Obituary of Stephanie W. Mostensky

Mostensky, Stephanie W. Pittsford: Saturday, January 23, 2016 at the age of 87. Predeceased by her husband, Boris. Stephanie is survived by her daughters, Nadine (Gary) Wahl, Michalene (Bob) Boggs, JoAnn (Frank) Candilora; grandchildren, Alison, Lindsay & Grant; 3 great-grandchildren; sisters, Zena & Helen; brother, Andrew and several nieces and nephews. She met her husband in church in Belgium at the end of WWII. She was a proud American citizen and lived with a grateful, joyful spirit. We will miss her generous hugs and kisses. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Travis Manion Foundation for Veterans (www.travismanion.org) No prior visitation. Friends are invited to meet the family THURSDAY at 10 am at ST. MARY'S UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (3176 St. Paul Blvd) for her funeral mass. Interment White Haven Memorial Park. Stephanie Wyhowsky Mostensky was born on August 28, 1928 in Shepetivka, Ukraine. Her family began the process of walking across Europe to seek refuge in response to the Holomodor, when the Russian government starved the Ukrainian people. Her family consisted of her mother Kathryn, her father Andrew, her older sister Zena, her younger sister Helen and her baby brother Andrew. When WWII broke out, their father was forced to leave the family to avoid becoming captured by Russian forces. They traveled through many cities and countries including Berlin and Vienna and eventually, in 1945, reached Belgium. Her childhood was not easy, but they had survived. The war was beginning to come to a close. One day, while attending a church service in a Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Brussels, she caught the eye of a young US Sergeant named Boris Mostensky. For Boris, (whose family had emigrated to American when he was five), it was love at first sight. They were married in Belgium, honeymooned in Paris and then Stephanie was sent home to the U.S. to live with Boris’s parents (The Very Reverend Michael Mostensky and Theophilia Mostensky) while Boris finished his tour of duty. Stephanie first lived with Boris’s parents in Northampton, PA while Boris attended the University of Rhode Island. Stephanie worked in a silk mill. Their daughter Michalene was born a year later. Boris finished college and got a job for the US Dept. of Agriculture. The family moved to Meadowbrook on Long Island where JoAnn was born. They moved again to West Islip, NY where Nadine was born. Stephanie studied hard and was granted her citizenship papers in West Islip. The years passed and with only Nadine left at home in high school, Boris moved the family to Maine following a promotion. Sadly, about a year later, Boris died of a heart attack. Stephanie was 42. While Nadine finished high school, Stephanie worked as a nurse’s aide at a local nursing home and painted ceramics as a hobby. After Nadine left for college, Stephanie moved closer to her oldest daughter Michalene in Pennsylvania, and followed her to Maryland a few years later. She helped to raise her grandson, Grant, while living in Maryland. She worked in food service and also became a manicurist. After Grant finished college and began working, Stephanie moved to Rochester NY to be with her youngest daughter Nadine, her husband Gary and their school-aged daughters Alison and Lindsay. Stephanie spent nearly 20 years being their “Baba”, just as she had with her grandson, Grant. In 2011, Stephanie began to experience some dementia and moved first to assisted living and then eventually to the Highland Living Center. Always known for her happy spirit and warm embraces, Stephanie suffered an accidental fall, slipped into a coma two days later, and on September 23, finally left this world. Stephanie’s faith never wavered and she often lit candles to pray for those she loved. She was a fantastic cook, an avid gardener and a devoted and loving mother and grandmother. She gave hugs and kisses liberally to those she loved and strangers alike. Although she could not carry a tune, she always had a song in her heart. She will be remembered for her kind, understanding and accepting nature. She will be forever missed.