Vasyl Stratiychuk

Vasyl Stratiychuk, aged 78 years, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 3, 2022. Vasyl was born on January 2, 1944 in the Village of Pylypche, Ternopiloblast, Ukraine. After completing high school, he studied the art of woodworking in Chernivtsi, and graduated with a degree from the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kyiv, with specialties in the history of art and the restoration of artwork.

In 1972, Vasyl was appointed as a Senior Lecturer and later Assistant Professor in the Department of Artwork Restoration at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kyiv.

In 1978, Vasyl completed a master’s degree in Art History and defended his thesis on the topic – The History of Ukrainian Iconography from the 16th to 19th Centuries.

During his tenure with the National Academy, Vasyl completed the restoration of over one hundred historical artworks and icons at the request of countless museums in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine. One of his major assignments was the restoration of a complete historical iconostas for the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine in Kyiv. Vasyl also participated in numerous national and international art exhibitions.

Over more recent years in Canada, Vasyl Stratiychuk made a major contribution to the preservation of the traditional Ukrainian Christian sacred art in Canada. He completed a number of iconostases – St. Andrew’s College Chapel in Winnipeg, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Lloydminster, St. Ilarion Chapel in Saskatoon, as well as the beautification of numerous churches with his woodwork and icons, in particular, at All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Saskatoon and the Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Regina.

Vasyl is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Kateryna (nee Melnyk), an educator; their son Roman (Tamara) an artist-designer residing in Vietnam; and daughter Maria (Dirk), an economist residing in Kyiv; as well as five grandchildren Ivanna, Maksym, Bohdan, Varvara, and Arsen and a great-granddaughter Lesia. He is and will be greatly missed as a loving husband, father and grandfather.

Vasyl was a uniquely gifted master craftsman-artist. He was a ‘golden-handed’ unceasing, humble creator, and his falling asleep in the Lord is a great painful loss to his family, many friends and community. 

Funeral Service will be held on Friday, June 10, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. in Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 1305 – 12^th Avenue, Regina, SK. Prayer Service will be held on Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. in the same church.

Memory Eternal! Вічная Пам’ять!