Obituary of Valentyna Hvozda

Valentyna Hvozda July 4, 2022 On the morning of July 4, 2022, Valentyna Hvozda was called to the Lord. She was the beloved wife of the late Dr. John Hvozda, who passed away June 5, 2016, mother of Lida Hvozda Buniak (Borys Buniak) and John I. Hvozda (Sofia Hvozda), grandmother of Vasyl I. Buniak (Anita Kim Buniak), Mykola B. Buniak (Vika Mazur), Zahar P. Buniak (Jessica Boller), and Adriana Buniak, and sister Laura Towner (Jerry Towner). Valentyna was born near Simferopol, the second-largest city in Crimea, Ukraine on April 12, 1935. Like many other Eastern Europeans, Valentyna and her family were forcibly deported during World War II to a labor camp. After liberation by the Allies, the family was placed in a displaced persons (DP) camp in Mainz-Kastel, Germany. Although only a child herself, Valentyna was often called "kleine mutter" (little mother) by individuals in the DP camp, because she was always taking care of her infant sister and another small little boy while her mother, Melania Dylowsky, worked in the mines during the day and as a housekeeper at night. After the war, Valentyna spent most of her adolescence in Belgium, where she discovered her love for ballet and her talent for clothing design as a prize-winning seamstress. Eventually Valentyna and her family were able to settle in Rochester, New York, where she met her future husband, John Hvozda, at a Ukrainian zabava (dance).Valentyna completed a bachelor's degree in Education and French at Syracuse University. Valentyna was also an active member of the Syracuse Chapter of Soyuz Ukrainok/Ukrainian National Women's League of America. She was also a communicant of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church. Valentyna will always be remembered for her unwavering resilience and extraordinary grace during some of life's most difficult and understandably traumatizing circumstances. But most of all, our mama/Baba Valya will always live on in our hearts because she truly was a very beautiful, loving and selfless person. Calling hours will be held on Friday, July 8, 2022 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Macko-Vassallo Funeral Home, 1609 W. Genesee St., Syracuse. The Panakhyda Service will be held at 6:00 pm Friday at the funeral home. Funeral services will be held on Saturday July 9, 2022 at 10:00 am in the St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church, 207 Tompkins St., Syracuse, NY. Mrs. Hvozda will be laid to rest in the St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery. Contributions in her memory can be made to the Ukrainian Catholic University Foundation, 2247 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60622.