With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Mary Poliszczuk (nee Sidlak) whose life was rich in academic achievement, extraordinary resilience and perseverance, an adventurous spirit, and a ceaseless thirst for knowledge, most notably in the language arts.

Her love for languages and learning led her to Notre Dame of Maryland University where she graduated in 1962 with a Bachelors degree in German. Always seeking to broaden her horizons, Mary returned to academia and earned a Master of Arts degree in Special Education from Loyola University of Maryland in 1979. This led to a career devoted to teaching foreign languages - including German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Latin - in the Baltimore City school system.

Born in 1940 in Bazaar, Ukraine, Mary emigrated with her family to the United States in 1949 via Ellis Island in New York, NY. Her family's road to freedom was marred with imprisonment at the Dachau Concentration Camp at Mary's tender age of five, and then residing in a displaced person's camp in Mittenwald, Germany awaiting a U.S. sponsor in Baltimore, MD. This legacy of perseverance inspires those who knew her to face trials with strength and courage.

Mary is survived by her devoted husband of 61 years, Orest Poliszczuk, her loving daughter Lisa Lander (with husband, Tom), and her siblings Elizabeth Iwaszko and Michael Sidlak (with wife Kimberly). Her loss is deeply felt by her family, friends and Ukrainian communities throughout the United States and Canada.

Friends may call at the family owned Ruck Towson Funeral Home, Inc., 1050 York Road, (beltway exit 26), on Tuesday, May 13th, from 3 to 7 PM.  A Funeral Service will be held at St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church, 2401 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD 21224, on Wednesday, May 14th, at 10am.  Interment St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church Cemetery in Dundalk, MD.