Wolodymyra Tesluk

Wolodymyra was a very active member of the Ukrainian community in the greater Hartford area. She was a lifelong teacher at the St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic School, educating generations of students, mentoring teachers as well as serving as an assistant director. She was recognized for her 50 years of teaching during the School’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2004. She was also a Ukrainian language instructor at the University of Connecticut. Wolodymyra was proud of her students’ accomplishments and successes in life and stayed in close contact with many throughout the years. Teaching was Wolodymyra’s passion and she was always eager to share her knowledge of Ukraine’s history, culture as well as challenges on the world stage. Wolodymyra was a long-time member of the local branch of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, a charitable and cultural organization that unites women of Ukrainian descent. She was also a parishioner of St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Hartford.

Wolodymyra was born near Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. With the outbreak of World War II, she last saw her father as he put her on a westward bound train to escape the oncoming front. She also left behind her mother and a younger sister, Stephania. Another sister, Julia, who predeceased her last year, also escaped to the west and both were eventually reunited in Germany. As millions of others, Wolodymyra became a war refugee. She lived in Munich, Germany where she studied at the Ukrainian Free University, focusing her studies and thesis on the history of Ukraine. It is in Munich, at the Ratskellar, where Wolodymyra met her future husband Joseph. In 1951, she emigrated to the United States and since 1952, she lived in the Hartford area where she married Joseph. They shared a passion for perpetuating Ukraine’s language and culture by focusing their support and energies on institutions that would continue to cultivate this heritage. Along with Joseph, Wolodymyra celebrated Ukraine’s independence in 1991 with Ukrainians worldwide. She travelled, with her sister Julia, back to her homeland in 1992 which she left so abruptly many decades ago.

Wolodymyra was a decades long employee of the Institute of Living in Hartford where she worked as a psychiatric aide. It was an experience that she always looked back upon fondly. In addition to her personal and professional responsibilities, Wolodymyra always volunteered her services to various organizations, from collecting donations for various charities such as the March of Dimes and the American Heart Association, to supporting various veterans’ organizations, as did her husband.

Wolodymyra was an avid reader and student of history – always interested in current publishings and analysis, debating historical opinions and inaccuracies, challenging her students to become active participants in analytical and philosophical dialogue. She led an active lifestyle – from practicing yoga and working out at the gym, to her years’ long participation in local bridge clubs and senior organizations.

Wolodymyra is predeceased by her husband Joseph and her sisters Stephania of Ukraine and Julia of Hartford. She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Martha and Adrian of West Hartford and Julia and Daniel of France and their children Oleh and Melanie. Wolodymyra is also survived by family in the Czech Republic as well as extended family in Ukraine and Poland.

Burial was held at St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery in Glastonbury. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the following institutions:

Ukrainian Museum , 22 E 6th Street, New York, NY 10003 or St. Michael’s Ukrainian Catholic School, 135 Wethersfield Avenue, Hartford, CT 06114.

Funeral Services have been entrusted to D’Esopo Funeral Chapel 277 Folly Brook Blvd., Wethersfield, CT. To leave a message for the family, please visit www.desopofuneralchapel.com