Josephine Horbal (neé Zurbyk)

Born April 25, 1912, Liczkowce (Lychkivtsi), Galicia, Austria-Hungary

Died January 23, 2000, Warren, Michigan, USA

Grandma at age 45.

Grandpa and Grandma at the site of one of the many replicas in Michigan of Paul Bunyan's faithful servant, Babe the Blue Ox, July 2, 1952.

Christmas, 1952. Grandma is on the left side of the table. Grandpa is on the right side, holding his beer bottle higher than anyone else's, flanked by Aunt Nancy on his right and Mom (Diane) on his left.

More Christmas, 1952. Grandma is at the right, next to a smirking Mom. Grandpa is at the head of the table looking dapper in his bow-tie. Sobol (Grandma's uncle) is at the back right with the glasses.

This picture shows Grandma in Ukrainian national costume. The original picture also has Sobol's Evil Wife Number One in it, but I just wanted to show Grandma here. This photograph was likely taken between June, 1932, when Grandma came to Detroit, and February 1936, when she married Grandpa.

Sobol had this picture made up, and apparently made dozens of copies. The picture on the left is the family in the U.S., Anastasia (Sobol's first wife), Vincent Sobol, and Grandma, at about age 22. The picture at right has Grandma's two brothers, Peter and Nicholas Zurbyk, at the front. In the rear are Grandma's sister Katherine Zurbyk, Grandma, and Grandma's sister Anna Zurbyk. The gentleman at left is Katherine's Polish husband, and at right is Frank (or maybe Bartholomij) Sobol, Grandma's Great Uncle and Vincent Sobol's father. My best guess is that this photo was taken about 1923, after Grandma's father had passed away.

This 19th century Austrian military map of a portion of Galicia shows the location of the village Grandma grew up in, Liczkowce (Lychkivtsi in Ukrainian). The village is about 25 miles south of Ternopil', the nearest large city. Trybuchowce (Trybukhivtsi in Ukrainian) across the Gnila river was later merged into Lychkivtsi when the Soviets took over. Grandma's brother Petro lived in Trybukhivtsi as an adult; maybe the family lived there when Grandma was a child, as well.