Thursday, March 11, 2010

Dr. Witold Romuk: R.I.P.


Born: Witold Romuk on July 15, 1914 at home in Jekaterynoslav, Ukraine
to Jan Ulladsyva (Plenko) Romuk. The area of Ukraine was occupied by
Russia and his parents were of Belarusian descent. He was the second
of five children. The family returned to their hometown of Lipniski,
Belarus in 1920 after the Russian Revolution. His father ran a
restaurant in Ukraine before returning home. Upon their return to
Belarus, his parents resumed working their farm and homestead.

After completing his high school education, Witold went to
Sudetebrandt, Germany where he worked loading wood at a railroad
station, in addition to jobs in a sugar factory and hospital. He returned to Belarus for a short time after having worked in German labor camps and spending time in Displaced Persons camps during WW II. He then returned to Germany and studied at Ludwig Maximillian University in Munich, Germany from
1949-1953. He received the Pope Pius XII International Scholarship to
study medicine at Catholic University in Louvain, Belgium. Dr. Romuk then completed a two year internship in London.

Dr. Romuk was sponsored by a Catholic priest from Benedictine
Monastery in Lisle to come to the United States, where he had to redo his
medical internship, because medical licensing at that time did not recognize foreign country medical internships. He did an additional two years of internship at Lutheran Deaconess Hospital (now St. Mary's
Hospital) in Chicago after coming to the U.S. by way of Ellis Island
and New York City. He completed his Pediatric Resdency at St. Francis
Hospital in Peoria and a fellowship at Children's Memorial Hospital in
Chicago, Illinois. He met Miss Vera Zyznieuski in Peoria through
mutual friends, who were also from Belarus, and they were married on
July 26, 1958. Dr. Romuk, who grew up being considered "stateless"
because of the ever-changing borders of the Eastern European region of
Belarus, Ukraine and Poland, stated that one of his proudest moments
was becoming a United States citizen in 1961.

Dr. Romuk began his career in medicine as an "old-time" doctor, making
house calls and often being paid for his services with bread, eggs,
and various foods. He then began to work for the State of Illinois
with the Chicago Read Medical Center. He was a pediatrician for most
of his career for children with multiple forms of special needs. He
retired after 25 years at the age 75.
He continued to study medical journals and keep up with the latest in
medicine until the last year. One of the most magnanimous acts of Dr.
Romuk was to help in the plight of Belarusian children who were
affected by the radiation fallout from Chernobyl, an area he had
visited in 1986. He kept in contact with experts including doctors at
UCLA and Dr. Romuk sent money and packages of medicine for the
children. He was career-long member of the American Academy of
Pediatrics, where he was a Board Certified Member.

Dr. Romuk's civic contributions were vast, including being an active
member of the Belarusian Coordinating Committee of Chicago, Illinois.
He took part in Christmas Around the World at the Museum of Science
and Industry annually, spoke to groups in Chicago, Cleveland and
Toronto and visited the White House with his wife, Vera, to take part
in a cultural awareness program for Captive Nations, meeting President
Ronald Reagan. He was active in the Folk Festivals in Chicago and many
parades, and was befriended by Mayor Richard J. Daley, Senator Frank
Annunzio and various politicians and dignitaries from all walks of
life. Dr. Romuk could converse with many people at all levels, having
been fluent in seven languages. He had been a lifetime member of
Christ the Redeemer Belarusian Rite Catholic Church in Chicago until
the time of its closing.

Dr. Witold Romuk died peacefully of natural causes on Tuesday, March
9, 2010 at the home of his daughter, Irena R. Tolliver in Freeport,
Illinois. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Vera (Zyznieuski)
Romuk; his daughter, Irena (Dr. Roland) Tolliver; his son, John Romuk
(Granite Bay, CA); grandchildren, Mary (David) Brown, Veronica,
Claire, Teresa, and Gregory Tolliver of Freeport, Illinois; Shelby,
Scott, Tristan and John Gage Romuk of Granite Bay, California; his sister,
Stacia (Anatole) Sot and brother Fred (Helena) Romuk of Belarus; his
sister-in-law, Anna Zyznieuski of Chicago; and nieces, Mary Ann (Marty) Anderson and Lila (Bobby) Underwood, and Tanya Sot; and nephews Walter (Deb) Zyznieuski, George (Laura) Zysnieuski and Viktor Sot; and several great nieces and nephews; and two great-great nieces.
He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, Peter, his
sister, Wanda and his brother-in-law, Nicodemus Zyznieuski.

The Rite of Christian Burial will be afforded Dr. Witold Romuk on
Saturday, March 13, 2010 at St. Francis Borgia Catholic Church in
Chicago, Illinois at 10:30 a.m.. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m.
until the time of the Mass. A memorial fund has been established in
lieu of flowers and may be directed to Muzyka & Son Funeral Home, 5776
W. Lawrence Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 6030.

Thursday, March 04, 2010

These Are The Days To Remember the Good Times

New meaning has been added to "life is crazy" around here. I have been around people who are sick most of my adult life. First, working at a psychiatric hospital and then into the field of podiatry. Very rarely have I had to deal with end of life issues, except in my own family, where multiple family members died before the age of 50.
My beloved father-in-law is 95 and now we are working with hospice and the slow decline of this once magnanimous man, who spoke 7 or 8 languages, spent his career helping disabled children as a pediatrician, and promoting Independence and cultural awareness of his homeland, Belarus. Now the days are spent primarily in bed, being turned from one side to the other to prevent bed sores, and helping him up to do his necessary duties. Much of the communication has reverted back to his native Belarusian and my wife must be present most of the time to translate.

No one really likes to deal with death and dying, but we know in our hearts that if at all possible, we want him to go out with the dignity with which he has lived his life. We hold his hand. We keep him warm and we pray that he is not in pain or suffering. One day, when he was still able to sit on the couch, a couple of weeks ago, he awoke from a nap, looked at his daughter, and asked, "Am I still here?".

Yes, Tat, you are still here and in your own way, you will always be here with us. Your love and influence and grace will stay with us forever.