Businessman.
Born at Winnipeg on 5 January 1923 to Pauline “Polly” Trefiak (1906-1994) and Alexander Kucher (1896-1976), he was raised in the Kuchers’ Ukrainian Bakery business (KUB) in the North End, where his strong work ethic developed at a young age. When he was 18, he enlisted with the Merchant Navy and served his country in the Second World War in both the Atlantic and Pacific theatres. In 1946, he and his crew members received a letter of appreciation from US President Harry Truman for their participation in a particularly risky mission. Kucher’s description of the operation has been included in The Canadian Encyclopedia’s “Memory Project.”
Upon his return from service in 1945, he became interested in opportunities in Canada's North, and by 1946 had created his own fishing business. He spent the next 25 years establishing Kucher Brothers as one of the largest freshwater-fish companies in western Canada. In doing so, he became one of the pioneers in settling the North West Territories. At the same time, Kucher Brothers established KB Ranch and introduced the Charolais/Hereford cattle cross-breed to ranchers in the Interlake region.
In 1950 he married Mildred Maria Stephania Cholodnuk (1926-2022) and they went on to have three children. They lived for a time early in their marriage at Great Slave Lake. Back in Winnipeg, following his business career, he concentrated his efforts on his family and community, becoming an active member of the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus, achieving a fourth degree status. He was also a member of the Merchant Navy and the White Ensign Club, the Royal Canadian Ukrainian Legion Branch 141, the Sons of Ukrainian Pioneers, Oseredok Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre, Royal Military Institute of Manitoba, Devils Lake Maritime Museum, and Federal Superannuates Association.
He died at Winnipeg on 20 May 2010 and was buried in the Holy Family Cemetery.
Birth registration [Michael Kucher], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 25 May 2010.
Michael Kucher, FindAGrave.
Obituary [Mildred Kucher], Winnipeg Free Press, 15 January 2022.
“Michael Kucher,” Memory Project, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 30 October 2025
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