Stephan Shayka

Stephan Shayka, of Rockford, IL passed away on November 16, 2022, in his 100th year. Born April 23, 1922, the son of Andry and Anna (Sudia) Szyjka, in the Ukraine, Stephan was taken from his home in his late teens and forced to work in Nazi labor camps until the end of WWII. It was while there he met his wife, Eugenia Wasielztko. They married on September 30, 1945. In 1949, he and his family (wife, one-year-old child and 2-year-old child) arrived in the United States with nothing more than a few clothes and less than one dollar in loose change.

Stephan was a long-time member of Holy Family Catholic Church. He spent his entire career as a Carpenter with Pearce-Butler Construction. Stephan was a 65-year member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Union Local #792 and a Lifetime Gold Member of the Rockford Blackhawk Athletic Club. He enjoyed all types of woodworking and left his family many hand-made items. Stephan had great pride in his Ukrainian heritage and would reflect on what he had achieved in the United States with deep gratitude.

Stephan is survived by his loving wife of 77 years, Eugenia; children, Anna (Michael) Pukacz and Myron (Carol) Shayka; grandchildren, Angie (Bryan) Bye, Kelli (Nick) Calcione, Nicole (Matt) Peterson and Michael (Lisa) Falzone; great-grandchildren, Emma and Glenn Winchel, Gavin and Blake Calcione, James and Eve Bye, Nash and Hunter Peterson and Jaxon Falzone, and several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Harry Shayka and Jan Shayka; sisters, Teresa Dyjlitko, Maria Krawieczynski, Anastasia Michajewicz and Pelagia Schmidt.

Special thank you to the staff of Northern Illinois Hospice for their outstanding care.

Visitation will be on Monday, November 21, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church, 4401 Highcrest Road, Rockford, IL 61107 with a Funeral Mass at t0:00 a.m. Entombment at Calvary Catholic Cemetery Mausoleum in Winnebago, IL. Memorials may be made to the family. Arrangements entrusted to Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, Mulford Chapel, 1860 S. Mulford Road, Rockford, IL 61108. To extend condolences or share memories please visit www.fitzgeraldfh.com.