A popular Ukrainian woman is being mourned by the Letterkenny community following her sudden death at the age of 51.
Oksana Ivanova, who fled the war with her daughter three years ago, suffered a tragic accident at home last week.
Oksana arrived in Ireland in March 2022, leaving Ukraine with little more than a backpack, a laptop, and her terrified eight-year-old daughter.
Though she had never heard of Letterkenny before, it was in the north west of Ireland where she could breathe a sigh of relief. She became actively involved in the community, while her thoughts remained with her relatives back home near Kyiv.
Oksana, who was a skilled writer, used social media to share many posts of appreciation to local clubs, schools, businesses and agencies such as DLDC and Donegal ETB as they opened their doors to new arrivals.
Her passing has come as a deep shock to her many friends in Donegal and in her homeland.
A farewell ceremony for Oksana was held yesterday evening at the Eternal Light Chapel of Rest. There was a strong Ukrainian presence, joined by staff and students from her daughter’s school, and many more people who had come to know Oksana as she integrated into the town.
Her daughter, Anastasia, now 11 years old, a student at Scoil Cholmcille, Drumman since 2022, will now return to Ukraine with her father.
Anastasia’s school community has started a fundraiser to support her.
Claire Claydon, a teacher at Scoil Cholmcille, said, “We can’t take away the heartache of her losing her mother, but we can try and ease their financial burden and help give Anastasia a foothold for her future education and endeavours.”
Claire described Oksana as a formidable woman who went above and beyond to help others.
Claire wrote: “Oksanna arrived with a fighting spirit determined to give her daughter a better life. She was desperate to work and contribute to Irish life. Oksanna embedded herself in our culture whilst being a leading figure in the community for helping her fellow Ukrainians settle in and establish themselves in Donegal. She was a strong pioneering force with a great sense of humour. Oksanna endured great personal loss at the recent death of her only sibling on the front line in Ukraine.”
Claire commented that Anastasia now faces a very uncertain future, as her father is currently fighting in the war.
“We will miss her presence in school very much and she will undoubtedly feel the wrench of leaving her school friends and the community,” she added.
More than €1,300 has been raised overnight in memory of Oksana. To view the GoFundMe page, click here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/oksanna-ivanova
