Yaroslava Benko Dubas / Ярослава Бенько Дубас

Yaroslava (Slavka) Benko passed away on June 10, 2026, from a massive heart attack at Ottawa’s Queensway‑Carleton Hospital. Born on January 24, 1948, in Ellwangen, Germany, to Stefan and Kateryna Benko (née Sczepaniak), she was the second of four children, with two sisters and a brother. She immigrated to the United States before the age of two and spent nearly 63 years in Chicago and its suburbs before moving to Ottawa, Ontario, in 2012 to marry Orest Dubas.

Slavka graduated from St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School and Josephinum High School in Chicago. She earned a B.S. in Business Education from DePaul University and held an Illinois teaching certificate. Her distinguished professional life included serving in the U.S. Foreign Service at the U.S. Embassy in Brasília, Brazil, and working directly for former Illinois Governor as well as the U.S. Deputy Press Secretary to President Nixon. She also served as an elected trustee of the Niles Public Library. These roles reflect her exceptional competence, dedication, and integrity.

Slavka deeply loved Ukraine — its history, culture, poetry, and soul‑stirring music. She carried Ukraine in her heart every day, through her long life in the United States and later in Canada as Yaroslava Benko Dubas. Her hundreds of thoughtful Amazon book reviews under the name Mandrivnyk stand as a testament to her intellect and passion for Ukrainian subjects. Her personal copyrighted poetry, still shared on Facebook, reflects her sensitivity and artistic spirit.

Every day, Slavka worked tirelessly in influential email groups supporting President Zelensky and Ukraine. She wrote letters, signed petitions, and urged the United States and other nations to provide the military and financial assistance needed to defeat the Russian invasion. She believed deeply in Ukraine’s right to freedom and victory.

Slavka’s passions included dancing, singing, writing, photography, travel to more than 30 countries, decorating, creating plant arrangements, and crafting personalized Christmas and birthday cards. Her handmade cards reflected her creativity and love of beauty.

Slavka surrounded herself with beauty — paintings, sculptures, and ornamental flower arrangements.

She preserved decades of family memories in carefully organized video albums and took great pride in becoming a dual U.S.–Canadian citizen. Her life in Ottawa brought new friends, new joys, and continued devotion to Ukrainian songs, poems, and stories.

Yaroslava’s extended family includes her brother and sisters, their children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews in the United States, and many new relatives іn Canada and the U.S gained through her marriage to Orest Dubas,

Her last request was for friends to make donations to United Help Ukraine at https://u24.gov.ua/, Ukraine’s official fundraising platform.

“Death smiles at us all, all a man can do is smile back.”

— Marcus Aurelius

Eternal Memory! Вічная пам’ять!

Glory to Ukraine – Glory to our Heroes!

Rest in peace, our dear Slavka. You will be deeply missed.

#RememberingSlavka #StandWithUkraine

Orest Dubas