OBITUARIES (04/20/97)

OBITUARIES

Rosalie Polche, leader who bridged gap between Ukrainians of two worlds
Ola Loznycky-Nagorski, activist of New Haven area community

Rosalie Polche, leader who bridged gap between Ukrainians of two worlds

NEW YORK - Rosalie Polche, a community activist, died suddenly on March 3 following a massive heart attack. During her lifetime, she was able to bridge the gap between Ukrainian Americans born in the United States and Ukrainians born in Ukraine. A lifetime resident of New York City, she was born the daughter of pioneers. Her parents emigrated from Ukraine before World War I and succeeded in imparting their love for Ukraine and its customs to their children. As a result, Mrs. Polche became involved in all facets of Ukrainian activities.

Through her husband, Harry Polche, past national commander of the Ukrainian American Veterans, Mrs. Polche became more actively involved in veterans' circles. Her aspirations to see that the Ukrainian American Veterans were always helped in their endeavors were realized when she founded the National Ladies Auxiliary of the Ukrainian American Veterans in 1974. Her paralegal training and expertise are evident in the organization's by-laws, which she authored.

Mrs. Polche served as the first national president of the National Ladies Auxiliary, and, at her death, was again serving the organization as its national president. She was instrumental in encouraging the formation of a ladies auxiliary for each post in the UAV and opened the doors of communication with everyone who served with her.

Mrs. Polche graduated from Washington Irving High School in New York City and Pace Institute, where she completed her paralegal studies. She was employed as a paralegal for various prestigious Wall Street law firms, including Hughes, Hubbard & Ewing, founded by Chief Justice Charles Hughes.

Mrs. Polche was widely known also for her services to the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA), following in the footsteps of her mother, Mary Chuma, who was active in Branch 3, a founding branch of the UNWLA.

As a member of Branch 72, Mrs. Polche served for many years in various capacities, including as president. For many years she served in the UNWLA's New York Regional Council as vice-president and held other offices as well.

On the national level, Mrs. Polche served the UNWLA under four administrations as English-language secretary, using her paralegal skills in communicating with the leaders of the free world. She also served a fifth administration as a member of the auditing committee.

Mrs. Polche also volunteered her services to The Ukrainian Museum and served as a member of the initial Building Fund Committee.

In 1996 she was elected a member of the board of the Self-Reliance Association of New York.

Mrs. Polche was instrumental also in organizing the Ladies Auxiliary of the St. George Ukrainian Post 401 of the Catholic War Veterans, where her husband currently serves as commander.

Her involvement in church activities included serving on the Building Committee of St. George School and St. George Church in New York City; as secretary on the Millennium Committee; and, most recently, on Bishop Basil Losten's silver jubilee committee.

She also volunteered in many capacities at St. George Church, where she was a lifetime parishioner. She had been baptized at St. George Church and in 1953 was married there, as were her parents, Mary and Nicholas Chuma.

Surviving are Mrs. Polche's husband, who was inducted into the papal order of the Knights of St. Gregory the Great in 1996, and her sister, Natalie Chuma.

The funeral liturgy was celebrated on March 8 at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church with the Rev. Patrick Paschak OSBM officiating. Interment followed at Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, N.Y.

Memorial donations may be made to St. George Church, New York; St. Basil's Seminary, Stamford, Conn.; are The Ukrainian Museum, New York.

Ola Loznycky-Nagorski, activist of New Haven area community

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Ola Loznycky-Nagorski, a leading activist of the local Ukrainian community, died on February 8 after a 10-year battle with ovarian cancer.

Mrs. Nagorski, born on June 26, 1946, in Herrenberg, Germany, emigrated to the United States with her parents, Wasyl and Eugenia Andreewa-Loznycky, in 1947.

A graduate of West Haven High School and the School of Ukrainian Studies at St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church in New Haven, she received her B. A. and M. S. degrees in teaching from Southern Connecticut State College. She taught English at West Haven High School and Carrigan Middle School of West Haven.

After marriage to John Nagorski, she worked as a substitute teacher at Amity Junior High School, a teacher's assistant at Amity High School, and as an aide in the reading center of Amity Senior High, as well as Amity Junior High Schools of Bethany and Orange. Most recently she was a teacher's assistant in the Distance Learning Center at Amity High School.

Mrs. Nagorski was a parishioner of St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church, a member of St. Michael Ukrainian Heritage Center and the Immaculate Conception Society of St. Michael's, and a member and past president of Branch 108 of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America. She was a member of the Connecticut State Ukrainian Day Committee, and a former director and member of the Veselka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of New Haven.

Mrs. Nagorski was chairwoman of the Children of Chornobyl Benefit Concert held in New Haven, a member of the Ukrainian American Youth Association (SUM-A), the Ukrainian National Association, the Ethnic Heritage Center of New Haven and the Columbus 500 Celebration - Entertainment Committee. She volunteered at the Schubert Performing Arts Center and was a past vice-president and member of the Wallingford Jaycee Women.

She was a volunteer in the Looking Forward program at the Father Michael J. McGivney Center for Cancer Care at the Hospital of St. Raphael, as well as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society. She received the Connecticut Courage Award, presented to her by Gov. John G. Rowland, for her personal courage in her battle against cancer, and for the hope and inspiration she gave to all in the fight for life and health.

Mrs. Nagorski is survived by her husband; sons, Andrij, Danilo and Stefan; parents, Wasyl and Eugenia Andreewa-Loznycky of West Haven; and brother, Bill W. Loznycky Jr. of San Diego.

Funeral services were held on February 12 at St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church.

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