On a hot Monday in Stanislaviv (now Ivano-Frankivsk), Ukraine, on June 23, 1930, professor Osyp Zaleskyj and Gertrude (née Palm) welcomed a little girl into their family, Lidia Sviatoslava. It was an overly joyous welcome as Lidia was the first girl born into generations of boys! Lidia grew up as the epicenter of her community, the beneficiary of attention from aunts, uncles, and her parents. She learned about botany, music, poetry, sewing, and pets of all kinds – bunnies, cats, and goats.
Lidia’s idyllic youth was interrupted by war, forced emigration, and a serious illness before the advent of antibiotics. Yet the love of her family and friends embedded in her a joie de vivre and optimistic relish for living.
Her life’s journey took her through Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and a series of displaced persons camps in Germany, where at age 15, she tragically lost her mother. This left her alone to care for her ailing grandmother and 9-year-old sister, Chrystia, with no knowledge of where her father may be. Yet, Lidia studied in school, took piano lessons, and developed a lifelong circle of friends, particularly in Plast, the Ukrainian scout group. She enthusiastically shared tales of her adventures on hikes and camps, proudly pointing to scars on her legs from youthful mishaps involving trees and rocky trails.
Eventually, Lidia and her sister reunited with her father and emigrated to Buffalo, NY in 1950. She declined a scholarship for dental studies in Iowa, deferring to her familial responsibilities. Lidia put all of her energies into building Buffalo’s Ukrainian community, including Plast and “Nasha Khata” (Our Home), where she met a former classmate’s brother, Markian Stasiuk. It was a rocky start, as my Mother would tell it – Markian was standoffish and somewhat stuck up. Evidently, her opinion of him changed, and on June 19, 1954, Lidia and Markian married. They built a family with two daughters, Maria Roksolana and Christina, and welcomed two sons-in-law, Richard Miecyjak and George Farion, along with the biggest prize, four much-loved grandchildren: Kathryne, Alexander, Christopher, and Sophia.
Lidia was well known for her impish smile, impeccable elegance, self-taught culinary skills, and her ever-open heart. Every room she walked into was imbued with her joy, warmth, and rock-solid stability. Lidia had what she called reisefieber —”travel fever” in German—always poring over maps, studying geography, and reading encyclopedias. To quench this fever, she traveled extensively to Yugoslavia, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Ireland, Mexico, Columbia, Costa Rica, Venezuela, around the USA, and back to Ukraine. Her favorite trips were to the cities where her children and grandchildren lived, and somehow, she always found a friend whether it was NYC or Wildwood Crest. A trip of mythical proportions was to Disney World with Kathryne and Alex, who speak of it with fondness and wistfulness to this day.
Mama was an amazing hostess. So many passed through “Hotel Stasiuk” from family and friends, my father’s Army buddies, or visiting artists from all over the world. My mother would cook up a storm with what I believe was her magic ingredient: love. Whether it was “zupka” (a vegetable soup), “rosil” (chicken soup) or torte, only Mama’s was good enough. Our tables will be poorer without her contributions.
Her open heart contributed to so many organizations: Plast, Ukrainian National Women’s League, St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, Nasha Khata, Patriarkhat, Dopomahova Sekcia, the Choir “Burlaky” as a piano accompanist, and a place she loved – Novyi Sokil, the first Plast campsite in North America. The sapling evergreens she helped plant around Sokil now form a fragrant forest that serves as a refuge to the animals and little plastynu she loved so dearly.
Forty-eight days after losing her beloved life companion and husband of 67 years, on December 4, 2021, she joined him, her cat “Kitsia”, and the angels. Heaven is richer for welcoming her. We are richer for learning from her and carrying on the powerful lessons she taught us: to care for others with empathy, to keep productively busy, and to remember life’s journeys. I miss her very much. Vichnaya Pamyat. Вічная пам’ять.
Family will be present on Friday, December 10, 2021 from 2-4 & 6-8 PM at the PIETSZAK FUNERAL HOME, 2400 William Street, near Harlem Road, where Panachyda Service will be held at 7 PM and Saturday at 10:15 AM followed by a Funeral Liturgy at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church at 11 AM.
Face coverings and social distancing will be required at all times during Mrs. Stasiuk’s services.
In Lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Plast- Novyi Sokil 3 Buildings Fund (https://www.gofundme.com/f/three-buildings-for-sokil), UNWLA Scholarship Fund (https://unwla.org/projects/scholarship-sponsorship-program/) or St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, 308 Fillmore Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14206.
Entombment will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery in Lackawanna, NY.
The family appreciates your prayers and concerns during these times and would like to thank you for your support.
