Katrina Leskanich

Leskanich in 2014, photo by Prphotos.com

Birth Name: Katrina Elizabeth Leskanich

Place of Birth: Topeka, Kansas, U.S.

Date of Birth: April 10, 1960

Ethnicity:
*father – Slovak and/or Czech, Ukrainian, and Rusyn
*mother – German (at least one half), Irish, smaller amount of English, distant Welsh and Scottish

Katrina Leskanich is an American musician and author. She was the lead singer of English rock band Katrina and the Waves, with which she won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1997.

Katrina is the daughter of Cathryn Elizabeth and Theodore Leskanich, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force. Her paternal grandparents were born in the Austria-Hungarian Empire, and emigrated to Pennsylvania. During her childhood, Katrina lived in Kansas, New Mexico, California, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Germany, The Netherlands, and finally England, where she lives.

Katrina’s paternal grandfather was named Frank Leskanich. Frank was born in Ukraine or Poland.

Katrina’s paternal grandmother was named Mary Butchko. Mary listed as born in Czechia on several censuses. She may have been of Rusyn or Slovak descent.

Katrina’s maternal grandfather was James Francis O’Neil (the son of James O’Neil, Jr. and Lillian A. Bryan). Katrina’s grandfather James was born in Osage City, Kansas. Katrina’s great-grandfather James was the son of Irish emigrants, James O’Neil, from Dublin, and Julia Ryan. Lillian was the daughter of Francis Bryan and Elizabeth McKillip, and had deep roots in the U.S.

Katrina’s maternal grandmother was Louise Leona Schott (the daughter of Roman Schott and Johanna Westerman). Louise was born in Neodesha, Kansas. Roman was the son of German immigrants, Martin Schott and Matilda Nehring. Johanna was the daughter of John Herman Westerman and Maria C. Vogelsang, who were born in the U.S., both of them to German parents.

Sources: Katrina’s ancestry – http://www.radioswisspop.ch
http://www.artisttrove.com

Katrina’s father on the 1940 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Katrina’s paternal grandparents, Frank Leskanich and Mary Butchko, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Record of Katrina’s paternal grandfather, Frank Leskanich – http://www.findagrave.com