Stechishin, Savella (1903-2002)

Savella Stechishin.

Natalie Ostryzniuk

Savella Stechishin (née Wawryniuk) worked to secure the integration of Ukrainian Canadian women into Canadian society while maintaining their Ukrainian heritage. Born on August 19, 1903, in Western Ukraine, she immigrated to Canada with her family in 1913, settling in Krydor, Saskatchewan. She moved to Saskatoon to attend high school, and then completed Normal School. In 1921 she married Julian Stechishin, and they had three children. In 1930 she became the first Ukrainian woman to graduate from the University of Saskatchewan and the first Ukrainian Canadian to major in Home Economics. In 1926 Stechishin co-founded the Ukrainian Women’s Association of Canada, serving as its president for ten years; in 1936 she helped found the Ukrainian Museum of Canada in Saskatoon. For twenty-five years she was a columnist and women’s page editor of the Ukrainian-language Ukrainian Voice, writing about nutrition and health. In 1957 she wrote the first extensive cookbook on Ukrainian cuisine in English, Traditional Ukrainian Cookery. She was also the author or co-author of several books and articles on Ukrainian culture. Stechishin was a Member of the Order of Canada, a recipient of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, and was given an award by the president of Ukraine. She died in Saskatoon on April 22, 2002.

Natalie Ostryzniuk

Further Reading

Ostryzniuk, Natalie. 1999. “Savella Stechishin, an Ethnocultural Feminist, and Ukrainian Culture in Saskatchewan,” Saskatchewan History 51 (2): 12–28.