I came to a small rural community of Drake, North Dakota, almost 30 years ago and recognized that communities can also have remarkable and exceptional individuals. +George Wieland, a native-born North Dakotan, did not have to travel thousands of miles as +Dr. Bohdan Hordinsky and his family had to, forced by misfortunes of World War II. When George came to Drake; Dr. Bohdan was already stationed there as the local physician, in addition to serving the neighboring county seat of Harvey, North Dakota. Different backgrounds, language barriers and cultural differences did not prevent them from striking a remarkable friendship and discovering they had much more in common than they imagined.
Daniel and I were fortunate to share our common faith and human values, enjoying their hospitality and friendship. Wonderful dinners, intellectual and spiritual conversations, music (George was also choir director and organist of the Catholic Church in Drake, N.D) became an integral part of our social life. We continued our visits even after I was transferred a short distance away in Towner, N.D. We both remained friends with these wonderful families.
+Dr. Bohdan and +George were highly respected in the surrounding communities as a very capable physician and educator respectively. Sadly, we had to bid farewell to our good doctor on April 20th 1995 when he passed away. At his funeral, it was obvious how much he was loved and respected by everyone. Lucky for us, his widow Irene Hordinsky continued to live in the community with her son, Walter until they retired to Minneapolis to be with her daughter, Dr. Maria and her husband, Dr Bohdan (Bob) Kramachuck and family. +George also retired and moved instead to South Dakota with his wife, Leona and sons, Chris and Andrew. He had a "5 year-stint" as superintendent of a high school in Kimball, South Dakota with "an easy task" of building a new school facility. Eventually both of us moved away from the area; but, the ties of friendship were never severed.
+George and his wife, Leona traveled with us to several places in the US and around the world: Italy, Croatia and the Caribbean which cemented our friendship forever. On April 20th 2016, the same day our dear doctor had passed away; George, our brother, returned to his Maker, 21 years later. +George's funeral was held in St. Michael's Church, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and attended by peoples of all faiths and backgrounds.
These two honorable gentlemen both had a strong faith in God, a definitive belief in non-violence and an adherence to Christian values. They were staunch proponents of social justice, equality, compassion and liberty for all. They saw in every human person, an image and likeness of God, regardless of their national origins, religious background, level of education, social or emigration status, rich or poor alike. We hope that this tribute on April 20th may be a reminder that "those considered not great in the eyes of the world can truly make a huge and positive difference!"
In the "Life after life" we pray that a friendship born on earth may continue to bear fruit in us and those we encounter in our individual lives. To Leona, +George's wife and to Irene, +Dr. Bohdan's wife and their families, we say, "Thank you" from the depths of our hearts for taking such good care of these two unique persons. Their memories will resonate in us as long as we shall live. We love you. God bless.
{Ron & Daniel, April 20th 2018, Fargo, North Dakota}
No comments:
Post a Comment