties and nineties many of her friends passed away. She experienced the loss of her mother, husband, and youngest daughter Irene. Her siblings and friends passed away but Katherine was fortunate to have a wonderful support network of neighbours, family and friends who helped her keep her independence and wellness. These selfless angels included neighbours Irene and Chris Fulmyk, Donna Sedak, Irene Osinchuk, Barry and Olga Weselowki, as well as her landscaper Gerry Kolesar. A special thank-you to Bohdan Dubik for always fixing things anytime his aunt called him. Her nieces and nephews Lesia Dubik, Johnny and Myron Kuryliw were also just a phone call away to support her.

After COVID and with failing mobility, she moved to the Holy Family Home where she played competitive Bingo, enjoyed clergy visits and celebrated her 99th,100th and finally 101st Birthdays.  The staff on St Martha’s ward at the Holy Family Home showed care and compassion towards her daily needs and her care companion Lilia kept her company, took her to the chapel, for short visits around the building and garden.

With an awareness and desire to help others, she was always inquiring about Ukraine’s well being, family, and conversed about topics she was passionate about right up to the end.

Vichnaya Pamyat & Вічная Пам’ять