Rick Dondo's Family Tree
Family: Russin, Fred John / Chaykowski, Geraldine Carol BA (Hons), MA (F4088)
m. May 1963
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Male
Russin, Fred John
Birth 9 Jul 1933 Melnice, Manitoba, Canada 
Death 15 Oct 2017 Winnipeg, Greater Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Burial 24 Oct 2017 Glen Eden Memorial Gardens, West Saint Paul, Selkirk Census Division, Manitoba, Canada Marriage May 1963 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] Type Spousal Father Russin "Rusin" "Rusyn" "Russyn" РЧСИН, Petrus "Petro" "Peter" "Pete" РЧСИН | F1632 Group Sheet Mother Pasieka, CTEФAHÏЯ "Stephania" "Stefanja" "Stella" | F1632 Group Sheet
Female
Chaykowski, Geraldine Carol BA (Hons), MA
Birth 19 May 1937 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Death 18 Aug 2026 St James, Greater Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Burial 18 Sep 2026 Glen Eden Memorial Gardens, West Saint Paul, Selkirk Census Division, Manitoba, Canada Father Chaykowski, Michael "Mike" | F7344 Group Sheet Mother Zydyk, Emelia "Amelia" | F7344 Group Sheet
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Sources - [S1502254493] Ancestry.com, Ancestry Family Trees (Public and Private) [ENH], (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com.
Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.).
A contributor has cited material deemed to be pertinent to this story.
It is described as "Ancestry Family Tree". - [S0000100001] Find a Grave (A subsidiary of Ancestry), 000[SD-Own]: Ancestry's Find A Grave Indices / Catalogues, (Find a Grave (A subsidiary of Ancestry)).
As noted on the Ancestry.com service in this Records Collection item
- [S0000100001] Find a Grave (A subsidiary of Ancestry), 000[SD-Own]: Ancestry's Find A Grave Indices / Catalogues, (Find a Grave (A subsidiary of Ancestry)).
An online memorial for "Fred John Russin 15 Oct 2017"
can be reviewed on the public and free Find a Grave service.
It may offer connections to his or her parents, siblings, children, and generations beyond.
It may also contain stories that are not documented on your host's tree or this website.
- [S1563291627] Winnipeg Free Press, 000[SD-Web]: Passages Service of the Winnipeg Free Press, (Winnipeg Free Press
Located in: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), N/A.
A contributor has cited material deemed to be pertinent to this story.
It is described as "id-249711".
It was described specifically or transcribed by them as "FRED JOHN RUSSIN, Date of Passing: Oct 15, 2017; July 9, 1933 - October 15, 2017 It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Fred John Russin, aged 84 years, on Sunday, October 15, 2017, in Winnipeg. Fred was born on July 9, 1933 in Meln".ice, now Petersfield, Manitoba and was predeceased by his father Peter (1969) and mother Stella (née Pasicka, 2001). Left to mourn his passing are his loving wife of 54 years Geraldine (née Chaykowski); his two sons Michael of Winnipeg and Ted and wife Karen (née Parsons); and his two precious granddaughters Hannah and Julia of Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. He is also survived by his sister Edna Wishnowski, Petersfield, Manitoba; brothers Emil and wife Sophia of Australia and Steve and wife Stephanie of Petersfield, Manitoba. Fred attended Armistice School, Petersfield, Manitoba, and Winnipeg Beach High School, Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba. As the oldest son he worked hard on the family farm. He worked many jobs as a car mechanic and in 1962 became a Winnipeg Transit Bus Operator - a position he held for 31 years. During his time with the Winnipeg Transit System he received numerous monthly safe driving commendations and 'Operator of the Month' and 'Safe Driver of the Year' awards. In addition to this, he managed and maintained a residential real estate business in Winnipeg for over 50 years. Fred enjoyed playing accordion in many different bands for over 50 years. He enjoyed mushroom picking and tending to his raspberries, grapes and garden and was an avid collector of model John Deere tractors. In his retirement he enjoyed auditing courses at the University of Manitoba. In 1993 he volunteered to teach conversational English in Ukraine through the Ukrainian National Association, Incorporated, and returned in 1996 to document his family history. Fred was an active participant in the Ukrainian-Canadian community. He was a longtime member of Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral. He was also a member of the Order of Saint Andrew - Winnipeg Chapter, Saint Andrew's College, the Ukrainian National Home Association, the Ukrainian Self-Reliance League of Canada and was its Winnipeg representative to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Ukrainian Professional and Business Club of Winnipeg and the Sons of Ukrainian Pioneers (S.O.U.P.). He also held leadership positions in the Ukrainian Reading Association 'Prosvita' (Chytalnia), recently as president, and the Ukrainian Voice newspaper/Trident Press, Limited, as vice president. The funeral will be held on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral, 1175 Main Street, officiated by Father Gene Maximiuk. Entombment to follow at Glen Eden Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Fred's memory to Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral, or a charity of one's choice. CROPO FUNERAL CHAPEL 204-586-8044.
Publish Date: Oct 21, 2017
FRED JOHN RUSSIN It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Fred John Russin, aged 84 years, on Sunday, October 15, 2017. The funeral will be held on Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral, 1175 Main St. Entombment to follow at Glen Eden Cemetery. Full obituary to follow. CROPO FUNERAL CHAPEL - 204-586-8044
Publish Date: Oct 20, 2017
-- As published in the Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 21, 2017
Reported as having been published or sourced on or about 2026/09/13.
The information was at the time and may yet be available here, on an Internet service,
access to which may or may not also be subject to a subscription.
- [S1584398094] FamilySearch, 000[SD-Web]: FamilySearch, (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).
A contributor has cited material deemed to be pertinent to this story.
It is described as "PFT3-DRV".
The contributor provided no additional descriptive information.
Reported as having been published or sourced on or about 2026/09/13.
The information was at the time and may yet be available here, on an Internet service,
access to which may or may not also be subject to a subscription.
- [S1563291627] Winnipeg Free Press, 000[SD-Web]: Passages Service of the Winnipeg Free Press, (Winnipeg Free Press
Located in: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), N/A.
A contributor has cited material deemed to be pertinent to this story.
It is described as "id-338705".
Further: "https://cropo.com/tribute/details/10888/GERALDINE-RUSSIN/obituary.html#content-start".
It was described specifically or transcribed by them as "GERALDINE CAROL RUSSIN (née Chaykowski), Born: May 19, 1937, Date of Passing: Aug 18, 2026; It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Geraldine Carol Russin, aged 89 years on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Geraldin".e was born on May 19, 1937, in Winnipeg, and was predeceased by her husband of 54 years, Fred John Russin (2017), her mother Amelia Chaykowski (née Zydyk) (2004), father Michael Chaykowski (1983), and brothers-in-law, Tom Ostry (2010), and Miro Bukal (2023). Left to mourn her passing are her two sons, Michael, of Winnipeg, and Ted and wife Karen (née Parsons), and her two precious granddaughters, Hannah and Julia Russin of Red Hook, NY, USA. She is also survived by her sister Anne Ostry (née Chaykowski), and niece Dr. Diane Ostry, both of Winnipeg.
Geraldine grew up on Pritchard Avenue in Winnipeg’s North End. Throughout her childhood she participated in many activities such as Ukrainian school, Vasyl Avramenko dancing classes, the Canadian Ukrainian Youth Association (CYMK) at St. Mary's the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, and various choirs, and theater productions.
Upon completing Grade 12 at Tec-Voc High School, she worked as a secretary for the Government of Canada, the University of Manitoba Department of Plant Science, and Dominion Stores. For over 60 years she managed a multi-property residential real estate business founded by her father in 1930.
Geraldine and Fred strongly believed in education and sharing their faith, giving their children all the opportunities that they could offer, including driving them across the city for lessons, activities, and school almost daily. It was during that hectic time that Geraldine matriculated at the University of Manitoba to study on a part-time basis, ultimately, completing a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History in 1984. She continued with graduate studies and completed a Master of Arts degree in History from the University of Manitoba in 1999. Her research focused on Ukrainian-Canadian urban history, and her thesis was entitled "The Ukrainian United Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1903-1961: The History of a Unique Religious Experience". She presented her research at multiple community and academic events including the 50th Anniversary Conference of The Canadian Association of Slavists in 2004. Geraldine always enjoyed doing primary research and even after completing her graduate studies made frequent trips to the Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, ON, as well as multiple trips to the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. In 1993 she volunteered to teach conversational English in Lviv, Ukraine through the Ukrainian National Association and returned in 1996 to document family history through oral interviews, and primary document, photo, and state archive research.
When not 'scratching' through primary sources in archives, as she liked to describe it, Geraldine was often cooking and baking for her family. Throughout the year she had her favourite ingredients and preparations including smorzhi (morel mushrooms), her yellow wax bean summer soup with petrushka (flat-leaf Italian parsley), summer fruit pies, buckwheat holubtsi (cabbage rolls), three-day pickles, and pidpenky (honey mushrooms). She spent years ever perfecting her Easter paska bread with saffron, and every Sviatyi Vechir (Ukrainian Christmas Eve) was an opportunity to delight in her twelve meatless dishes including borsch, shchupak (minced and stuffed pike fish), and her light and fluffy pampushky (Ukrainian donuts). She cherished every opportunity to pass on her culture and heritage to her granddaughters through shared holidays, visits, and watching their Ukrainian school, and Ukrainian dancing concerts streamed straight to her iPad from Albany, NY.
Geraldine was an active participant in the Ukrainian-Canadian community. She was a longtime member of the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral where she was one of the founders and chairwomen of the Ukrainian Nursery School for Tiny Tots (Sadochok Dlya Malyat). She was a longstanding member of the Lesia Ukrainka Branch of the Ukrainian Women’s Association of Canada, the Alpha Omega Women’s Alumnae, Oseredok Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre, and was on the Board of Directors of the Ukrainian Voice (Ukrayinskyi Holos) newspaper/Trident Press. She belonged to the Ukrainian Reading Association 'Prosvita' (Chytalnia) and was its Winnipeg representative to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
The funeral will be held on Friday, September 18, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral, 1175 Main Street, officiated by Father Gene Maximiuk. Entombment to follow at Glen Eden Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Geraldine’s memory to the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral, or a charity of one’s choice.
VICHNAYA PAMYAT
-- As published in the Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 12, 2026
Reported as having been published or sourced on or about 2026/09/12.
The information was at the time and may yet be available here, on an Internet service,
access to which may or may not also be subject to a subscription.
- [S1584398094] FamilySearch, 000[SD-Web]: FamilySearch, (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).
A contributor has cited material deemed to be pertinent to this story.
It is described as "PFT3-9QT".
The contributor provided no additional descriptive information.
Reported as having been published or sourced on or about 2026/09/13.
The information was at the time and may yet be available here, on an Internet service,
access to which may or may not also be subject to a subscription.
- [S1502254493] Ancestry.com, Ancestry Family Trees (Public and Private) [ENH], (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com.