Obituary of John Iwan Fediuk

After 100 years and ten months, on Thursday, June 4, 2020 John Iwan Fediuk passed peacefully, with family by his side in his home in Windsor. John was born July 27, 1919 to Dmytro Fediuk and Maria Panchoshak in the village of Runhury, in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in Ukraine. He is predeceased by his parents and two siblings (Petro and Paraskevia), as well as his wife Olga (nee Gayowsky 2001). Though a Ukrainian he was recognized as displaced Polish citizen after the second World War and worked for the US Army as a food and beverage labourer, until he resettled to Canada and became a official Canadian Citizen in May 1955. He arrived in Canada October 24, 1948 by ship from Genoa, Italy to Halifax Harbor. As part of his immigration agreement he worked as a miner at the Porcupine Gold Mines in Timmins, Ontario for a required one-year contract before moving to Windsor, Ontario. He was employed by the Windsor Salt Company in the Fine Salt plant where he worked for 35 years until he retired in 1984. John met his late wife Olga in Windsor shortly after moving to Windsor and they were married in May of 1953 at Sts. Vladimir and Olga Ukrainian Catholic Church, where they were both very active in the church community and clubs. John is survived by his two daughters Maureen Hrytsyk (Fr. Peter), Janet Powers (James) and Stefan (John Mailloux). He was also blessed with five grandchildren; Nykolai (Nikki) Hrytsyk, Alexandra (Joe) Rowles, Christopher (Andrea) Powers, Jonathan Powers, and Michael Powers (Jillian), and three great-grandchildren; Leo, Yuri and Jeremy. John will be missed by his many relatives. John will be remembered by his family and friends for his wonderful tales of the Carpathian Mountains, the war, and his work with Ukrainian Organizations. Stories which he vividly remembered and spoke of until his death. He loved to play bingo and will be deeply missed by the staff and friends at the Breakaway Gaming Centre. His grandchildren will fondly remember barbeques at ‘Dido’s’ and the many monopoly games which he played until his last day (which incidentally he won). Many will remember his love of gardening and even after he retired, he worked seasonally at Steven’s Flowers and Malden Tree Farms. In the 100 years plus 10 months of his life, John touched many lives, was loved and cherished by numerous people, who will remember his devilish smile and were fond of listening to the vast experiences that he encountered.