Taras Slevinsky of Stratford, age 93, beloved husband of Maria Slevinsky, passed away peacefully at Yale New Haven Hospital on July 22, 2021, after a brief illness.  Born in Tysmenytsia, Ukraine on March 8, 1928, he was the son of the late Wasyl and Sofia Slevinsky.  Taras spent his childhood years in Ukraine but together with his father, fled his homeland as a World War II refugee in 1944.  The next 5 years were spent in a displaced persons camp in Mittenwald, Germany.  Upon the sponsorship by a close family relative living in Bridgeport, CT, father and son were able to resettle in that city in 1949.  In that same year, he met the love of his life and future wife, Maria, also a Ukrainian refugee, whom he married in 1951, and with whom he celebrated his 70 ^th wedding anniversary on May 26, 2021.

Taras found work as a baker at a local bakery, a position he held his entire working years.  He and Maria went on to lovingly raise their 2 children—Christina (Walter) Kowinko and Roman (Saara) Slevinsky, providing them with life opportunities that they themselves as refugees were not able to experience.  They went on to play major roles in the upbringing of their 5 grandchildren:  Lydia (Daniel Holowaty) Kowinko, Alex Kowinko, and Paul, Peter, and Mia Slevinsky.  Taras rejoiced in the simple blessings of life—time with his family and friends, welcoming strangers into his home, preparing sumptuous meals for his family whenever they visited and even baked his last homemade paska (a Ukrainian Easter bread) this past April.  He is also survived by his niece, Myroslava Rozdolska and her family, and by numerous other family relatives in the United States and Ukraine.

He was deeply loved by his wife, children and grandchildren and was respected by all who had the good fortune to know him.  He promoted a range of Ukrainian religious, cultural and charitable organizations, and was a man of deep religious faith who very well lived out the commandment, "Love thy neighbor as thyself."  He will be sorely missed by many but his spirit and legacy will on through those whose lives he touched throughout his lifetime.

Friends are invited to attend a wake on Tues. July 27 ^th from 4-7 p.m. with a 5 p.m. Parastas at the Adzima Funeral Home, 50 Paradise Green Place, Stratford, and the funeral on Wed. July 28 ^th at 10 a.m.at St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church, 457 Noble Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06608  followed by a burial service at St. John's Cemetery, 2610 Nichols Avenue, Stratford.  Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church (see above address) or to UCEF (Ukrainian Catholic Education Fund), 2247 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60622 with a notation in the memo line to read "orphan fund".

The family respectfully asks that those who are not fully vaccinated to wear a mask during the indoor portions of the funeral services as a safety measure for all attendees.