To live to be 100, one needs good habits, not to mention good luck. According to his friends and family, that’s the story of Ivan Winniczuk’s life.
Surrounded by his loved ones, Winniczuk marked his 107th birthday in Mississauga on Tuesday afternoon. The milestone makes him one of Canada’s oldest living men.
“It’s a monumental thing. We’re so proud of dad,” Winniczuk’s son-in-law, Tom Terentiew, told CTV News Toronto.
Winniczuk immigrated to London, Ont., in 1951. His harrowing journey makes his longevity all the more remarkable.
Born in Ukraine in 1919, Winniczuk’s family was uprooted by the Holodomor, a famine induced by the Soviet Union in the 1930s that led to the death of millions of Ukrainians.
The Russians deported his family to Siberia, causing Ivan to lose contact with his infant brother, who was left with strangers out of fear he wouldn’t survive the trip. In 1941, he was drafted by the Russians to fight against Germany in the Second World War.
Once again, Winniczuk would defy death.
“Dad jumps into a vehicle on the army base,” says Terentiew. “He pretends to be the chauffeur as they’re putting that jeep onto a boat that’s being shipped to Germany, where the Americans were. And, of course, the war ends there.”
It was a new beginning and a new country for Winniczuk.
After marrying his wife, Olga, the couple relocated to London, Ont., where they built a home and raised a daughter, neither of whom is alive to see Winniczuk reach another milestone.
The secret to his longevity?
“He always reiterates how important it is to keep moving around and to stay active,” said Natalya Viznyak, Winniczuk’s great-granddaughter.
“He likes to make origami with me and my brother.”
“No drinking, no smoking, no stress,” Tierentiew translated, seated next to his father-in-law prior to his birthday party.
“He always knew he could overcome things. He was always a positive person, a positive character.”
