Obituary of Maria Ania Savage

Ania Savage, 83, of Denver, Colorado passed away on August 25, 2025, surrounded by family. Ania was born on September 21, 1941 in a small village called Zarichchya (???????) in Ukraine to Iwan Bojcun and Anna Maria Vlasenko. Her early years were extraordinarily difficult as the family survived World War II and eventually emigrated to the United States in 1949. Once in the United States, she thrived. She quickly learned English, became a top student and won a scholarship to attend Barnard College (class of 1963). There she discovered her love of writing, becoming News Editor of the Barnard Bulletin and then continued her education at The Columbia School of Journalism where she earned her masters degree. After graduation, Ania began her career as a journalist at a time when there were very few women in the field. She started at local newspapers including the Journal-News in Nyack, NY and the Record in Hackensack, NJ. Eventually she worked her way up to writing and editing for The New York Times, Time Life Books, USA Today and the Rocky Mountain News. At the same time she started a family. She married Charles F. Savage in St Patrick's Cathedral in New York and their wedding was "believed to be the first wedding in the Byzantine rite at the cathedral." Children soon followed – Charles Francis Ivan and Michael Regis. Ania had a remarkable ability to juggle all her worlds – mother, wife, career and immigrant. Ania and her family moved to Denver, Colorado in 1981 where she re-discovered an old love – hiking and mountaineering. She became an active member of the Colorado Mountain Club, climbing almost every summer weekend. In her 40's and 50's she even joined trail crews and spent multiple days camping at high elevations. She became the editor of the Colorado Mountain Club's "Pocket Guide to 14ers". In addition, she published two very successful outdoor books – "Walkin' the Dog in Denver" and "Best Hikes with Dogs Colorado." She remained active throughout her life in the Ukrainian community, particularly in the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (???? ???????? ???????). She also translated a major Ukrainian book into English – Maria Savchyn Pyskir's "Thousands of Roads." In 1991, she traveled to Ukraine with her mother and aunt for the first time since emigrating, memorializing their trip in the book "Return To Ukraine." She taught at Kyiv State University, helping show a new generation of Ukrainian journalists how to establish an independent press. In her later years, Ania worked to train the next generation of journalists. She became a Professor of Journalism, teaching at Metro State College, Colorado Women's College and ultimately was hired as an Associate Professor at the University of Denver. At DU, she took the thankless role of faculty advisor for the school newspaper The Clarion. She loved every minute! Ania worked many late nights side-by-side with the student writers and editors, pointing them in the right direction but letting them make their own mistakes so they could learn what it takes to be a journalist. After retiring, Ania kept on writing and translating. Her most recent work was translating the poems of Vasyl Stus, a Ukrainian poet and dissident who died in a Soviet prison camp just as he was being considered for a Nobel prize. In 2018 she was overjoyed by the birth of her first grandchild – Mariana, with whom she shared their great passions for walking in the local park, practicing Ukrainian and eating ice cream. Ania is survived by her children, grandchild, cousins, nieces, nephews and countless friends. ????? ???'???!!