PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Emilian (Omelan) Twardowsky passed peacefully on October 19 in his home with his family by his side. He was 92. Twardowsky is survived by his wife of 61 years, Anna, his daughter, Odarka (Daria), his son, Yaroslaw (Jerry), and relatives in Ukraine.
Born May 28, 1927, in the village of Nahuyevychi in the Drohobych region of the Lviv Oblast in Ukraine, his emigration journey took him from Ukraine to Austria, then to England and thereafter to Canada. He ultimately settled in the U.S. in Newark, N.J., where he married Anna Czolij in 1958. He also lived in Union and Parsippany, N.J.
Mr. Twardowsky’s Ukrainian patriotism and activism started at an early age. In Austria, he studied at the Ukrainian National University in Scharding. While in Camp Mortimer in England, he joined the Ukrainian Youth Association (UYA or SUM) and served as its press secretary, sang in the men’s choir and was a member of the Ukrainian dance ensemble. During this time, he also served as a correspondent for two gazettes – the Ukrainian Tribune in Munich and the Ukrainian Dumka in London.
After settling in Montreal, he again joined SUM and also joined the Sports Association Ukraina, serving as their press secretary. Here too, he was a correspondent for multiple Ukrainian newspapers out of Toronto.
Mr. Twardowsky joined the Ukrainian Athletic-Educational Association Chornomorska Sitch in 1955 in Newark. As a member of Chornomorska Sitch, he held several positions through 2017, including president. His most significant role was as press secretary, a position he held for almost six decades.
During that time, he had countless articles, several books and over 50 editions of Nash Sport (Our Sport) magazine published. In 1969 he, along with then Sitch President Myron Stebelsky, established a summer youth sports camp, the Chornomorska Sitch Sports School, which celebrated its 50th anniversary just this year.
In 1977, he became a sports contributor for the Ukrainian-language newspaper Svoboda (published by the Ukrainian National Association) and also wrote sports articles for several newspapers out of Pennsylvania, as well as several newspapers in Ukraine. During this time, he was elected as a board member of the Ukrainian Sports Federation of U.S.A. and Canada (known by its Ukrainian acronym USCAK) and served as its press secretary for almost 40 years.
In 1991 Mr. Twardowsky started a fund-raising campaign in the Ukrainian press for the rebirth of sports in Ukraine, which generated over $400,000.
He received numerous recognition awards throughout his life, the most notable of which were his inductions into the Chornomorska Sitch Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
Funeral services were held on October 25 at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Whippany, N.J., followed by interment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, N.J.
Donations can be made in his memory to the Ukrainian Athletic-Educational Association Chornomorska Sitch. This can be made either via https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=CWgUOYX7CYZIzBcBvkIBXt5QLpYp1cymGxI5iFIZOj8ffF1aO09lIp0sDQC6hJSoty5ZpG&country.x=US&locale.x=US or by mail to Chornomorska Sitch, 60-C N. Jefferson Road, Whippany, NJ 07981