Orest “Shorty” S. Bahrijczuk
Orest “Shorty” S. Bahrijczuk age 67 of Parma, OH passed on January 27, 2020.
Shorty was born in Cleveland Ohio on December 4 1952. He was recently diagnosed with Hepatocellular Carcinoma and decided to be in the care of Hospice. He passed away on January 27 at the Ames Family Hospice House in Westlake, OH and was cared for by some very wonderful caregivers. He was also surrounded by many family and friends.
Survivors include his daughter Kaitlin Garzini of California, son-in-law Cody and two granddaughters, Leah age 3 ½ and Peyton 5 months. Siblings: Brother, Peter Bahrijczuk of Quebec Canada (wife Lucy). Sisters, Lydia Jacobsen of Bend Oregon and Marianne Kartson of Middleburg Heights. Many, beloved nieces and nephews, their spouses and also great nieces and nephews.
Preceded in death by: Mother, Anna Pronyk 1994, Father, Teofil Bahrijczuk in 1953, Wolodymir Pronyk (Father who raised him) in 2000, and his brother George in 2007.
Shorty moved to California for college in 1976. He married and raised his family there. He went on to enjoy a career, first in Mental Health and eventually as a high school teacher. He retired and moved back to Ohio in 2017.
Shorty was tops in all the sports he played (both competitive and recreational) including, but not limited to; soccer, swimming, wrestling, baseball, fishing, kayaking, volley ball etc., but his passion was soccer. He played in many different leagues, in college and also coached his daughter’s team for many, many years. Shorty has always been a die-hard Cleveland Brown’s fan (yes, that’s right) loved rooting for the Cleveland Indians and the soccer team he held near and dear to his heart…Manchester United!
In his youth he was a member of the Ukrainian American Youth Association (UAYA) and the Ukrainian Dance Ensemble in both Parma and Cleveland. The ensemble performed in many different venues ranging from the Ohio State Fair in Columbus to Playhouse Square.
A Memorial Gathering of family and friends will be held on Saturday February 29th at the UAYA Hall located at 7425 West Pleasant Valley Road in Parma, OH 44130 at 5:30 pm.
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I was with Orest and Holly on this trip. We all went down but Orest capsized and Holly and I let him know that women had won the day. We teased him about it often. I worked with him and rated the Stanislaus river many weekends with him. We worked hard and played hard. I will never forget him. I am so sorry for your loss.
Orest was an athlete, bright and fun loving! I’m sorry for your loss.
Beautiful life
My condolences to the family for your loss of Orest. It was an honor & privilege to be his Ukrainian folk dancing partner in CYM. We had many great & fun times performing. Orest was always professional & strived for excellence as we learned the dance routines. I feel blessed to have crossed paths with him not long ago & reminisce about our good old days. What greater gift can we give our friends & family struggling with illness than prayer? Rest In Peace, Orest. Thank you for the memories. We all are better people for having known him. I will never forget him. Julia Zwarycz-Loufman Bay Village, Ohio
Orest came into my life as such a blessing. The laughter , the love , all the great memories. May they be eternal! Love you.
Shorty my brother and my friend, thanks for all the laughs we had together. You will be missed by many. Thanks for taking care of me when we were younger. You showed me many Ukrainian dance moves. Keep dancing and tell your Mama and Tato I said hello. Love ya!
Kaitlin, I’m so sorry for your loss. You, Cody, Leah and Peyton brought much joy into his life. He especially loved to hear Leah call him “Grandpa Airplane”! He said it just melted his heart. Love you!
I only met Orest as he returned to Ohio in 2017 and hung out with him only occasionally. In this position I’ve discovered a fact. You get to know what a person was like by observing how those close to him display their loss. As I’ve watched Marianne and Orest’s friends so broken-hearted in their loss, I know how wonderful a man he was.
Uncle Snorest (a well earned nickname) will always hold a special place in my heart. I cherish all of the funny memories I have of him. I am so grateful that we got a chance to reconnect, and that my daughter got to meet her “fellow shorty”. I love you Uncle Orest. Say hello to my dad for me.