Sviatlana Ramoutar

Sviatlana, better known as Lana or Sveta, was born on June 9, 1978 in Molodechno, Belarus to Vladimir and Liubou Sushchevich. Her brother Andrei, whom she helped raise, is five years younger. Sveta enjoyed being a big sister, had a happy childhood, and loved life. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and worked as an English schoolteacher in Minsk.

After 5 months of courtship, my brother Bobby and Lana met in person on Feb 11, 2006 in Minsk, Belarus. Bobby said as soon as he blessed his eyes on her, his heart followed too. He proposed the following day, she said yes, and then it was off to meet her parents. In accordance with Russian customs, Bobby received her father’s blessing, celebrated by taking two shots of Vladimir’s special homemade vodka, and was then sent on his way, drunk, back to Minsk. They met again in Belarus for the second time that winter, where they toured the country’s many beautiful churches and historical landmarks and met many of her friends. Lana arrived in the US on January 7, 2007 and they married on Feb 23 in Plantation, Florida. Our family was happy Bobby found someone to share his life with.

The first time we met Lana, she was wide-eyed and overwhelmed around our boisterous family as we welcomed her with open arms. Coming from a culture that was very private and rarely smiled in public, she later told me she experienced culture shock many times that first year here. Despite these differences, she really enjoyed curry goat and roti, which she learned to cook for her Trinidadian husband.

Lana gave Bobby two of the most precious gifts – their daughters Sofiya, age 8, and Darina, age 2. She was an exceptional, loving mother and was fully dedicated to teaching her children how to read, write, do math and speak Russian.

Her quest for knowledge never stopped – she learned to drive and went to school to become a Pharmacy Technician within the first two years. She enjoyed couponing and visiting the beach. On her visits to Trinidad, she fell in love with Tobago. She took a real liking to mangoes, papaya, and coconut water – particularly fresh mango juice with a shot of rum. We might take this for granted but these were things that she never had before coming to this country. Bobby and Lana were happily married for 10 years.

Unfortunately, life has a way of derailing one’s plans. Lana fell ill in 2015 at the tender age of 36 and fought it fiercely for 2 years. On January 2, 2017, Lana ascended to Heaven where she reunited with her father Vladimir. She will always be remembered