NICHOLAS KONDRADOVICH ROMSA

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

NICHOLAS KONDRADOVICH ROMSA Nicholas Romsa passed away peacefully at Bethania on September 13, 2012. He has survived all of his siblings and now, his wish to be reunited with family members who have predeceased him, his wife Margareta and grandson Shaun has been fulfilled. He is survived by his first wife, Vera, and her family in Ukraine, children Harry (Mary), Nicholai (Natasha), Rita (David) Sina, Richard (Linda), grandchildren Olena (Oleg), Jonathan (Nancy), Tetjana (Jeff), Voldya (Tanya), Konrad (Ashley), and great-grandchildren Eugene, Oxana, Vladik, June, Madeline and Alexander. Father was born in February, 1920, in the village of Hyvorin, Bachmatch Rayon, in Cherniv Oblast in Ukraine. We emphasize Ukraine and not the Soviet Union because Dad was a true Ukrainian who kept his nationality, language and Ukrainian identity. It saddened him when Ukrainians became Russified. His guiding light was that great bard Shevchenko. Shevchenko, who gave up his Russian literary accolades and court life to resurrect the Ukrainian soul through his artistic genius (literature and drawings), was in turn given imprisonment by his former Russian admirers. Father's dream was to return to Ukraine and eventually be buried there and, who knows, he may have made a quick visit to see the blue of the Dnieper and the sun setting on the steppes of Ukraine before his final journey began. Father grew up in a proud family. His father had served as a Colonel in the Tsarist Cavalry. The impact of the famine and treatment of his family by the communist regime began to shape the lens through which Dad saw the world. As the result of the famine he grew up as an only child. He saw at first hand the humiliation of his father who was denied the right to vote and with what ease individuals could be manipulated by communist propaganda. He became the eyes and ears for his father and this process no doubt formed how he began to interpret the world. A short stint in the nearby oilfields and conscription into the artillery branch of the army was further education. Soldiers were sacrificed with as many killed by their political supervisors as by the enemy. The wealth of Poland compared to the poverty in Ukraine was another shock which stripped away another layer of his communist indoctrination. His love of agriculture and understanding of farming led to his management of the 1942 harvest of the Hyvorin collective farm which provided food to man and beast. With the ascendency of the Red Army and fearing for his life this was his final farewell to the Ukrainian earth as he fled westward to escape the KGB in search of a new life. Unfortunately this decision came at a high price and did not provide peace to his soul. He had left a wife and a son to fend for themselves and he was in constant fear that the Russians or their lackeys in Germany would drag him back to the Soviet Union. In Germany he married our mother Margareta Schellenberg, a widow with a son Harry, and soon they had a daughter, Rita. Dad studied agriculture in Germany and developed bartering skills which were to come in handy later. From there he came to Winnipeg and then settled on a farm in Elm River. He worked hard, determined to make something of himself. A second daughter, Sina, joined the family at this time. Dad, like most Ukrainians, loved the black soil. It was like putty in his hands and gave forth bountiful harvests. He developed a strong relationship with families from the local Sunny Side and Elm River Hutterite colonies. Here he bartered for animals to raise and learned additional farming skills specific to the prairies. His turkey flocks produced the highest rate of fertile eggs and these were prized by the Portage hatchery. Unfortunately, his farming career was short lived and he eventually fell into what he thought was a holding pattern working for the CNR and hoping to farm again. After a six month sojourn in the school district of Beautiful Valley he moved a house and his family to Oakville and here Rick was to complete the family. In Oakville father reverted to farming as he had been accustomed to in Hyvorin. Children pastured, fed and milked the cattle while Dad worked as a section hand. Cattle and fowl were butchered in the fall. The famine scar required that food always be plentiful. Some custom baling was done and CNR railway land was used as a supply of winter hay. Dad was a workaholic and had little time for social events. Later he helped keep bees and used bee stings to treat his arthritis pain. His favourite past times were playing cards on Friday nights with Rick and Linda, interpreting world news reports, reading, watching wrestling on TV, and travelling by train to visit Ukrainians in Toronto. They had also come from nearby villages in the Ukraine. Here he could reminisce with them about the old days in their villages. Indeed he tried valiantly to keep his father's house, buildings and property in the Ukraine in a liveable state by encouraging and supporting his great niece Svetlana to reside there. Unfortunately after a number of years Svetlana had a major stroke and that dream vanished. A tragic accident in which he lost an eye led Dad to live and work in Winnipeg, although weekends were spent gardening in Oakville. Eventually he did reconnect with his first wife Vera and his son Nickolai. His son was able to visit his father in Winnipeg. Reunited with his first offspring he began to support them in Ukraine through donations of food, clothes, a car and money. Retirement slowed father down but he had little projects to sustain him. His grandchildren provided him with great pleasure. Eventually Bethania became his final home. Here he completed his memoirs which were widely read and enjoyed. It was his way of providing a window into the life of one person. As time passed his emotional and physical strength began to fail. There were signs he was giving up the struggle and perhaps the strongest indication that his spirit was broken was when he gave up his truck and mobility. He had enjoyed gardening and driving others to carry out their shopping. His failing health, however, was perked up with the arrival of his grandson Voldya and his family. Father, you are missed and will always be remembered. The family would like to thank the nurses and health care aids at Bethania for their kindness and care of our parents over 11 years and especially in father's last weeks. After a private family interment, a memorial service will be held on Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel at Bethania Mennonite Personal Care Home, 1045 Concordia Ave. Flowers gratefully declined. If one chooses, donations can be made in his name to Bethania, The Taras Shevchenko Foundation or a charity close to your heart. Vichnaya pam'yat

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 18, 2012