HORLATSCH, Stefan - Passed away peacefully on July 14, 2018.
Devoted husband for almost 70 years of Sophie Horlatsch (nee Hojnacka).
Loving father to Walter (Zenia), Natalie Schturyn (Peter).
Cherished Dido (Grandfather) to Adriana Stechey (Michael), Alexandra, Roksoliana, Maksym, Myroslav, Bohdanna and Melania.
Adored Pra-Dido (Great-Grandfather) to Matthew, Alexander and Markian.
Stefan was born January 9, 1921 in the small village of Kyrylivka in the Zaporizhia region of Ukraine.
At the age of 11, Stefan survived the Holodomor Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933. Some years later he was sent to live with his uncle in Crimea.
Stefan served his nation valiantly in World War II. Afterwards, he worked for the International Refugee Organization (IRO) in Austria, from where he immigrated to Canada.
He briefly worked on the CN railway in Kapuskasing before travelling to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he reunited with and then married his wife Sophie in 1949.
Later that same year, the newlywed couple moved to Toronto, Ontario, where they made their home and began to raise their family.
Always passionate about the importance of working with young people and passing on his values to others, he became one of the founders of the Ukrainian Youth Association in Canada shortly thereafter. Stefan was a man of many trades. He worked as a welder, travelling to South Africa to assemble pipelines in Durban. Stefan, obtained a teaching certificate from George Brown College in 1967 and finished his professional career teaching welding at White Oaks Secondary School and General Wolfe High School, both in Oakville.
Above all else, Stefan was most proud of his seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He always enjoyed the time he spent with them, marvelling at how they grew and how much he learned from them with each visit. He was especially impressed by how they each spoke Ukrainian and carried on the traditions of their family's heritage.
Stefan was a true patriot of the Ukrainian nation. He dedicated his life to promoting the cause of freedom for his native land. In 1992, he marked the independence of Ukraine with a "Walk of Freedom" which symbolically baptized Ukraine, covering more than 4,500 km.
As president of Canadian Friends of Ukraine, Stefan Horlatsch participated in opening numerous libraries across 14 cities in Ukraine. In addition, he himself has authored 7 books and was inducted as an honorary member of the Ukrainian Writers Union.
In 2008, Stefan escorted the International Holodomor Remembrance Flame across Canada marking the 75th Anniversary of the Holodomor Genocide.
Friends may call at Cardinal Funeral Homes, 92 Annette St., on Tuesday, July 17, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with a panakhyda at 7:30. Funeral will take place at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, 4 Bellwoods Ave., at 10:00 a.m. Interment to follow.
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