Educator, historian.
Born at Sifton in 1926, daughter of farmers Mary Szewczyk (1902-1986) and Olexsandr “Alex” Demchuk (1894-1968), she attended Oukraina School, Wycliffe High School, and the Central Normal School. She taught school for 31 years, including service at Oukraina School (1954-1955) and several other country schools and the Sifton Village School (1957-1972, 1977-1981). She retired to Dauphin.
She was married twice, first to ? Schesniuk with whom she had two children and second, in August 1974, to Harry Lesyk (1917-2005). In retirement, she wrote Sifton Then and Now: A Reminiscence of the Pioneer Era (1992) and Wings Over Dauphin: A History of a Forgotten Era (1995). In recognition of her community service, she received a Governor General Commemorative Medal.
She died at Dauphin on 30 November 2014 and was buried in the Dauphin Riverside Cemetery.
“News from Sifton,” Dauphin Herald, 14 August 1974, page 10.
Obituary [Mary Demchuk], Dauphin Herald, 23 December 1986, page 19.
Sifton Then and Now: A Reminiscence of the Pioneer Era, self-published, 1992.
Obituary [Harry Lesyk], Dauphin Herald, 16 August 2005, page 21.
Obituary, Sneath-Strilchuk Funeral Services.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 20 May 2023
Memorable Manitobans
This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.
Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:
Custom SearchBrowse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
