Eugene Werbiansky

Eugene Werbiansky, 84, of Granger and formerly of Elkhart, passed away early Saturday morning, May 19th, 2018 at his home, with his daughter Barbara Bennett and son-in-law Kenneth Gregg Bennett at his side.

He was born in Brody, Ukraine on July 14, 1933, the first child of Victor and Sophia (Bohdan) Werbiansky.  As the Soviet Army advanced into Ukraine in 1944, the Werbiansky family, which now included four children and maternal grandparents Dymytro and Barbara (Romaniuk) Bohdan, put as much as would fit into their horse-drawn wagon and fled.  Eleven-year-old Eugene helped care for his two younger brothers and baby sister during an arduous and frightening year of travel in which many of their belongings were traded for food and they sheltered where they could during Allied bombings. The family was swept by the tides of war from Ukraine to Romania, Hungary, and Austria, where Eugene’s grandfather Dymytro was killed in an air raid. Eugene and his surviving family found their way to an American-run Displaced Persons’ camp near Berchtesgaden, Germany. They lived in barracks at Strub Kaserne with thousands of other refugees. Eugene attended classes that were organized by aid groups and the U.S. Army, and learned to ski on the Watzmann Range.

In 1949 the family emigrated to New Paris, Indiana under the sponsorship of the George and Rachel Weybright family. Eugene was 16 years old. He attended New Paris schools until his family moved to Elkhart, in 1951.

While a student at Elkhart High School he worked at Adams and Westlake to help support his family. He graduated from Elkhart High School in 1953.  He married his beautiful Ukrainian wife, Wasylyna Gontaruk, in September of that year, and soon after was drafted into the U.S. Army.  He became an artilleryman at Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas, and was then transferred to Alaska.  He taught skiing to soldiers there in his off-duty time.

Upon his return to Elkhart, he again worked for Adlake and explored his life-long interest in history by taking classes at IUSB.  He and his family attended St. Michael’s Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church, Mishawaka where he served as cantor for nearly 50 years.

Eugene is survived by his wife, Wasylyna, his daughters Barbara (Gregg) Bennett, and Martha (Greg Holtz) Werbiansky; and by sons Andrew (Mary Jo) Werbiansky and Matthew Werbiansky.  Also surviving are two sisters, Mary (Nevin) Houston and Oxana (Dwight) Fish, and a brother, John (Priscilla) Werbianskyj, all of Elkhart; nine grandchildren; two great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Eugene Werbiansky was not only loved by his family and friends, he was also deeply respected by all those who knew him, as a caring and compassionate man, very intelligent and with a great sense of humor. The wink of his eye when he was making a joke will be missed by all.

Friends may call Tuesday, May 22, 2018 from 10 a.m. until the 12, noon funeral service at Yoder-Culp Funeral Home.

Burial will follow in Oakridge Cemetery, Goshen.