Melania Hlywa
Melania Hlywa of Stamford passed away peacefully on November 20, 2019 at Yale New Haven Hospital surrounded by her loving family. Melania was born in Smerekowec, Poland on June 7, 1932 to the late Petro and Tekla (Dzuibina) Lozyniak. She was 87 years old at the time of her passing.
Melania is survived by her beloved husband of 63 years, John Hlywa, who instantly fell in love with her beautiful smile and married her after only two dates. Together, they took a leap of faith at the chance for a better life and arrived in the United States in 1963 with two young children, two suitcases and $25 in their pocket. They worked hard together as a team and achieved the American Dream, going on to build their own home, owning their own business in the 1970s, and seeing their children and grandchildren becoming college educated.
In addition to her husband, Melania is survived by her son, Jerry, of Wilton, CT; a daughter, Anna Corra (Larry) of Wilton, CT; and three granddaughters - Alex, of Wilton, CT, Alanna of Austin, TX, and Erica of Mammaroneck, NY. She is also survived by a brother, Stefan Lozyniak, of Poland and many cousins and extended family both in the US and abroad.
In addition to her parents, Melania was predeceased by her brothers, Wasyl Lozyniak, and Seman Lozyniak, both of Poland.
Melania was a survivor of Akcja Wisla (Operation Vistula) in 1947, which took a heavy toll on her as a young girl, losing both her father and grandfather within months of each other after the seizure of her family’s ancestral homeland in Lemkivshchyna and forced relocation to another part of Europe after the War. Despite the early hardships she endured, she remained steadfastly proud of her Lemko heritage and maintained her Lemko identity and culture to her final day.
Melania was elegant and always dressed with style. She was smart, funny, generous, loved to laugh and loved to entertain people at home where she was always the life of the party. No one ever left her house hungry. Her granddaughters, whom she loved above all else in life, will miss Baba’s pancakes, cream puffs, and pyrohy most of all.
She loved to travel and was an avid cruiser in her later years, traveling to Hawaii, Alaska, the Caribbean and returning to Europe to visit friends and family many times throughout her life. She spoke several languages. She was also especially proud of earning her motorcycle license as a young woman and of the fact that she never had a motor vehicle accident in her entire life.
Melania was an employee of Pitney Bowes in Stamford for more than 35 years, a place she loved going to each morning, continuing to run into and laughing with old PB friends and coworkers everywhere she went decades after retiring. She was also a faithful member of St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral for more than 55 years.
Melania’s family will receive the sympathy and condolences of family and friends on Sunday, November 24th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with a Panahita Service at 7 p.m., at Bosak Funeral Home, 453 Shippan Avenue, Stamford, CT, 06902. A funeral service will be celebrated in her name on Monday, November 25th at 10 a.m. at St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, 24 Wenzel Terrace, Stamford, CT 06902. The interment will immediately follow at Queen of Peace Cemetery, Rockrimmon Road, in Stamford.
The family has entrusted the funeral arrangements to Bosak Funeral Home, 453 Shippan Avenue, in Stamford, CT. If you would like to leave a condolence message for the family, you may visit the guestbook on bosakfuneralhome.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/bosakfuneralhome.