George Bohachevsky of Flourtown, PA, passed away on Thursday, August 6, 2020, at the age of 92.
George was the beloved husband of +Irena (neé Bahlaj), who preceded him in death in 2012; kindhearted brother of Oksana Gnoy; loving father of Katria O. Harasewych (Bohdan), Chrystyna M. Fedyna (John), and George Bohachevsky (Eileen); dear grandfather of Tanya Lisowsky (Petro), Tamara Krup (Daniel), Andrij Harasewych (Joanna), Adrianne Fedyna, and Alexander Fedyna; caring great-grandfather of Kalyna Lisowsky, Sophia Lisowsky, Jeremy Lisowsky, Ella Krup, Olivia Krup, Luke Krup, and Matthew Harasewych.
George Bohachevsky was born on May 3, 1928, in Vetlyna, Ukraine. Growing up he enjoyed hiking and skiing in the Carpathian Mountains while furthering his love for Plast scouting.
During the waning days of World War II, George was forced to flee his Homeland. He found refuge at a Displaced Persons camp in Stuttgardt, Germany. He immigrated to the United States in 1949 and shortly thereafter served as a Corporal in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. For his honorable service, George was awarded the Korean Service Medal with Bronze Star and the U.N. Service Medal.
Upon returning to the United States, George married Irena A. Bahlaj in 1955. They resided in the Philadelphia area until death. They raised their three children, Katria, Chrystyna, and George, in the area’s large Ukrainian-American community.
In 1959, George earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University. He continued his studies in metallurgical and electrical engineering at Drexel University. He worked as an engineer in manufacturing and computer components.
George was a lifelong, active member of the Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization. He served as the Philadelphia branch president (“stanychnyj”) for 13 years, organized the fundraising campaign for the purchase of the Plast-Philadelphia meeting home (“domivka”), and volunteered in various positions for many years at the Plast National and International levels. Most recently, George and his beloved wife +Irena spearheaded an extensive fundraising campaign for the Plast branch in Donetsk, Ukraine, that supported youth programs and summer camps . He was a member of the Lisovi Chorty fraternity of Plast. For his exemplary service, George was awarded Plast’s two highest honors: The Order of St. George in Silver and The Order of St. George in Gold.
George enjoyed both collecting and creating fine Ukrainian folk art. He was especially skilled in woodworking and sewing, carving traditional Ukrainian axes (“topirtsi”) and memory boxes using an embedded beading technique (“inkrustatsia”), and sewing vests (“kyptari”) of the mountainous Ukrainian Hutsul region. All his great grandchildren have received a memory box complete with an icon and embroidery cloth for their future wedding day.
George was a loving, hardworking, honest, and helpful man who always gave of himself to his family and community. His service and loyalty were legendary. George will be dearly missed.
Burial will be in St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery, Elkins Park, PA, on Tuesday August 11.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Plast-Kniahyni c/o Katria Harasewych 407 Hemlock Road Flourtown, PA 19031 to further their mission in supporting Plast in Donetsk, Ukraine or
Plast Philadelphia Stanytsia c/o Katria Harasewych 407 Hemlock Road Flourtown, PA 19031 to honor his many years of leadership and dedication.
It is truly sad that during this Covid time we have to limit services to immediate family.
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