Yuriy Holko

YURIY HOLKO

Dec. 19, 1959 - Dec. 11, 2014

Loving husband and father, Yuriy Holko, 54, passed away Thursday.  A lifetime skier, he died doing the thing he loved most, skiing at his favorite Utah resort, Snowbasin. He was with his entire family on the day of the accident.

Yuriy was born in Chervonograd, Ukraine, to Grygoriy Holko and Maria Goncharova. He received a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Lviv Polytechnic National University. On Nov. 21, 1981, he married the love of his life, Oksana Stryiska.  They had two children, Yulia Holko and Viktoria Holko.  He and Oksana were happily married for 33 years.  In 2002, Yuriy's family emigated from Ukraine and settled down in Bountiful, Utah.  He was extremely happy to live in the mountains, as skiing was the passion of his life.

Besides skiing, Yuriy was a great tennis player, getting his entire family involved in both sports. He loved diving and other water sports, skating, shooting and soccer. He was passionate about traveling, reading, photography, as well as about his home country, Ukraine. He maintained many life-time relationships with classmates and friends, loved meeting new people and helping others. He was the kindest, most caring father, husband and friend.

He passed away peacefully at 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 11, at the McKay-Dee hospital in Ogden, with one of his best friends, Doctor Yuriy Kodakov, by his side.   He is survived by his wife and children, who were with him in the days following the accident. He was preceded in death by his sister, Iryna, and his parents.

Holko family would like to express sincere gratitude to the team at McKay-Dee, who fought for his life. A special thanks to doctors Bangerter, Hoffman, and Fedor, as well as to Nikki and all the nurses who took great care of Yuriy and of his family in the difficult hours preceding his death. Thank you to the family friend, Sophia Gorecha, for her continuous support. A big thanks to doctors Yuriy Kodakov and Alexander Gouttsoul, his dear friends who supported the family in this hard time. Thank you to all the spiritual representatives who came and blessed Yuriy, and prayed for him. A big thanks to relatives and friends, who are there for the family and who are flying in from all over the world to say good bye.

Funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, December 15, at St. Olaf Catholic Church, 1800 South Orchard Drive, Bountiful, UT 84010. The family will meet with friends on Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lindquist’s Bountiful Mortuary, 727 N. 400 E. in Bountiful, Utah 84010, where everyone can say their good byes to Yuriy.

Condolences may be shared at www.lindquistmortuary.com