Emilian Omelan Twardowsky

Emilian Twardowsky - May 28, 1927 - October 19, 2019 Emilian (Omelan) Twardowsky born May 28th 1927, in the village of Nahuyevychi in the Drohobych Region of the Lviv Oblast in Ukraine passed peacefully on October 19th 2019 in his home with his family by his side. Emilian is survived by his wife of 61 years, Anna, his daughter Odarka (Daria), his son Yaroslaw (Jerry), and relatives in Ukraine. His emigration journey took him from Ukraine to Austria, then to England and thereafter, to Canada. He ultimately settled in the US in Newark, NJ, where he married Anna Czolij in 1958. He also lived in Union and Parsippany, NJ. Emilians 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 (CYM) and served as its Press Secretary, sang in the mens 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, Canada he again joined CYM and also joined the Sports Association Ukraina and served as their Press Secretary. Here too, he was a correspondent for multiple Ukrainian newspapers out of Toronto. Emilian joined the Ukrainian Athletic-Educational Association "Chornomorska Sitch" in 1955 in Newark, NJ. 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 fifty editions of "Nash Sport" (Our Sport Magazine) published. In 1969 he, along with then President Myron Stebelsky, established a summer youth sports camp- Chornomorska Sitch Sports School, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary just this year. In 1977, he became a sports editor for Svoboda 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 US and Canada (USCAK) and served as their Press Secretary for almost 40 years. In 1991 Emilian started a fundraising campaign in the Ukrainian Press for the rebirth of Sports in Ukraine, which generated over $400K. He received numerous recognition awards throughout his life 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. Friends are invited to visit at Union Funeral Home- Lytwyn & Lytwyn, 1600 Stuyvesant Ave., Union, NJ on Thursday October 24th between 5:00 and 9:00 PM. The Parastas (service) will take place at 7:30 pm. Funeral services will be on Friday October 25th at 10:00 AM at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church, 60 N. Jefferson Rd in Whippany, NJ. Entombment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations in Emilians memory can be made to the Ukrainian Athletic-Educational Association "Chornomorska Sitch" via PayPal or check mailed to 60-C N. Jefferson Rd in Whippany, NJ 07981.