Olga A. Mikhalevsky was born in August of 1914, in St. Petersburg, Russia and, following the Russian Revolution, emigrated with her family to Lyons, France. The exact date of her birth, like many of her generation, was debated and adjusted for the difference in calendars. We celebrated on August 11 of the “new” calendar. She married her husband on Valentine’s Day of 1934 and followed him to the US shortly thereafter. They resided on Staten Island for about 10 years, moving to the Washington, DC area in the late 1940’s. Following the move to DC, she began attending services at St. Nicholas. Olga served as Executive Secretary to the Librarian of Congress until her retirement in 1965, at which time she received a citation in the Congressional Record for her distinguished service to the Library. Following the death of her husband in 1982, Olga became a more active member of the Cathedral, working with Anne Kalish at the Baked Goods table at many Bazaars. Many of you will remember her pineapple cheese pies that were often sold out within a few hours! She was a member of the Dormition Sisterhood (Guild), often donating time baking and cooking for the Guild’s many events. Olga fell asleep in the Lord on March 28, 2009 and is buried in Columbia Gardens in Arlington, Virginia. May her memory be eternal.
Irina Stahovich was born on September 21, 1913 in St. Petersburg, Russia. She arrived in the US from LeHavre, France in the late 1930’s with her parents. She was a student at the time. Later she became a nurse and served in the US Army, with duty stations in Germany and Vietnam. Irina retired in the Washington, DC area and became a dedicated and valuable member of Saint Nicholas Cathedral. She was an active member of the Dormition Sisterhood, later the Guild, and spent many hours working for the upkeep and good of the church. She was a regular member of the bazaar preparation workshops, making many a cabbage roll and gallons of borscht! She passed away just a few short weeks before her close friend Olga Mikhalevsky on March 2, 2009. May her memory be eternal!
Note: Olga and Irina had many friends at the Cathedral, across all generations. In their later years, they and friends who included Matushka Galina (Grigorieff), Marina Grigorovich-Barsky, Julia Petrov, Nina Soukhanova, Katya Martinoff, Galina Tolliver and others, formed a social circle. This group faithfully checked on each other daily and met regularly for lunches and teas. Most of these lovely women lived well into their 90’s and some to 100! The last survivor of this group, Marina Grigorovich-Barsky, passed away just a few months ago. May all of their memories be eternal!
