Lyudmila A. (Vaniushkin) Zelsnack

Lyudmila Zelsnack

August 19, 1950 (Roshchino, USSR) – April 29, 2026 (Marathon, NY, USA)

Lyudmila's life began on August 19, 1950, in the quiet town of Roshchino, near St. Petersburg. She was born into a family of an accountant and an economist, inheriting the noble bearing and inner strength of her parents, who hailed from Veliky Novgorod—the ancient heart of Russia.

Lyudmila was a person of deep culture and a subtle soul. Her love for the written word led her to the halls of the Herzen Pedagogical University in St. Petersburg, where, within the Faculty of Philology, she discovered her lifelong calling: to be a Teacher. The years she dedicated to the school—teaching Russian language and literature—became a time when she gave children not merely knowledge, but a piece of her own vast, kind heart. The children loved her dearly; they helped her in every way and strove to excel in her classes.

Fate tested her resilience: in 1980, Lyudmila experienced the joy of motherhood with the birth of her daughter, Veronika, only to face the bitter emptiness of widowhood sixteen years later. Yet her luminous soul was created for love, and life rewarded her for her fortitude. A trip to visit her sister in New York in 1997 proved fateful—it was there that she met Paul. Their union, sealed by marriage in 1999, became for her a safe harbor and a new chapter filled with warmth. She shared 27 years of married life with Paul.

She took on the challenge of a new country with remarkable dignity, devoting ten years to honest labor for NYSEG. The final years of her life were spent in Marathon, surrounded by love and care. Lyudmila leaves behind an invaluable legacy: the boundless devotion of her husband, Paul; the continuation of her soul in her daughter, Veronika; and the light of her eyes in her beloved granddaughter, Masha. She did not merely live—she created a love that will remain with us forever.

May she be granted eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven, and may God rest her soul with the righteous!

Funeral services will be held 11:00 am Thursday May 7, 2026 at the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church, 53 Baxter St. Binghamton, NY. Burial will follow in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Whitney Point, New York.

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