Vasyl Stefantsiv was born on September 11 th , 1953 in village of Voskresintsi of western Ukraine just outside of Carpathian Mountains. His parents’ names were Yuriy and Kateryna. He was a middle child with two siblings, brother Ivan 5 years older and sister Mariya 8 years younger. Vasyl had a simple yet fulfilling childhood, he saw his parents work really hard to make a living and helped them as much as possible but still found time to have fun and got into sports. He was an exceptional student, especially proficient at math and sciences. After completing local primary school, he studied at Lviv Polytechnic University where he achieved master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and also enjoyed judo at his spare time. Upon graduation, he held various engineering roles and after collapse of Soviet Union he worked as a construction manager. In-between his career development, at his brother’s wedding while he was 24 years old, he noticed and linked up with a girl who took a liking to him. Their feelings for each other shortly grew to something much stronger. This beautiful young lady, Luba, would eventually become his best friend, soulmate and wife of 46 years. Their relationship was, is and forever will be unbreakable and their love for each other unwavering. They were blessed with two boys Nicholas born in 1979 and Andriy born in 1986. The Soviet Union would soon collapse, triggering a lot of changes and instabilities in Eastern Europe. As the head of a young family, Vasyl had a chance to visit family friends in USA in 1989 Miroslav and Tinka Kerner. They provided him with guidance and became like parents to him in the USA. He quickly saw an opportunity for his family, he saw his chance at the American dream. A possibility to migrate presented itself in 1995, that is when he and his older son Nick took a chance and moved to Boston, leaving Luba and Andriy in Ukraine. It took 4 long years full of stress and hard work, but he was able to re-unite the family in 1999 in Winthrop, MA, which is where they settled. Starting a new life in a different continent was far from easy for Vasyl. He went from being an engineer in Ukraine, to a church cantor, a handyman, a line worker at a pharmaceutical factory, and a construction worker in USA. He did what was necessary to provide for his family but he was always an engineer and a builder at heart. He again without any guarantees, took a chance on himself and completed Northeastern University courses to eventually become a plumbing designer at an engineering company. He was exceptional at his job, always paying attention to the little things and would gain respect and recognition from his colleagues. Vasyl used the time he had with us to his fullest potential. He loved home improvement projects, not only his own, but would help anyone who he needed help, especially his sons. He was an exemplary father, always supporting, loving and giving. He loved his family very much. It was very visible how full his heart was when he played with his 3 grandkids, Maia, Ivanna and Lucas. He also helped a lot of people who just moved to USA, and jumpstarted their new lives by providing housing, finding jobs or offering wise advice. A lot of those people are in attendance here today. His legacy outside of relatives is broad and his family is proud of him for that. He was a hardworking, honest, kind and fun-loving man. He was a man of faith and a patriot. He enjoyed company of all sorts of people and his warm smile and silly humor were infectious. He battled brain cancer with courage and dignity until the end. He fought to be with his family and friends for over 3.5 years. He never complained about it, he never let it get the best of him, until his last breath. Vasyl will be missed dearly by everyone, especially his dear wife Luba, but his legacy will live on for generations after him. He was an example for us all. Visiting hours at Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church 146 Forest Hills St. Jamaica Plain on Wednesday March 20 at 6 pm. A Requiem Divine Liturgy will be held at the Church on Thursday March 21 at 10 AM. Interment will then follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury.