Henry A. Sawchuk, born in Brooklyn, NY in 1914, was a civil engineer by profession and served St. Nicholas Cathedral in various church offices, culminating in more than 25 years as a member and president of the Board of Trustees. During his 57 years as a parishioner, he was
instrumental in helping the church grow from its earliest days in a brownstone residence on
Church Street NW, DC into the internationally known National War Memorial Shrine and
Primatial Cathedral of the Orthodox Church in America.
Nadezhda “Nadya” Sawchuk, born in Brooklyn, NY in 1916, came to Washington, DC in 1939
and became Henry’s wife. For several years after World War II she directed the choir at St. Nicholas before retiring from the position to raise their sons, Alexander and John. She continued to sing soprano in the choir into the 1990’s. When St. Nicholas held concerts for the church building fund in the 1950’s and 1960’s, she routinely sang and performed liturgical and Russian folk music, and occasionally gypsy songs. Once her boys were away at college, Nadia returned to work for 20 years as an executive secretary for one of the deans at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD. Nadia was very talented and passionate about music. She could speak, read, and write Russian flawlessly.
Mr. Sawchuk attended City College as both an undergraduate and graduate student, receiving his Master’s degree in civil engineering. He was elected to Tau Beta Pi, the Engineering Honor Society, and was a life member of the American Society of Civil Engineering. He served in the Navy in WWII and spent the majority of his life as an engineer for the Federal Highway Administration of the Department of Transportation.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Sawchuk were active members at St. Nicholas. In addition to singing in the choir, Nadya baked and embroidered for the annual Bazaar and attended a table of linens, scarves and tablecloths. As long-term chair of the Board of Trustees, Henry was known for his ability to resolve problems and achieve consensus. His tenure was marked by his ability to moderate and to bring to fruition a course of action which unified differing opinions. Henry frequently did tasks around the church, including climbing on the roof to inspect problem areas.
In his many years at St. Nicholas, Henry spearheaded the purchase of property and building of St. Nicholas Cathedral. In 1988 he oversaw the construction of the memorial bell tower marking the 1,000th Anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’. Into the 1990’s he was one of the leaders of the ambitious project to decorate the cathedral interior walls with authentic iconography. Henry was awarded a “gramota” (scroll expressing gratitude), signed by Metropolitan Ireney and every member of the Holy Synod, in 1974 in recognition of his service to the Church. On The Feast of the Nativity in 1995, he received the Order of St. Innocent from Metropolitan Theodosius. Other honors include a medal from the Metropolitan of the Polish Orthodox Church, awarded in 1973.
The Sawchuks were married for 56 years. In 1996, Nadia preceded Henry in death by only 2 1/2 months. They were survived by two sons and four grandsons. May their memory be
eternal.
