Emily Shchur

Emily Shchur (Szczur) of Yonkers, NY passed into eternal life peacefully, surrounded and supported by her family and pastor Kiril Angelov.

Emily, known to all as Millie, was born in Ebensee, Austria to Katharina Meindl and Adolf Keller.

She was an adventuresome and spirited young woman. As a teenager she bicycled from her hometown in the Austrian Alps to Rome, Italy to get a Papal Blessing prior to embarking on a life changing job. That being accomplished, she set off to the U.K. by herself, on a work contract in post-war England.

She was indeed blessed as it was in England that she literally met the man in her dreams, Wolodymyr (Walter) Szczur who wound up in England after release from a POW-DP camp. Interestingly enough, they did not share a common language yet somehow they communicated, fell in love and committed their lives to each other. They were married November 3rd 1951 just 2 days before her 21st birthday. The marriage ceremony took place in St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Todmorden, Lancashire by a Ukrainian Catholic priest, Father Hawryluk. There they raised a family, having 5 children, 4 surviving. They worked alternating shifts in factories as weavers. She attended Calder College and learned English fluently and simultaneously learned Ukrainian. It was in Todmorden that they built their family while also building a strong, vibrant, engaged Ukrainian community with their friends. Millie embraced Ukrainian culture and made it her own. People were often surprised that she was not a native Ukrainian. She would often translate German, Ukrainian and English forms and documents for their friends and those in need. She and Walter loved to sing and often they would sing harmoniously the same song, he in Ukrainian and she in her native Austrian. We, their children, were the fortunate beneficiaries of their love for each other, their respective cultures and communities. Both being far from their original homes and families, they found strength and courage through their religious faith and their newly formed communities.

In 1964, in another adventuresome move, they immigrated to the USA with 4 rambunctious children (including an infant) in tow, sailing across the Atlantic on the HMS Sylvania. We always celebrated July 28th, the day we arrived in the Port of New York as it was also my father’s name sake day, St. Volodymyr. We settled in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Walter worked in the meat packing industry (he would never eat bologna after that!) and Millie worked cleaning offices at night. Again, they immersed themselves in the Ukrainian community. Eventually they bought a small Mom & Pop business on 7th St. between Ave’s B & C. In 1968 they packed us up and moved to Yonkers where they bought Walter’s Restaurant on Saw Mill River Road and ran it successfully for 12 years. Later they bought Saw Mill Market and then Saw Mill Liquors. In between businesses they were managers of the Ukrainian Youth Center for many years, hosting hundreds of weddings, christenings, funerals and other events. Both Walter and Millie were very much a part of the strong fabric of the Yonkers Ukrainian community as were their contemporaries, a unique generation of hard working immigrants working tirelessly together to uphold their cultural traditions, values and to build a better life for their children. Even though they worked hard and seemingly endlessly, they always had time for family gatherings which they loved the most. By the end of the evening both would be singing together harmoniously as they loved to do, not only Ukrainian and Austrian melodies but also loved singing traditional English, Irish, Scottish and Italian

folk songs. It was not unusual that a word or phrase made in conversation would trigger a melody and they would break into a song.

Millie was strong in her faith, never forgetting to say her prayers before going to bed. She always prayed for her husband, her children and grandchildren, her family in Austria, Walter’s family in Ukraine and the dear friends they left behind in England. Together they were parishioners of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church. She was a member, then president of the Mother’s Guild at St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic School and later became a member and president of the Golden Agers organization, serving as the ‘Sunshine Girl’ visiting the sick and hospitalized parishioners, even though she did not have a car to get around.

In her later years she dedicated herself to taking care of Walter until his passing in 2008.

Millie was known for her sense of humor, sharp wit, and her shoot-from-the-hip responses. She was honest and never minced words, you knew exactly where you stood with Millie. She loved a lively discussion as well as a passionate argument. She could spot a dishonest person a mile away and could figure people out on her first encounter. If you crossed her you would suffer consequences. Millie was fiercely independent, strong and brave. She had a heart of gold and was very generous to those needing help. She loved to make you laugh and found humor in life’s situations no matter how difficult it got. The challenges she endured and the courage she displayed this year are a testament to her strength, tenacity and spirit. It was a privilege and inspiration to be part of her life.

Millie is survived by her children & their spouses: Lubomyr Shchur & wife Lesia, Sophia Scarpelli-Shchur and her husband Vasyl Zarubayko, Taras Szczur, Steven Schur & his wife Sonya. Her grandchildren: Natalie Mithqal and husband Amjad, Emilie Scarpelli and wife Natalie, Stefan & Damian Shchur, Mykola, Nina & Marko Schur and the absolute apple of her eye, her great-grandchild Adam Mithqal. Millie also has a niece Karin Wenty and her family in Vienna, as well as nieces and nephews and their families in Bad Goisern; Robert, Doris, Klaus, and Ulrike Stüger. She is predeceased by her parents, brother Rupert, her husband Walter and their infant son.

We are extremely grateful for the competent and compassionate care of her physicians, St. John’s Hospital, Visiting Nurse Service of Westchester and to all family members who rallied around her to make her final months at home pain free and dignified. We also express our sincerest gratitude to Very Reverend Kiril Angelov for providing a spiritual anchor in difficult times, praying for and with Millie and for being with us during her final earthly moments. Thank you to all who have kept her in their prayers.

Rest in Peace. Вічна’я пам’ят. Ruhe in Frieden.

Visitation:

July 31st, 2017. 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm. Panachyda at 7:30pm.

Whalen & Ball Funeral Home

168 Park Avenue, Yonkers NY

Funeral Liturgy:

Tuesday August 1st, 2017. 9:30 am

St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church

21 Shonnard Place, Yonkers, NY

Burial following Liturgy:

Holy Spirit Cemetery

Sara Wells Trail, Campbell Hall, NY

Donations in her memory may be made to St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church.