Lawyer, community activist.
Born near the town of Berezovychi in western Ukraine on 25 October 1926, the only child of Chariton and Vera Radchuk, his schooling occurred in Poland. During the Second World War, his family fled Ukraine to a displaced persons' camp in Germany. In 1947, he was sponsored to come to Canada by the Evaschenko family and arrived in Saskatchewan. He completed high school in Benito, at which time his parents joined him and they moved to Winnipeg.
He attended the Manitoba Law School and, in 1954, graduated with a law degree. He joined the Karasevich law firm before starting his own legal practice, continuing for over 60 years in five languages: English, Ukrainian, German, Polish, and Russian. He received a Masters (1958) and Doctoral (1977) degrees in Law, the latter from Munich, Germany. He was made a Queen's Counsel (1981).
On 26 October 1957, he married Leontyna “Leona” Kosjar in the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral and they had two daughters. He was an active member of his church, having served as President of its executive. He was a Liberal candidate for the Winnipeg North constituency in the 1972 federal general election. He sang in the Bohonos Male Chorus and was a member of the Khartum Shriners. He wrote a personal memoir entitled “I Chose Canada”.
He served as President of the Research Institute of Volyn, Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Ukrainian Fraternal Life Insurance Society of Canada, Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko, Carpathia Credit Union, and Ukrainian Professional and Business Club of Winnipeg. He was a member of the Board of Directors for the Manitoba Heart and Stroke Foundation.
In recognition of his community service, he was inducted into the Order of Canada (1985) and he received a Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Volyn.
He died at Winnipeg on 22 September 2021.
“Radchuk - Kosjar,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 November 1957, page 6.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 2 October 2021.
Obituary, Cropo Funeral Chapel.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 17 October 2024
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