Showing 285 results

Ján (John) Ridzon was born in the village of Polhronska Polhora, near Brezno, Slovakia. Having grown up in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he learned to speak fluent Hungarian as Slovak was not recognized in the school system. His parents however had been careful to pass on Slovakia's ancestral language and culture to their descendants. At the age of 17, John served briefly in the Austro-Hungarian army during the First World War. He was inspired to come to Canada by the stories of others, including his own father, who had come to America three times
to work in the mines.
In 1926, John applied to immigrate to Canada. Receiving no response, he decided to marry Adela at Polhora, on February 13, 1928.
A few weeks after his marriage, John learned that his application to immigrate to Canada had been accepted. John left Slovakia on June 15, 1928 aboard the SS Arabic (Red Star Line) and arrived in Halifax on June 22, 1928. Adela joined him in Canada in 1932 and they settled in Delhi, Ontario. .

Both worked very hard before they were able to buy their first home in Delhi. John was a railroader with CN and also worked in a factory. He was dedicated to the independence of Slovakia and was a life member of the Slovak World Congress. Adela and John never ceased to promote the Slovak language and taught their four daughters to speak Slovakian. John returned to his homeland once, in 1979, with three of his daughters. Adela was unable to make the trip due to her health. There, he visited his three brothers and sister in Polhronska Polhora.

John died in 2000.

Agnes Belosic was born in 1947. She is Ján Homolá’s granddaughter. Ján Homolá was born in 1892 in Priechod (Slovakia). He left Slovakia in 1926 and moved to Canada, arriving in Halifax. Records indicate that he was a labourer and was sent on a CNR to Manitoba and worked in Kapuscasing in Northern Ontario where he died at 55 years (pneumonia).

Agnes Belosic was the past president of the Canadian Slovak League, Kitchener Branch. She is also a frequent contributor to Kanadsky Slovak newspaper.

Juraj Megles was born on March 29th, 1922 in Bažovce, th son of Juraj and María Megles. He completed his grade and commercial school in Slovakia. In 1938, the village of Bažovce was annexed by Hungary. Juraj Megles was drafted in the Hungarian army in 1943 and served as a sapper on the Russian front. His unit was captured during its retreat through Romania resulting in Juraj Megle’s imprisonment until his repatriation in 1945. Between 1947 and 1948, he was drafted in the Czechoslovak army.

Following the confiscation of the Megles' farm by the Communists in 1948, Juraj Megles decided to leave Czechosolovakia. With the help of friends some from Plzen, he first fled Czechoslovakia to the West through the Czech Lands. He then, crossed the border to West Germany prior to the Iron Curtain. Afterwards, he went to Oslo, Norway and finally settled in Toronto, Canada.

Upon his arrival in Toronto, Juraj Megles worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant, at a Polish bakery, an electrical/supply business and at a silver/gold plate store. He also chopped trees Northern Ontario. During the summer, he picked tobacco. In 1955, he worked as a roofer and finally, found work as a glazier in Scarborough for the next thirty years.

In 1975, Juraj Megles moved to Oshawa with his wife Anna Silvasa with her two daughters, Mária and Madgalena. Anna Silvasa passed away in 2013 followed by Juraj Megles in 2018.

Juraj Megles joined the Canadian Slovak League Branch 7 (Toronto) but transferred to the Branch 6 (Oshawa). He was president of the Branch 6 (Oshawa)’s president and contributed to the “Christmas tree” fund every year.

Peter Molčan, the seventh child of Julius Molčan and Helena Molčan-Jvanova, was born on August 18, 1949 in Sabinov, Prešov (Slovakia). He graduated from high school with a forest ranger diploma. At eighteen, he served in the regular army where he obtained the rank of corporal and chief mechanic. His military service completed, he returned to Sabinov, met and married his future wife Stefania Merčarikova, who is from Lipany, Prešov (Slovakia). Their two daughters Sylvia and Adelka were both born in Slovakia.

In 1979, the Molčan family obtained a visa to travel to Yugoslovakia. Their stay in Yugoslavia lasted three weeks. Afterwards, they went to Vienna (Austria) where they applied for asylum. Nine months later, they arrived in Montréal, Québec (Canada). The very next day, the family flew to Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and eventually settled in Sarnia, Ontario (Canada). In Sarnia, Peter Molčan held two employments. He first was a mechanics and satety check at the Park Lane Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC Car Dealership. Then, he worked as a cabinetmaker.

Peter Molčan was and is active in the Sarnia Slovak community. He was the secretary of the Slovak Society of Canada and the second term president of the Canadian Slovak League 17 Branch Sarnia. He was also the secretary of the Slovak Society of Canada, a position which he still holds today.

Joseph Schreiner was born in Montréal (Québec) on August 23rd, 1929. He is the son of Joseph and Anna, immigrants from Brezno in the Banská Bystrica (Slovakia). He also has a brother, Steven and a sister, Mary Zibrin (née Schreiner). As a child, Joseph Schreiner was taught Slovak at home by his parents and attended an English school. Following his 18th birthday, he joined the Canadian Armed Forces and served for 25 years, including several tours of duty abroad in Congo, Korea and Germany. After his military career, he worked at Weights and Measures. When he retired, he spent most of his time in Florida. He was married to Rita Schreiner (née Boyer) and has two children Susan Murray (née Schreiner) and Joseph Schreiner. He was also a father to Rita’s children Gerard, Alain and Donald Boucher.

Joseph Schreiner was quite involved in the Slovak Canadian community. He supported various fellow Slovaks and was a member of many Slovak organizations including the Canadian Slovak League and the First Slovak Catholic Union in Montréal. Most notably, he was a proud fan of the Slovak hockey team and cheered them during the 2014 World Junior Championships a few weeks prior to his death on January 9th, 2015 at the age of 85

Louis (L’udovit L’udo), Ján and Mary Doranský’s son, was born in Bratislava in April 1943. After the family moved to Montréal, Québec in 1950, he attended St. Roch school. Louis Doranský earned his high school diploma at the Cardinal Newman High School and, in his second year, enrolled in the Army Cadets.In his spare time, Louis and friend Peter Sidor founded a rock band where Louis played the drums. His high school completed, he enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts program at the Sir William College in downtown Montréal.

In February 1963, Louis Doranský met his future wife, Sonia Canella. He also began working at the firm P.S. Ross and Partners, and afterwards, accepted a position at St. Vincent and Grenadine’s Aquatic Club. In 1966, he returned to Montréal (Canada) and married Sonia Canella. They have two daughters“ Stephanie and Christine. Following the birth of their children, Louis, Sonia, Stephanie and Christine Doranský moved to Toronto, Ontario (Canada).
In 1978, Louis Doranský became a senior consultant with the firm Touche Ross (later renamed Deloitte and Touche) and was given numerous international assignments. In 1990, he left Deloitte and Touche and founded his own firm Doransky and Association Inc. In his spare time, Louis Doranský collected objects from various countries he visited.
Louis Doranský has inherited his father’s and mother’s artistic talents. In addition to his love of music, he began painting in his early twenties. In 2013, his art works were part of an exhibition held at Toronto’s Gerrard Art Space.

Maria Anna (Mary) Barnard (née Doranský), Ján and Mary Doranský’s daughter, was born in November 1939. After the family arrived in Montreal in 1950, Maria Anna attended the St.Roch School along with her brother Louis. Maria Anna (Mary) earned her high school diploma at the Thomas d’Arcy McGee High School and afterwards studied teaching at McGill University's McDonald College, where she met her future husband Martin Barnard.

Maria Anna worked as a camp counsellor, folk dance teacher in Québec (Canada), physical education teacher at the Sacred Heart Convent in Ottawa (Ontario) and Marionpolis College. Maria Anna and Martin Barnard were married on April 28th, 1962. Following their wedding in Montreal, the Barnards moved to St. Vincent and Grenadine (West Indies) where Martin managed the Orange Hill Estates Limited plantations. They had four children: Denyse, Joanne, Leslie and Philip.

In the 1990s, the Barnards opened a travel agency, airline and yacht club. In July 2001, Martin Barnard became a Knight of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). The Barnards currently reside in St. Vincent and Grenadine.

Mary Doranský (née Jakl) was born in Linden, New Jersey (United States) on November 25th, 1915. Her parents were Josef Jakl and Mary Pinter (daughter of František Pinter and Maria Vondras). She had 3 siblings: Karel (Charles), Emily and Joseph.

In 1921, the Jakl family travelled back to Czechoslovakia, where her mother decided to remain with the children. Her father returned to North America and remarried.
Mary attended the Komensky School and Teacher’s College. Following her studies, she held several teaching positions in Vienna and Eastern Slovakia, mostly Rusha Volova where she met her future husband Ján L. Doranský.

Ján L. Doranský and Mary Jakl married on February 5th, 1939. Following their wedding, they moved to Ján L. Doranský’s hometown of Trstená (Slovakia) and then Bratislava where he began organizing a Cultural Affairs Division within the Ministry of National Defence. During their stay in Bratislava, Mary Doranský gave birth to two children: Maria Anna (Mary) and Louis.

In 1945, fearing retaliation from the Red Army, the Doranský family fled Bratislava. After stays in Austria, Oberfeldkirchen (Bavaria), Assisi, Rome and Naples (Italy) and northern Germany, the Doranský family arrived in Montréal on February 9th, 1950. For the next years, Mary Doranský held several jobs as a button-maker, lampshade stretcher, cleaner, assistant florist and administrative assistant.

Following her husband’s death on April 5th, 1973, Mary Doranský moved to St. Vincent and Grenadine to be near her daughter Maria Anna (Mary) Barnard (née Doranský). In 1979, she moved to Toronto (Ontario) and lived in the Seneca Towers where she painted, babysat and looked after her grandchildren. On November 25th, 2015, Mary Doranský turned 100 years old. She passed away in 2018.