Stepan Boyko, 80, of Binghamton, New York, went to be with the Lord on November 29, 2017, surrounded by his loving family. Stepan was born on November 11, 1937 in Kutysky, Ternopil region, Ukraine. His parents, Pavlo and Ulita Boyko (Semenchuk), dedicated their son to God in their Christian church shortly after he was born. At the age of 9, his father was sent to a labor camp for a decade because of his faith. Stepan spent his childhood without his father and, from an early age, worked very hard to help his mother provide for their family. God's presence and protection was always with them.
 
Stepan married Miroslava Dzhalovsky in 1959 with whom they had four children: Volodymyr (Lyudmila), Vasiliy (Tatyana), Serhiy (Oksana), and Alla. He and his family immigrated to the United States in December, 1991. 
 
Throughout his life Stepan worked tirelessly, employed in the transportation and technology waste sectors. Upon retirement, he enjoyed repairing cars, restoring broken lawnmowers, snow blowers and other appliances but his main hobby was fishing.  In his church he was active as an usher, volunteered in big renovation projects, and served his community in various ways. He loved attending church prayer meetings where he periodically preached.  He continuously served his family. During family gatherings he brought everyone together with stories using his remarkable memory and a wonderful sense of humor. Stepan volunteered much of his time assisting his children and grandchildren with remodeling and upkeep of their homes. 
 
In 2016, Stepan was diagnosed with Stage IV Liver Cancer and accepting this as the Will of God, he remained true to himself and those around him. On the day of his diagnosis, he quoted the lines from one of his favorite hymns: "My house is in heaven, beyond the clouds".  During the last months of his life, when the cancer was taking toll on his body, his spirit remained high. He prayed for his children and grandchildren, read the Bible and listened to Christian songs and sermons. Some of his last words to his children were: "Love the Lord, serve Him sincerely, and live in peace."
 
Stepan is survived by Miroslava, his beloved wife of 58 years, four children, 10 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren and a large extended family.
 
The family would like to give special thanks to the staff of Broome Oncology and Lourdes Hospice for the loving care they provided.

A Funeral Service will be held at the  First Ukrainian Pentecostal Church,  143 Castle Creek Rd, Binghamton, NY, 13901 on Sunday, December 3, at 5:00pm. The preburial service will be at the same location on Monday, December 4, at 10:00am. Burial will follow at Spring Forest Cemetery, Binghamton. Please sign the guestbook.

 

 

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