Lawyer, community activist.
Born at Winnipeg on 19 January 1940 to Marie Bernice Skibinski (1914-2000) and John George Karasevich, he grew up in the North End and graduated from St. John’s High School. During his early years at university, he received a Queen’s Commission as a Second Lieutenant, serving as a Reserve Forces officer with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles.
He attended the University of Manitoba, graduated with a law degree in 1965, and was called to the Manitoba Bar the same year. For many years he practiced law with his father, and for a short time with his brother, Gerald Karasevich. In his later years he was senior partner with the firm of Karasevich Windsor Jenion Hedley LLP. He specialized in life-lease projects, of which the first was St. Michael’s Villa.
In 1965, he married Marla, and they went on to have two children. He served as President of the Folk Arts Council of Winnipeg and was Mayor of the Kiev Pavilion in Folklorama 1978. He also served as President of the Ukrainian Professional and Business Club of Winnipeg and the Ukrainian Professional and Business Federation of Canada, and was a Director of the Canadian Foundation for Ukrainian Studies. Over the years he served on various other boards and held many executive positions. He was always an avid reader, enjoyed hunting, music, theatre, wine-making, and swimming in his pool, and was involved in politics. In addition to travelling extensively, he and his wife spent their leisure time at Gull Lake and at Marco Island, Florida.
He died at Winnipeg on 20 October 2010.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 23 October 2010.
“John George Karasevich,” Karasevich Family Tree, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 15 October 2025
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