Memorable Manitobans: Olena Ziombra (1930-2005)

Community activist.

Born at Tauriw, Ternopil District, Ukraine on 29 March 1930 to Prokop Lubinski and Katherina Kowalewska, she survived Russian and German occupation of her country during the Second World War. After the war, she worked in a refugee camp as an interpreter for United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), and in 1948 immigrated to Canada with her mother, settling in Quebec. In 1949, she moved to Ontario and married Michael Ziombra (1925-2006), with whom she went on to have two children. They moved to Manitoba in 1952. Over the years, she worked as a hairdresser, cashier, and salesperson, and for several years owned her own hair salon.

She was active in the Ukrainian community, serving as President of the League of Ukrainian Women in the 1960s and as an active member for many years with the Ukrainian Senior Club, Prosvita. In 1994 she was honoured for 50 years of service to the Ukrainian Community of Canada by Bishop Myron Daciuk. She enjoyed singing in the choir at St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, where she had been a member since 1954, a highlight being the opportunity to sing before Pope John Paul II on his 1984 visit to Canada.

She died at Winnipeg on 27 February 2005 and was buried in the All Saints Cemetery.

Sources:

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 3 March 2005.

This page was prepared by Lois Braun.

Page revised: 8 November 2022

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

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