Yaroslav (Jerry) Prystajecky
Patriarch, electrical engineer, refugee, optimist. Born on March 25, 1936, in Zhyznomyr, Ukraine; died on Oct. 4, 2014, in Edmonton, of cardiac arrest, aged 78.
As a little boy growing up in a village in rural Ukraine, Yarsolav enjoyed typical childhood fun, including catching crayfish in the local creek and riding horses to explore the countryside. He didn't even complain too much when his horse rubbed up against a fence post and left him with a dislocated hip.
But the events of the Second World War formed a bitter backdrop to that childhood. For several years, the area passed back and forth between Soviet and German forces, with intense fighting beginning in 1944. As bullets flew by his head, Yaroslav witnessed a German plane bombing his family's barn and soldiers marching through their garden. Years later, he would impress his own children by showing them shrapnel scars from that terrible time. After surviving many such traumatic experiences that year, including narrowly avoiding being blown up in another air raid, eight-year-old Yaroslav and his family fled westward, hoping to find a better life.
In 1948, after living in refugee camps in post-war Germany, his parents immigrated to Canada, taking Yaroslav and his sister Olya to Spirit River, Alta. They were sponsored by relatives who had homesteaded there years earlier. While his father found work on the railway and in a lumber yard, Yaroslav started his Canadian schooling. He should have been in Grade 6, given his age, but because he spoke no English he was placed in Grade 1, to his great annoyance. But Jerry, as he was now known, bartered math tutorials in exchange for English lessons from other students and, within a year, learned enough English to be moved forward.
In 1951, his family, now including younger brother Walter, moved to Edmonton, where Jerry went to high school. His many social activities were centred around scouting and the Ukrainian Catholic church, through which he met Roma Trylich. They met as teenagers, then reconnected a few years later. As she described it, she spotted him one day after mass, standing outside their church, and was impressed enough to grab hold of him and never let go.
After Yaroslav worked for a few years to save money for university, he and Roma married in 1960 and headed to Vancouver where, building on his love of math and physics, he earned his degree in electrical engineering from the University of British Columbia. By 1971, they had four children – Anna, Andrew, Paul and Mark – and had moved back to Edmonton. Jerry joined Alberta Government Telephones (later Telus Corp.), where he spent 30 years in a long and varied career.
Throughout his life, family always came first for Yaroslav. His wife and children had his unconditional love and support. He would help us with our school work, encourage us in piano lessons, and patiently teach us to drive. Although he was easygoing when it came to most things, he did not allow debate on education, ensuring that all of us kids earned university degrees.
Yaroslav had a special talent for turning complex challenges into solvable ones. He always made time to help others, and would go out of his way to do so, day or night, without complaint, whether helping to babysit grandkids or fixing old washing machines. Although his life began in adversity, nothing phased him. An eternal optimist, he is deeply missed.
Mark Prystajecky is Yaroslav's son.