Alexander Bachnivsky

Alexander Bachnivsky, 94, of Elkhart, died Tuesday evening, July 27, 2021, at Waterford Crossing Health Campus.  He had been in failing health the past few months.   He was born March 11, 1927, in Romodan, Poltava, Ukraine to Pavlo and Sofia (Parkhomenko) Bachnivsky.  He married Maria Oliferenko on September 13,1953, in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.  She survives.  

He was born into the despotism of a communist society, and survived the Holodomor of 1932-33 (genocide of the Ukrainian people inflicted by starvation) as well as the German occupation of eastern Ukraine during WWII.  During the war he was conscripted to search bombed-out buildings for bombing victims and unexploded bombs. After the war, his family’s trek to freedom took them through war-torn Europe ending up on a refugee ship in 1948, the USS General Stewart, heading to Brazil.  It was on this ship that he met his future wife Maria.

He worked as a welder and machinist for Versailles and Roll-Form in Elkhart.  He was an avid collector and photo enthusiast as well as a bibliophile of history and amassed a huge collection of books about WWII. 

Mr. Bachnivsky is survived by his wife, Maria; a son, George (Valentina) Bachnivsky of Roanoke, Indiana; five grandchildren, Adrian, Iuri, Alisa, Kristyn and Evan; and three great-grand sons, Julian, David and Alex.   He was preceded in death by his parents, a daughter, Helen Cook, a brother, Gryhory and a sister, Kateryna Harmosh.  

funeral services at 12 noon at Walley-Mills-Zimmerman Funeral Home,  Monday August 2, 2021, with visitation one hour prior.  Burial will be in Oakridge Cemetery, Goshen.  

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