Slavko 'Sviatoslav' Nowytski

Reverend Protodeacon Slavko Nowytski, 85, left the world peacefully on Thanksgiving, November 28th, 2019. Husband, father, brother, uncle, friend, colleague, historian, researcher, patriot, this man of deep faith left an indelible mark on every person who knew him or his work. Born in Torchyn, Ukraine, on October 19, 1934, his family fled the war via Warsaw and Paris prior to emigrating to Canada in 1950. After earning his Masters in Communications at Columbia University, Slavko joined CBS as an editor, working on now-historic raw footage including the Newark riots and Woodstock. While in New York, Slavko met his future wife, artist Nadia Bryn. They moved to her home of Minneapolis and raised their family in the Twin Cities Ukrainian community. In the 1980's Slavko answered a higher calling to serve his community and his Lord, and was ordained Deacon (and later, Protodeacon) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, under which his father was the first Bishop consecrated on U.S. soil. Slavko may be most known for being an international award-winning documentary filmmaker committed to, in his words, “exposing man’s inhumanity to man,” particularly with his exhaustively researched, disruptive accounts of Ukraine’s traumatic history of the last century. His 1983 film “Harvest of Despair,” broadcast on PBS, became the first widely accessible document revealing Stalin’s genocide of Ukrainians by artificial famine in 1932-33. Later, “Between Hitler and Stalin” explored the complex and devastating scorched-earth policy between the Soviets and Nazis battling over Ukrainian soil during WWII. Slavko is also recognized for his two decades of work as an international broadcast journalist for Voice of America Radio and Television (Ukraine division) with the United States Information Agency in Washington, D.C. In 2010, Slavko retired from broadcast journalism, and soon moved back to Minneapolis with Nadia to be near their beloved family again for the remainder of his days. We remember him best for his infectious enthusiasm, energy, curiosity, and sheer joy for life; for being present in the moment without wasting a moment. His early training as an actor was on display nearly every day, sometimes dramatically reciting Shakespeare or Shevchenko in one of the seven languages he spoke. He was in awe of trees, of nature’s perfect design, believing no detail is accidental when God is writing the plan. He was loyal and loved his family deeply, sometimes randomly weeping with happiness when gathered with loved ones. “If I were to ever write a memoir,” he said, “I’d title it ’Tears of Joy.’” He is preceded in death by his parents and childhood sister. He is survived by his wife, Nadia, daughters Olenka (George) and Natalie (Scott), his in-law siblings Andrew (Myroslava), Alexander (Oksana), Mark (Gail), Halyna, and John (Wendy), nieces and nephews, cousins, and extended family in the U.S., Ukraine, and Canada, and a multitude of loving friends and colleagues collected over his long, rich life. Panakhyda 7pm 12/9, Funeral 10am 12/10 at St. Katherine Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 1600 Hwy 96 W Arden Hills, MN 55112 Memorial donations, in lieu of flowers, may be sent to the family.

Tributes

Slavko 'Sviatoslav' Nowytski

October 19, 1934 - November 28, 2019

Tributes

Slavko 'Sviatoslav' Nowytski

October 19, 1934 - November 28, 2019

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