(en) Ivan Antonovych Kostyuk
Mechanic, tractor operator, participant in the Great Patriotic War
- Occupation
Mechanic, tractor operator, participant in the Great Patriotic War
- Date of birth
22 September 1924
- Date of death
22 February 2007 (82 years)
- Place of Birth
Khutor Topoli, Kuban, USSR (now territory of the Russian Federation)
- A place of death
Kuban, Russia
- Burial place
Kuban, Russia
- Cause of death
Natural. Passed away peacefully in his sleep at an advanced age.
- Citizenship
USSR
- Parents and Relatives
• Father: Anton Andriyovych Kostyuk
• Mother: Mariya Ivanivna Kostyuk
• Younger brothers: five
• Grandfather: Andriy Pylypovych Kostyuk
• Great-grandfather: Pylyp Kostyuk
- Family
• First wife: Oleksandra Vasylivna Kostyuk (née Frolovycheva) — died in 1949
• Second wife: Valentyna Demyanivna Kostyuk — died young
• Son: Anatolii Ivanovych Kostyuk (26.08.1948 – 14.06.2015)
• Daughter: Nina Ivanivna Chyzh (née Kostyuk), born 16.12.1950
• Grandchildren: Oleksandr, Tatiana, Anna, Mykhailo
• Great-grandchildren: nine
- Awards and Distinctions
Recipient of numerous awards for participation in the Great Patriotic War.
A box of wartime decorations is preserved in the family archive.
Ivan Antonovych Kostyuk was born on September 22, 1924, in the hamlet of Topoli, Kuban, into a well-established family. As the first grandchild of the family line, he carried the hopes and responsibilities of the lineage. Raised with the care of his grandparents, he grew into his role as the eldest brother with quiet strength.
He went to war as a very young man and returned alive but with a shell fragment embedded near his spine — too close to operate. That wound stayed with him for the rest of his life. He worked as a mechanic and tractor driver, fulfilling his duties with modesty and dedication.
He was remembered for his kind eyes, gentle smile, and reserved speech. He embodied strength without bravado. Even when he spoke about war, he did so without bitterness.
Once he said:
“During the war, jewelry was traded for a loaf of bread.”
These words would later become prophetic — many years on, his granddaughter, fleeing another war, would take only her children, her dogs, her documents. And some jewelry — as something that could be sold or exchanged for food.
He passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 22, 2007. Until the end, he remained dignified, caring, and good.
Grandfather Ivan was a craftsman — focused, quiet, and full of care. He built a wooden boat with his own hands, working on it throughout the summer to make it solid and reliable. The next summer, before dawn, he would take all the grandchildren and set out fishing. Those were joyful mornings, filled with freedom, water, and his silent affection.
He had a “Muravey” scooter and a garage that smelled of grease and motor oil. We, the children, would watch how carefully he maintained his equipment — with precision and respect, showing his love for order and his appreciation of well-kept tools.
