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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, БЕРЕЗЕНЬ 2009 17 Saying Goodbye to a Dear Friend It was always a special treat to see Irene Bohachevsky seated in the churc h pew on Sunday mornings. She didn’t come to church every Sunday. She lived in Leesville, Louisiana, and that was, after all, a three hour drive away. But Mrs. Bohachevsky didn’t mind. She told me that she found the beautiful drive through the Texas piney woods, relaxing and peaceful. After the Divine Liturgy, I knew that I could count on a short visit with Mrs. Bohachevsky during which we would exchange all the latest news about our families and about the latest community events. She would share stories a bout the prayer group that she belonged to in Leesville or about some recent trip she had taken. I would dutifully inform her of Branch 118’s planned activities, and she was always ready to offer assistance. Before getting back into her car and driving bac k to Leesville, Mrs. Bohachevsky would make time to visit her friends at Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church in Houston. A few years ago, Mrs. Bohachevsky was diagnosed with lung cancer, and her trips to Houston became noticeably less frequent. When she was well enough to travel, she was always accompanied by her daughter or a grandson. I am sad and regretful that in all our visits together, we never talked about her youth and how she had come to America. Knowing that every woman has a beautiful history sto red away behind her years of hard work, I was able to gather more information about this regal lady whom I had come to admire so much with the help of her daughter Christine. Irene Xenia Sawka Bohachevsky was born on March 11, 1922 in Vienna, Austria. Her parents, Johann Sawka and Viktoria Dudek had four children: three boys and a girl. Irene was the youngest and, no doubt, the apple of her father’s eye. Johann Sawka earned his living singing with the Vienna State Opera. Irene grew up in the splendor of Vi enna, completed her studies at the Vienna Gymnasium. It was while singing in the Ukrainian Church choir in Vienna that she captured the heart of John A. Bohachevsky, a handsome Ukrainian man, who had come to Vienna to finish his doctorate in economics. In 1941, at the age of 19, Irene married John Bohachevsky. She had grown up speaking German, but quickly became fluent in Ukrainian with the help of her wonderful husband. They began their lives together in Lviv, Ukraine, taking care of the businesses that Jo hn Bohachevsky had started there. In Lviv, Irene gave birth to their first son, Roman. At the start of World War II, the family returned to Austria, where Irene gave birth to her second son, Vladimir. During the war they lived in an American camp in Austri a. In 1949, John, Irene, and their sons emigrated to the United States. They travelled across the Atlantic by ship, entering the United States at Ellis Island, like so many others did at that time. They lived in New York for several years, Irene working as a seamstress for Macy’s and John doing janitorial work. They later moved to Omaha, Nebraska , where John found work at a meat - packing plant while Irene worked for the Army - Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES). In 1960, Irene and John were blessed with their third child, a beautiful girl they named Christine. The family moved to Leesville, Louisiana, in 1965 and became parishioners of Pokrova Ukrainian Catholic Church in Houston, Texas, traveling there as often as they could. In 1969, John Bohachevsky’s emplo yment with AAFES as head of economics required relocation to Japan for several years and then to the Philippines for another year. Irene and her family returned to Leesville in 1971 where they managed rental properties and grew peaches. In 1996, Irene’s be loved husband passed away, but Irene continued to enjoy life and the family they had made together. She was active at St. Michael Catholic Church in Leesville and became a member of the UNWLA. Irene loved travel and visited Europe, the Holy Land, and many parts of the United States. She was a kind and gentle woman and a wonderful mother who lavished her love on her children, her eleven grandchildren, and ten great - grandchildren. Irene Xenia Sawka Bohachevsky passed away on January 17, 2009. Regretfully, it was not until the day of her funeral that I learned so many things about her beautiful history. Many members of Irene’s family had travelled long distances to be there on that day, and each remembered their dear mother or “Babi” with a special story and a kind word. She will be sorely missed. Eternal Memory. — Martha Uschak Noukas
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