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ready to build a home. Their
timing was impeccable; they purchased the last home
to be built in the community. Their home sits on the
former parking lot for the model home. Most of their
neighbors know them for the bronze horse statues in
front of their garden. The horses moved here with
them and represent a lifetime of work the couple had
with horses. Before the statues landed in Grand
Paradiso, they were a focal point at the entrance to
the couple's spraining horse farm in Morristown, New
Jersey, Freedom Acres. To understand the importance
of that name, let me tell you a little bit about
where the Kolybabiuks come from. Both Jerry and
Maria were born just after the Second World War.
Both of their parents were Ukrainians forced to
leave their homes and country due to the invasion of
the Nazis. Jerry was born in Austria, and Maria in
Germany. Jerry's mother had been taken to Germany at
the age of 16 to work as a laborer at a farm. Jerry
recounted his father's freedom fighting during the
war. After the war, both families immigrated to the
Americas. Jerry with his family to Venezuela in
1947, and Maria with her family to Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, in 1950. Jerry's love of horses began during a trip he took with his father to Caracas, Venezuela’s capital city. Attending horse races with his father during those formative years led to a lifelong love of horses. Jerry only lived in South America until 1959. At the age of 13, he was shipped off to military school. He got his first taste of Florida at the Florida Military Academy in Fort Lauderdale. Imagine the young boy and his violin flying solo and arriving in the country where he could not communicate. He arrived, |
unable to speak English, but after a year of schooling, he picked up enough to apply and qualify for acceptance into Central High School in Philadelphia. His family had moved to Philadelphia during his year at the academy. Focusing on his studies, he graduated from Central High and attended Temple University for two years. He had his eyes on medical school and moved to Madrid, Spain, to attend the Complutense University of Madrid. After about a year, he grew homesick and returned to the states to be with his family. With his biology degree, he began working for Biological Abstracts in Philadelphia. Back home in Philadelphia, some friends of his introduced him to Maria. He reached out to call her after that, and the two began dating. They became inseparable and were married two years later. Now, Mr. and Mrs. Kolybabiuk, they both moved to Madrid, where Jerry finished his medical schooling and Maria studied Spanish for two years before they both returned to the states for good in 1973.
Maria and Jerry both speak multiple languages. Maria put her linguistic knowledge to work for the people of Philadelphia, working as a paralegal in immigration law. After her firm sent her to intensive conversational Polish class, she now speaks five languages: Spanish, Ukrainian, Polish, Portuguese, and English. Maria shared how rewarding it was to provide a bridge of understanding through her translation, whether it was helping someone understand their legal situation or translating documents for clients. While Maria was working for legal justice, Jerry was completing his internship and residency as a general surgeon with Presbyterian Medical Center of the University of Pennsylvania health system.
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In the early eighties, Jerry and Maria purchased their horse form in Morristown, New Jersey. The farm is a sprawling green space boasting over 21 acres of land, their home, a huge central barn, offices, nine paddocks and trees abound. They lovingly name their new home “Freedom Acres.” He explained, "Our parents fought against communism; once they arrived in the USA, they finally found the freedom that they had looked for all of their lives, we called the farm Freedom Acres in gratitude to our American freedom.” They called one of their first horses "American Freedom” and he went on to become State Champion and still alive at the old age of 27. Just behind the house, Jerry took one of his carefully cultivated bonsai trees, a Chinese Elm, and gave it its freedom from its tiny container and planted it in the ground. Now free, that twelve inch tall tree grew into a forty foot high splendor and is now known as the Freedom Tree.
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Every horse raised on Freedom Acres was a labor of love. Jerry opened two private surgical practice offices, one in
Now that they've sold their horse farm and become full-time Florida residents, they are taking on a new kind of busy schedule. They enjoy the full calendar of events and activities offered in their community, such as the grand community pool, the gym, and the clubs. Their club engagement ranges from fun clubs like the Mexican Train Club with weekly games to more intellectual clubs, like the History Club, and the Investor’s Club. Marie enjoys volunteering her time and has become deeply involved with the Ukrainian National Women's League of America’s North Port Branch. Jerry belongs to the Men's League as well. They shared a deeply felt sentiment, "Even though we have never lived in Ukraine, America is our country and home, we stand by the universal principles of freedom!” It is apparent that they both cherish freedom for everyone. They have helped so many attain their freedom. From the patients throughout the years that Jerry freed of medical issues and pain through surgery, to the multitude of families seeking freedom in our country met by the helping hand of Maria, to the freedom one feels riding a horse that is running free through the pastures. I think that Jerry and Maria offer an amazing example of what you can accomplish when given the opportunity of freedom.