Shrewsbury – Oleh Tkal, 87, of Shrewsbury, lost his courageous battle with cancer at his home on Friday March 27, 2020.
He is survived by his devoted wife, Dora M. (Roseberry) Capite-Tkal, four step-daughters, Joan Grzywna (Eugene) of Framingham, Barbara Horn (Anthony) of Ashford, CT, Nancy Colbert (James) of Phoenixville, PA, and Susan Viscuso (Anthony) of Northport, LI; sons, Gregory (Melissa), Erik (Janice), and Christopher (Lisa) Tkal; step-grandchildren, Michael Horn (Jessica), Elizabeth Pemberton (Joseph), Alexandra Beling (Jeffrey), William Grzywna, Meghan and Kevin Colbert; and Jack and Henry Viscuso; grandchildren, Charles, Benjamin, and Natasha, Tkal. He also leaves a brother, Lev Shatov, in Siberia and his sister-in-law, Natalka Tkal, and his loving Australian family, two step-great-grandchildren, two great grandsons, his sister, Marianne Furedi (Ronald). He was predeceased by his brother, Alexander Tkal.
Oleh was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, son of Oksana Lintvareva and Lev Kovaliv on April 21, 1932. Oleh’s father was wrongly accused of Kirov’s assassination, arrested and shot during the Stalin regime, but later rehabilitated as innocent. He had been adopted by Hryhorij Vasliovich Tkal, also an innocent victim of the turmoil occurring at that time.
As a child, Oleh lived under many difficulties, endured three famines, substandard living conditions even though the family had been quite privileged, and was forced into Siberia, where his mother had fled with Alex and Oleh to avoid arrest.
The family left Kharkiv in 1943, sought refuge in Poland, Austria, and Germany. There he experienced many atrocities, bombing raids and havoc. He immigrated to New York in 1950. Oleh was very proud to have serviced his new country in the United States Air Force as a member of Air Intelligence, completed parachute school, and also served in Germany where he used his knowledge of Russian and other languages. Oleh retired working as a physicist/senior engineer at Allegro Micro Systems, formerly Sprague Electric.
The family is very grateful for the care and love given by Dr. Jerrianne Seger and staff, UMASS Memorial Medical Staff, and Salmon Hospice.
Oleh’s funeral services and burial will be held privately at this time. A Celebration of Oleh’s Life will be announced when we will be able to gather safely.
