Maria Muzyka Pitula Kaczmar Prokopech
Maria Muzika was John Kaczmar's mother, my paternal grandmother. She was born in Radosyzce / Rodaticzi in Galicia when it was still under Austrian rule (the land is now dominated by Poland). She had three children to Ivan Kaczmar: Anelia, John and Emilion. After Ivan died, she had remarried to a man named Illya Prokopech in 1930? and started a new family. Her sons from her first marriage (Emilion and John) left home in the 1940's and survived slave labor in Germany.
After the WWII, inspite of fighting a 3-front war (against USSR, Russia and Poland) Ukraine was still a captive country. Under the Yalta agreement, Ukraine was divided along the Corzon line: the western piece to Poland, the bigger chunk of Ukraine awarded to USSR. Soviet ruler, Stalin, told Polish military to forceably evacuate all the Ukrainians / Lemkos from this area and they were pushed east (into Communist country) Those who claimed Polish citizenship were herded like cattle into northern Poland. See Operation Vistula
The Ukrainian people had already heard about Stalin's induced famine of 1932-33 and had no desire to subject themselves to his tyranny. However, under Operation Vistula, Maria and her family were forcibly evaluated and pushed to Lviv. Those who resisted evaculation, were shot on the spot. They had a hard road to travel, crossing the border by foot, by cattle car, and by walking behind a horse drawn cart, sleeping in the snow and having very little to eat. It is estimated that 50% died before reaching the authorized destination around Lviv, Ternopil and some went further east.
In her later years, she pleaded with God so that she would have an easy death. Maria was heard to say "God, don't give me a motionless death," (which meant she didn't want to be bedridden and unable to take care of herself.) She knew when she was going to die, predicting that she would die on Dec. 1. Her daughter, Anna, said,
"But mother, this is Dec 1. Why not die?" and they would laugh. Maria then answered,
"Child, I will die on Dec. 1 in a year."
The following year, Maria was ill for one week, then became better.
"Don't hollar, daughter, don't cry, don't be upset. There is nothing that can be done for me, no one can help me. I am dead already." But Anna was upset and called for a doctor to do something, to give her a shot. He did, but Maria was dead already. True to her prediction of a year earlier, she died on Nov 30, 1959.
Email & links to other Muzika researchers:
11/15/05
Hi my surname is Muzuka but i am also trying to find where it came from
i think its a dance or sport in japan though my email if you find anyhting is tigerlovecake@hotmail
Olga
Kaczmar / USA