OBITUARY: Nicholas Martynuk, well-known director of choirs (01/28/01)

OBITUARY: Nicholas Martynuk, well-known director of choirs

OBERLIN, Ohio - Nicholas Martynuk, a well-known choir director in Pennsylvania, died in Oberlin, Ohio, on December 22, 2000, only two days after his 91st birthday.

Mr. Martynuk was born on the outskirts of Lviv, in Tadani, Ukraine, to Semen and Anna Howryshko Martynuk. In his youth he was a man of many hats: an actor, a singer and a radio announcer. He studied law at the Ivan Kazimir University and later attended the seminary in Lviv. However, his aspirations for the priesthood were interrupted by World War II.

In 1944 Mr. Martynuk married Stephanie Halan. A year later he was placed in a displaced persons camp in Landeck, Austria. It was there that he organized and directed the Ukrainian Choir Surma. In 1948 he became a member of the Ukrainian choir Vatra, which toured in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

As recorded on the website of Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church of Olyphant, Pa., http://members.tripod.com/~stcyrils/, Mr. Martynuk was forced to flee Ukraine for political and religious reasons. After arriving in the United States, Mr. Martynuk first settled in Philadelphia, and then moved to Olyphant, where at Ss. Cyril and Methodius his enthusiasm for choral discipline was realized.

Under his leadership the choir became proficient in not only liturgical music but in Ukrainian folk songs as well. He recruited young parishioners to join the choir and assembled a group of people to learn traditional Ukrainian dances in order to enhance programs at parish concerts. The group later went on tour. He also organized a children's choir to sing the liturgy.

Mr. Martynuk produced a weekly radio program of Ukrainian topics and music from 1971 to 1976, and in 1977 he began a weekly broadcast of the divine liturgy for shut-ins.

From 1983 Mr. Martynuk directed the Blessed Andrew Sheptytsky Deanery Choir, which was composed of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Church Choir and other smaller choirs from Ukrainian parishes in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties of Pennsylvania.

In 1988 Mr. Martynuk suffered a debilitating illness, which caused him to retire from his duties as choir director two years later.

Mr. Martynuk was also a former member of the Ukrainian Fraternal Association and the Ukrainian National Association. In 1990 he retired to Oberlin with his wife.

Surviving are two daughters, Nusha Martynuk and Irene Martynuk, both of Oberlin; two sons, George of New York City and Roman of Boston; and five grandchildren.

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