Soltykewych, Stephanie

• Soltykevych

• Stephania, Stefania

Stephanie Soltykewych was born on August 14, 1931 in the town of Saint-Éloy-les-Mines, France. Her parents Konstantyn and Julia (née Doloszycka) Derech immigrated from Ulucz, Poland to France in 1928 and 1930 respectively. After completing her education in 1952, Stephanie decided to visit her brother, who had already immigrated to Canada, and ended up settling in Edmonton. Because of her knowledge of French, she started working on the second day of her arrival - at the Edmonton General Hospital, where speaking French was an asset at the time.
In 1954, she started to work for the Government of Alberta, where she worked full time as an office clerk until 1972. In 1955, she married Roman Soltykewych and raised 3 children: son Orest, and twin daughters Vera and Nadia. In 1974, Stephanie went back to work for Employment and Immigration Canada, first as a bilingual receptionist, then as a customer service officer, referring customers to employment or training. She particularly enjoyed helping new immigrants with obtaining new jobs or enrolling in English classes.
For several years, Stephanie taught play school (sadochok) at the Ukrainian National Federation Hall.
After the passing of her husband Roman in 1976. Stephanie dedicated herself to voluntary work. At St George Ukrainian Catholic Parish, she was one of the founding members of the newly established branch, in 1955, of the Ukrainian Catholic Women's League of Canada. She held several executive positions, including president for many years.
Stephanie served on the executive of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy in Edmonton. She was president of Plast Pryjat (parent's support organization with Plast - Ukrainian scouts) for which she received a certificate of recognition. She assisted the Edmonton CYMK (Ukrainian Orthodox Youth) Choir in fundraising for a trip to perform at a music festival in Vienna. For many years she canvassed for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
In 2017, Stephanie received a Hetman Award from the Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Alberta Provincial Council.
Stephanie loved to travel and had the opportunity to visit many countries around the world. She was an avid stamp collector. She also loved flowers, and would dry them and create arrangements from them.

The biography was based on the text by Orest Soltykevych.

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