I am so grateful for all of the memories that were shared by our friends and family, otherwise this note would have been much longer..

I have learned so much from my dad but will mention just two expressions that stand out in my mind right now: 1. You are not that rich to buy cheaply 2. If you’re doing something, do it well or don’t do it at all…

2 funny Russian expressions: 1. С мамой спишь? When I was trying to shock him by my actions while playing games with him… 2. Кисло мне в чубчик- when wanted to show his indifference.

I will miss so many things about him:  

Playing dominoes, especially our bantering about who knew the rules better (of course he did, he played this game for about 70 years). 
Dancing to 1,000,000 алых роз and him singing quietly into my ear; dancing with full abandon to different songs from Odessa or Hava Nagila ..
His hugs, touching my face gently with his hands saying that he loves me, his joy every time he saw me..
His smile to every person whom he passed by even when they didn’t smile in return..
His genuine love of all people and animals, especially his family..
That he remained a gentleman to the end of his life, offering to help my mom and me to carry things or open the door for us even though he was in a wheelchair or was barely walking..
That he never had a bad word to say about anyone.. He truly loved life..

If he could, he would tell us: DANCE, SING, but most importantly, LAUGH. I will try daddy..  until we meet again!!   Regina

Dear Reginochka,

Please accept my deepest condolences. I knew your dad since my childhood and even though we were not blood relatives I considered him my dear uncle. I will forever remember him as always smiling, friendly, cheerful, sweet, ready to help person. I'm very sorry about his passing. May he rest in peace. My heart goes out to your family, especially your mom. 

Love
Dina

Continuation…

The way you have treated my children even when you are not at your best physical health is so special. i don’t know how you pull it out because everyone can become so bitter and so down on life but not you. Sophie talks about you constantly, she calls you papa. We gave you your boy, and I just wish I could introduce you guys. He will be he coming right after your 91st birthday. 

I cannot wait to one day share with him and Sophie and Jolie so many stories I hold dearly about you. I will share our pictures together and family videos that are a testament to the love and belly laughs you provided for the whole family, our friends, and every single person you’ve ever met.

I hope to know more men like you throughout the rest of my life. It isn’t fair that you have created such an impossible standard for them to reach, but I am grateful that I know what true kindness looks like, softness and strength, and most importantly, laughter, and the most inappropriate times to drop a joke. I love you to the ends of time, and I cannot wait to see you again one day.

Grandpa,

Where do I even begin with you? What a legacy to leave. You’re my favorite person. You are generous and giving. You have a no frills approach to life while simultaneously exuding softness and kindness at all times. Nobody has made quite the impact you have made on my heart and on my soul. Your ability to make light of and poke fun during the most uncomfortable and painfully awkward moments is something I will always cherish. You know who’s really good at doing the same thing? Tim. How lucky am I that he shares so many of the same qualities I admire so much about you? 

What I’ve learned from you:
There is no free lunch. It’s easier to make someone laugh or smile than to try to prove a point. Don’t make your partner crazy or you will lose all of the hair on your head. You claim grandma ripped it off, but we know it fell out naturally from all of the stress.

You make me immediately smile, no one does it like you. My sunshine, my sunflower.

Every one remembers you. You make an intangible impression on everyone you meet and it is left there for years and years to come.

It’s absolutely impossible to put into words what an impact you have made on my life. I feel so lucky to have known you for almost 36 years. 

Our best memories start by the library, in the park, along the sidewalks. With the squirrels and the quarters. Even now when I think about those walks, I feel so much joy that we got to experience those fun times together. Memories that immediately follow that include: too many trips to McDonalds that we did not tell mom about, endless Klondike bars and prince polos of course, and You gave me your gold Nissan Maxima, and I was too clumsy to keep it but it was the most beautiful gift.
 
See continuation…

From my friend Lorna:

.. I remember meeting you and your parents for the first time many years ago and how your dad had this twinkle in his eye and was a little bit mischievous and very endearing. He will greatly be missed by many…

From Alina:
.. he was genuinely funny.. Grisha and I would remember his expressions and laugh.. he didn’t need to try to make people laugh.. it was just a part of him like the air we breath..

From Julie:
.. he was like a “ray of sunshine”, just being present made others feel lighter…

From his last care giver, Tatiana:
.. we laughed so much together.. he was so funny, kind and caring..

From his last residence:
Thank you for giving us the pleasure of caring for your dad. He was a blessing!

Hi Grandpa,

I don’t even know where to begin. There’s no way to fully capture in words the love and joy you brought into my life—and into the lives of so many others. I’d give anything to hear your laugh right now, but until then, we’ll make up for it by laughing a little extra for you.

You’ve always been my favorite person in the world. I can’t put into words how much I love and admire you—not just as my grandpa, but as a human being. You were kind, loving, hilarious, incredibly strong, and endlessly selfless. 

I’ll always treasure the memories: running through Walden Park looking for pennies while dodging squirrels, the haircuts you bribed me to get with McDonald’s fries and nuggets, our walks home from school, the drives to the ice rink, and the hours you spent watching me skate. I’ll never forget sharing ceerneekee with you—or our obnoxious laughter as you joked that Grandma ripped all your hair out.

You taught me so much: to never take anything for granted, to love without fear, to take risks, and—most importantly—to find joy and laughter in every moment, big or small.

Thank you for everything. For a life filled with love, laughter, and friendship. For staying true to yourself and allowing me to be my true self, too. One day, when I walk down the aisle, I’ll feel you beside me, smiling. Even if you’re not there physically, I’ll know the man I chose carries your spirit—bringing me joy and loving me unconditionally.

Today, we celebrate you. We’ll laugh, eat, drink, and share our favorite stories—because there are so many. I’ll never forget you. You’ll always have a place in my heart, my sunshine.

I love you forever, Grandpa. I’ll see you again someday

Sem was a great guy, lovable and responsible.  We all enjoyed spending time with him, including our 2 dogs…He will be missed a lot by all members of our family and  will be remembered for many more years to come...

Boris remembers how he babysat him in former Soviet Union…

What stands out for me is how he was looking for a job when he just arrived to this country.  This story probably sounds very crazy right now, but we didn’t know any better almost 46 years ago. I was staying home with Jerry, who was only 3 months old and barely spoke English at that time. Senya was so eager to find a job right away and thought that his profession is the most desirable in every single company located in Skokie, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove and surrounding areas. Sonya was babysitting Jerry  so we would go on a hunt for a job. We didn’t have a car at that time and would take a bus somewhere in Skokie (don’t remember details) and would walk knocking on every business door we could find. It took us about a month or so, but nobody offered any job for Sem. They all probably thought that we were insane coming there without any appointments, but Sem insisted. Back in 1979 nobody counted steps they walked every day, but I could tell you that we probably  beat every record.   Senya was very frustrated that many of these companies had no idea what metal painter did. He eventually found a job and life went on…

FROM MONICA on grandpa’s 75th birthday!

When I cannot fly you give me wings
You fly me to all of these wonderful things
 
When I cannot see you give me your vision
You prevent me from going into a collision
 
When my heart is locked you give e the key
You make me the best that I will ever be
 
When I cannot sleep you close my eyes
Which soothes my multiple cries
 
I still don’t think I deserve as much of a treasure as you
I’ll always feel it’s too good to be true
 
Happy birthday to you and many beyond
I know that we’ll always share a special bond

FOR GRANDPA’s 75th birthday!

Grandpa! Woah! Look at this time flying by. I mean, you are already 75 years old, that means it’s officially time for you to start acting like it (just joking – we love you just the way you are). There is no person like you, you lighten up the room, and make the world a brighter place. You contribute yourself to this earth by making each person you know happier when you are around them. I wrote a poem attempting to capture your essence, even though it’s tricky to describe you in a short poem.
 
 
On your mark, get set go!
“I win, aha! Grandpa you run so slow!”
I have been in the world for 13 long years
And in my whole life, you drove away my greatest fears
Even though you are three quarters of a century old
Your driving statements are still very bold
When you picked me up in your car, you weren’t sweet like pie
You’d yell at the horrible drivers “come on, come on like die!”
We’d drive into your garage to parking spot number 4
I run to push the button, that opens that elevator door
When it was dinner time, grandma would make you delicious food
But apparently no matter what she did, it was never good
I would be sad, I’d miss mom, and would pout
Oh good, your catch phrase “Look at my head. Grandma ripped my hair out!”
Seven o’clock, time for the price is right!
“Come on!” you’d yell “Megan and I should go up there one night!”
An hour of that, my eyes would start to close
“It’s time for a round of Dominos!”
Time to go to sleep, “Good night grandpa, I love you”
What makes you so good, are all the little things that you do
The next day mom comes to drive me home
“It’s too much fun! I never want to go”
I look at grandpa to see what he has to say
Of all things he says, “Zaygeezin” and I say “Gaygeezintaray”
Many years later, we all stand here, celebrating your special day
Something for this great man I say
We love you, and it will always be that way!

Today we are putting to rest a very special man, my dad..

When I think of him there are so many emotions and words that come to mind, but there are not enough to describe the true essence of who he was..

I am reading the book by Victor Frankle “man’s search for meaning”.. The author was an Austrian psychologist, who survived the holocaust, and described what it took to get through that hell, physically but most importantly emotionally.. When I think what it means to live a meaningful life, I don’t know of better example than my dad.. He was unforgettable since he touched everyone’s life and made them smile..

I had many calls yesterday from people that I barely knew or haven’t talked to in years..
He made a lasting impression even when they spent with him a short time because when you were in his company you were smiling and felt light hearted. As my niece told me “he was a ray of sunshine”.

He was a true Odessit, always joking without even trying.. Even in his sleep when my mom inadvertently touched him, he would say something funny that made her laugh quietly inside.. he embraced life with all its challenges with a smile and light heart.

Throughout my life since I had been a little girl, I have heard.. you’re so like your dad. I knew that initially it was meant I look like him.. Now I hope that they meant in other ways as well..

When we will be able to gather and truly celebrate his life with his friends and family, who were not able to join us today, i will be able to share more… but meanwhile, if my dad was able to speak, I am sure that he would say “Love, sing, dance and most importantly, laugh”.


Even though he is no longer with us in person, he will be always be with us in our hearts. It was a privilege and an honor to be his daughter. 

Daddy, i love you

To our small, but strong family,

Please accept  our deepest condolences. 
Our dearest Senchik will always live in our hearts and minds, and so are his jokes and funny expressions:

"Sofia, you can leave this car, the door is open"
 "хороший товар я сначала в семью, а потом на сторону" (когда хотел Олега  познакомить с девочкой)”
“Васек, куда ты едешь? там машины - учил Илюшу водить машину
  "Хаечка (Соня) ,успокойся"
" я этого клиента  насквозь  вижу" встречая  Ирусю в первый раз
"как я люблю,когда они спят" - чтобы поехать в магазин за продуктами в 7 утра, and much much more.

We will remember how he loved to dance to 7:40 and how he loved to sing,  especially songs from his beloved Odessa. 

We will never forget his love, kindness, his dedication and his concern for us.

 We will always love you, Senchik!!

Solyar family

OBITUARY

Semyon Zlatin

26 September, 1934 – 14 July, 2025

El Camino Memorial - Sorrento Valley & Memorial Park

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