Hryhory Kostaszczuk

b. 21 March 1899, d. 22 March 1980
Hryhory Kostaszczuk, a.k.a. Harry Kostash, son of Fedor Kostaszczuk and Anna Zwarych, was born on 21 March 1899 at Tulova, Sniatyn, Ukraine.1

When Harry was just over a year old he and his parents and his older sister, Hellen, left Ukraine to settle in Canada, sailing from Hamburg, Germany, on 4 April 1900 on the S. S. Arcadia arriving at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 18 April 1900. They headed west by train to Alberta and settled in the Vegreville area. For more details of the journey from Tulova to Alberta, see the Zwarycz and Kostaszczuk Emigration.2,3

The Kolomea School District was organized in 1907 and Harry began his education that summer at the age of eight. At that time schools only operated during the summer months. Harry attended Kolomea for five years.

For the next two years Harry attended school in Vegreville and lived with his uncle, Andrew Svarich. In 1913 Harry graduated Grade 8 and started high school in Vegreville.

Now that some of Harry's younger brothers were ready to attend school, Fred Kostash built a small two-room shack, or bursa, in Vegreville for the boys to stay in while attending school. Over the years six Kostash boys and several cousins and neighbours also lived in the bursa. Harry graduated from high school in 1916.4

In the spring of 1917 Harry attended the Normal School in Camrose, Alberta and earned his First Class Teaching Certificate. That summer he returned to Kolomea school as a teacher.1

Harry continued his education enrolling at the University of Alberta, Edmonton in the fall of 1918. He graduated with a B.A. in 1921. For the next few years Harry taught at the school in Smoky Lake, Alberta.1

In 1923 Harry decided it was time for a change and moved east to Hafford, Saskatchewan to teach high school.1 It was while Harry was working here that he married Josephine Chychka in 1925.1

A new school was built in Willingdon, Alberta in 1928 and Harry and Josephine moved there when Harry got a job teaching high school grades in the four-room school. Harry taught at Willingdon for several years until he was appointed Inspector of Schools in Athabasca.1,5

After four years in Athabasca Harry was appointed Superintendent of schools in the Smoky Lake School Division. He would remain in this position for 25 years until his retirement in 1964.

When the town of Smoky Lake built it's new school complex in 1958 they named it the H. A. Kostash School.1

Josephine's health began to fail by the time Harry retired and she died in 1966. Harry spent the next few years living with his daughter, June, in Texas or with his son, Ted, in Malaysia. In 1967 he moved to Burnaby, British Columbia. It was here that Harry met Violet (Skorey) Syrotuck.1

Harry and Violet were married in 1969 at Burnaby, British Columbia. In 1972 they moved to White Rock, British Columbia.1

Harry died on 22 March 1980 at White Rock at age 81.5

Children of Hryhory Kostaszczuk and Josephine Chychka

  • June Kostash b. a 1925
  • Theodore Lawrence Kostash b. a 1925

Family: Hryhory Kostaszczuk and Violet Skorey

Citations

  1. Ukrainian Pioneers' Association of Alberta, Ukrainians In Alberta (Edmonton: Ukrainian News Publishers Ltd., 1975), pp. 365-8.
  2. Fedor Kostaszczuk and family, S.S. Arcadia, 18 April 1900, p. 3, ships passenger lists for Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; LAC microfilm T-494, North York Public Library, Toronto, Ontario.
  3. Fedor Kostaszczuk and family, S. S. Arcadia, 4 April 1900, Hamburg Passenger Lists - Direct Lists, Bd. 109; FHL microfilm 472,955,.
  4. Ukrainian Pioneers' Association of Alberta, Ukrainians In Alberta (Edmonton: Ukrainian News Publishers Ltd., 1975).
  5. Harry Kostash obituary, Smoky Lake Signal, (Smoky Lake, Alberta), 9 July 1980, page unknown; transcribed article, Smoky Lake Signal (http://www.smokylake.com/history/schools/kostash.htm : accessed 3 January 2002).