Educator, community activist.
Born at Angusville on 27 June 1934 to Jessica “Jessie” Chernev (1903-1980) and John Mazur (1898-1965), her formative years were spent on the family farm. Because education and learning were highly valued by her family, she was encouraged to continue her schooling, and completed Grade 12 at Angus School before moving to Winnipeg to attend Teacher's College. At age 19, she began her teaching career at Woodnorth School (1953-1955).
On 20 October 1956, she married Michael Kowalchuk (1923-2008) at Oakburn and they went on to have three daughters. Although many women of her time stopped working outside the home once they had started a family, she loved teaching and continued to do so throughout rural Manitoba—Binscarth School (1955-1957), Braddock School (1957-1958), Rogers School (1958-1959), St. John School (1959), and Sandy Lake School (1964). Meanwhile, she earned her Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Arts degrees through correspondence, night classes, and summer school, besides carrying out the duties that went with farm life. Throughout those years, she was also deeply involved in the communities where she taught and in her community of Oakburn, and created a culturally active life for her family.
In 1973, she and her daughters moved to Winnipeg so she could take a teaching position at Morse Place Junior High School and also teach a Ukrainian language parttime. Each weekend she and the children would commute three hours west to the farm where her husband continued to work. She ran the two households 200 miles apart for eight years, until her husband retired from farming in 1982 and joined his family in the city, taking on a career in real estate. She continued to teach at Morse Place until her retirement in 1994.
Her Ukrainian heritage being important to her, she taught her children to sing and play Ukrainian music. Living in Winnipeg allowed her to hold numerous executive positions on the Ukrainian Woman's Association (UWAC), including Provincial UWAC Executive Secretary and later President. She was a board member of St. Andrew's College, and a member of the Shevchenko Foundation, Ukrainian Professional and Business Club of Winnipeg, Manitoba Provincial Congress, and Manitoba Council of Women. In 2006, she was awarded the National Self-Reliance League of Canada’s top award for Community Service. She also worked tirelessly for her church, Holy Trinity Metropolitan Cathedral.
She died at Winnipeg on 25 May 2012 and was buried in the Glen Eden Memorial Gardens.
Obituary [Michael Kowalchuk], Winnipeg Free Press, 19 August 2008.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 28 May 2012.
“Olga Kathryn Mazur,” Pedersen Family Tree, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 23 May 2026
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