July 11, 1941 – June 8, 2022

After a wonderful and accomplished life, Peter (Myron) Kowalsky passed away peacefully at his home with his family by his side on June 8, 2022.

Myron was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan on July 11, 1941. He attended grade school in North Battleford and finished high school in Saskatoon. While attending North Battleford Collegiate, Myron joined the Sea Cadets where he developed his love of sail boating and knot tying. During this time Myron participated in various sports, music, and cultural activities nurtured by the CYMK youth organization. He also belonged to the Yevshan Dancers and to the 4 – H Club.

Myron stayed at the Mohyla Institute while attending Nutana Collegiate to complete grade 12 and continued to stay there to study at the University of Saskatchewan. While at the University of Saskatchewan he met his wife to be, Olesia Kindrachuk, on a CYMK  trip to Prince Albert. He received a Bachelor of Education with Distinction and a Post Graduate Diploma from USask.

Myron’s first year of teaching was in Quill Lake.  He and Olesia married a year later in 1964 and moved to Unity where he was vice-principal.  The couple relocated to Prince Albert in 1967 where they had two daughters, Lisa and Lara.  Myron then worked as Vice Principal at Riverside Collegiate, and later taught at Carlton Comprehensive High School where he remained until 1986.

During his teaching career he went to The Gambia with Project Overseas and he remained involved with the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation. Throughout his life he was active in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church community singing in the choir and as a member of the boards for TYC and the Ukrainian Museum of Canada.

Candle Lake was Myron’s second home where he built a cabin and spent many weekends with his kids and grandkids partaking in numerous projects, fishing, sailing, golfing, boating, mushroom harvesting, visiting, and planting trees. Myron enjoyed the lake immensely and opened his cabin to family and friends for many memorable occasions.

Myron was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as an MLA in 1986 and re-elected in 1991, 1995, 1999, and 2003.  He served as Government Whip and was the Chair of the Standing Committees on House Services and Privilege, and chaired the Board of Internal Economy of the Legislative Assembly. In 2001 he was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and was re-elected as Speaker in 2004. In his role as Speaker he hosted the Midwest Legislative Conference held in Regina in July 2005 and chaired the Special Committee on Tobacco Control.

He made a number of trips to Ukraine as an educator and legislator from 1991 – 2014.  In his early trips he was there with Project Overseas aimed at strengthening professional skills of teachers. He then participated as an election observer in the 2004 Presidential election and an observer during the 2006 MAIDAN Crisis.

Myron is survived by his wife Olesia of 57 years, daughters Lisa Leis (Wally) and Lara Kowalsky, two grandchildren; Sam Wilkinson and Anisha Zolty, sister Audrey Langhorst (Bruce) brother Nestor Kowalsky (Vesper), and sister Sonia Kindrachuk (Bob), and his many nieces and nephews who were special to him.

Donations to the Ukrainian Museum of Canada are welcomed in lieu of flowers. https://umcnational.ca/support/.

The Prayer Service will be held on Sunday, June 12, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. and Funeral Service will be held on Monday, June 13, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (The funeral service will be live-streamed, the logon link is https://youtu.be/JFUZtnOOYiQ). Both services will be at the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of Holy Trinity, 919 20^th Street West, officiated by Rt. Rev. Mitred Archpriest Taras Makowsky. Interment in Hillcrest Memorial Gardens will follow.

To share memories and condolences, visit www.parkfuneral.ca “Obituaries-Guestbook’. Funeral arrangements entrusted to James Werezak, Park Funeral Home, 306.244.2103.

• Date : 2022-06-08