Monday, April 22, 2013
A little bit about my father...
He was born in Berestechko Ukraine in 1923, surviving the terror that Stalin imposed on the Ukrainian population & culture. As a teen, he was taken by the Nazis for forced labor in their work camps in Berlin. When Berlin fell to the Russians, they took back the Ukrainian nationals to what would have been Siberia or worse. Fearing this, he escaped and worked his way back to the American controlled sector and found a life of hardship on work farms from Germany to Belgium where he worked as a coal miner. From there to Nuremberg, Germany where he met Antonie, his wife of 59 years. Wishing for a better life, they emigrated to the US in 1956 on a sponsorship offered by St Mary's Orthodox Church. Settling in Rochester, they proudly worked hard to create a new life for themselves and their children - Olga, Michael, Victor & stepdaughter, Switlana. Andry worked at Kodak for 23 years. He visited Ukraine twice. He loved his native Ukrainian music, arts, literature & especially poetry.
