Stephen Szyszka

SZYSZKA, STEPHEN
Passed into the embrace of Our Lord on May 1, 2014; of Neshanic Station, NJ; formerly of Cheektowaga, NY; Born on July 19, 1924 in the village of Toporiv in the Lviv oblast of Ukraine, he is son of the late Ivan and Alexandra (Chuchman) Szyszka. Beloved husband of the late Gloria C. (nee Choma) Szyszka. Dearest father of Mary A. (John) Makar and Stephen L. (Julia) Szyszka. Dear grandfather of Thomas, Mark, William Makar, Larissa and Stephen Roman "Gogo" Szyszka. Brother of the late Mykola, late Lew and the late Jaroslav Szyszka. Also survived by nieces, nephews, close and extended family in the United States, Canada, Ukraine and Latvia. Family will be present to receive relatives and friends on Tuesday 3-7 p.m. at the MELVIN J. SLIWINSKI FUNERAL HOME 85 George Urban Blvd. (west of Harlem Rd.) where funeral services will be held on Wednesday at 9:15 a.m. and from St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church at 10:00 a.m. Panachyda Tuesday at 6 p.m. Interment St. Matthew Cemetery. Stephen dedicated his life to his family, the Ukrainian community, the Ukrainian church and the Ukrainian Scouting Organization, Plast. Having survived the Nazi youth camp where he was taken by the Germans in 1944 during World War II, Stephen eventually settled in Buffalo, NY. He was an active parish member of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church and St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Buffalo, NY, as well as St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in Hillsborough, NJ. He enjoyed signing in the church choirs and Burlaky, a Ukrainian choir. He was active in the community, especially Plast: a member of the Chota Krylatykh fraternity, a camp director, and a leader of Plast-Buffalo. Other passions he shared included forestry, gardening, walking, and reading. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Stephen’s name to United Ukrainian American Relief Committee, 1206 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111 www.uuarc.org ; St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, 308 Fillmore Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14224; St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church, 1700 Brooks Boulevard, Hillsborough, NJ 08844; Plast-Chota Krylatykh c/o Danylo Darewych, 2074 Feldwood Road, Mississauga, Ontario, L4X1E9, Canada; Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation, 2247 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622 www.ucef.org ; or Kyiv Sobor of the Holy Resurrection, 161 Glenbrook Road, Stamford, CT 06902-3099 with checks made payable to Eparchy of Stamford www.kyivsobor.ugcc.org.ua . Expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sliwinskifuneralhome.com