“I’m not the talkin’ type, I’m just the walkin’ type.” This is how Fred Urchyshyn describes himself. For years he has walked 10 kilometres every day and now at the age of 96, he is still walking, although only half that distance daily.
Fred and Alina Urchyshyn have lived in Summerland for the last 45 years. Fred came to Canada from Ukraine when he was 11 years old. He became a lumberjack and owned and operated a sawmill in Chisholm Alberta. There, he built a logging camp for his crew of 30 men, constructing bunkhouses and cookhouses.
Although Fred moved to Summerland to retire, he used his experience and kept himself busy by building houses on the two lots he owned. He also built his own home, where he and Alina still live today.
“Then I got to the point that I was kind of getting slack, with not much to do,” explained Fred. “A friend of mine wanted me to join the Drop-In Centre, so I did.”
It was at that point in his life that Fred began walking.
“I played snooker and crib and they got me to look after the coffee,” he said. “I walked up and down morning and afternoon to the Drop-In. I’d go up in the morning, come home for lunch and turn around and go back up again.”
“Every day!” Alina exclaimed, quickly adding that she hadn’t minded at all.
Fred said that he felt the walking had kept him in shape. He had not been without injury over the years.
“I had a broken back while I was in the sawmill business,” he explained. “As long as I worked it didn’t seem to bother me, but if I slacked off, then I had pain.”
He went on to explain that while he was building the rock wall at his Summerland home, he fell off of it, and landed on the cement driveway below.
“I broke my pelvis, my hip, my shoulder, all in one shot,” he said. “They didn’t figure I’d ever be walking again, but I fooled them. I’m a fast healer.”
Today Fred faces health problems too. He needs a new valve in his heart, but is not able to undergo the surgery, so is on medication to help correct the problem.
“I’ve got a positive outlook,” Fred said. “I don’t feel sorry for myself. Even if things are bad, they could be a lot worse.”
He and Alina have been together for 73 years and Fred explained that “If you get along well, it doesn’t seem that long. It’s been a happy life so far.”
Alina worries about Fred. “He disappears over this bank, pulling on those cedars or whatever and you never know what’s going to happen, but he figures he can do anything,” she said. “ He has a big garden too. We do all of our own vegetables for the year.”
Caring for their home keeps Alina active as well. She also enjoys having other seniors over for afternoon tea on occasion and sharing her fresh raspberries with whoever may stop by.
The Urchyshyns said they have wonderful, caring neighbours, who keep in touch and are always ready to lend a hand if need be.
Looking to the future…Fred intends to keep on walking, no matter what the risks.
“To tell you the truth, I’d rather keep walking and fall, than to sit in a chair,” he said. “ Now I walk five kilometres daily. Every morning I go to the traffic circle, turn around and come back.”
He explained that he walks pretty slowly these days , because his legs are not as good as they use to be. It takes him twice as long to do his walk now, compared to before.
“At my age I could collapse at any moment, so I’m not looking for any long distance, but I am looking forward to walking for as long as I can.”
If you know a positive story about someone in our community, contact Carla McLeod at carlamcleod@shaw.ca or contact the Summerland Review newsroom at 250-494-5406.
