Shevchenko's great-great-granddaughter has died in the Vinnytsia region
Valentina Sushytska, the great-great-granddaughter of Taras Shevchenko through his sister Kateryna, has died in Ladyzhyn, Vinnytsia Oblast. She was 90 years old. For many years, she preserved her family’s history, knew a significant portion of the Kobzar’s works by heart, and wrote poetry herself.
Valentyna Sushytska was born in the Cherkasy region. She later moved to the Donetsk region, where she worked in the subscription department and also managed a bookstore at a machine-building plant. Eventually, her husband was transferred to work at the Ladyzhyn Thermal Power Plant. Because of this, the family moved to Ladyzhyn. It was in this city that Valentina Sushytska spent the last 46 years of her life.
She was the great-great-granddaughter of Taras Shevchenko through his sister Kateryna. Shevchenko himself had no children of his own. Therefore, his lineage continued through his brothers and sisters. The Sushytsky family preserved documents and other materials confirming Valentina’s kinship with the Kobzar.
She knew Shevchenko’s works by heart
Valentina Sushytska cherished the memory of her famous ancestor for many years. She was well-versed in her family’s history and a significant portion of Taras Shevchenko’s body of work. She could recite his poetry from memory. At the same time, she was a creative writer herself and composed her own poems.
During her lifetime, Valentina Sushytska published four collections of her own poetry. Thus, her connection to the Shevchenko family was not merely a matter of family history. For many years, she preserved documents, shared stories about her ancestors, and carried on the literary tradition through her own work.
She spent her final years in Ladyzhyn
In 2022, when Valentina Sushytska turned 86, Lyudmyla Holovashych, head of the Haisyn District Military Administration, congratulated her on her birthday. It was also reported at the time that she possessed documentary evidence of her family connection to Taras Shevchenko.
In recent years, Valentina Sushytska lived in Ladyzhyn. According to local residents, a neighbor looked after her. Valentina Sushytska passed away at the age of 90. With her passing, we lose a person who, for decades, preserved the memory of one of Ukraine’s most famous families and passed it on to future generations. This was reported by “Let’s Talk! Ladyzhyn.”
