Aleksandr Ostrovsky

Aleksandr (Alex) Ostrovsky was born on July 17, 1934 in Baku, Azerbaijan. He died on March 16th, 2020, from complications due to heart failure, while at home and under the loving care of his wife Leah and daughters Liza and Tina.

Alex graduated early from secondary school at the age of 15 and went on to receive a Bachelor's degree in mathematics from Azerbaijan State University. The Soviet government then required him to teach secondary school for a few years in a remote village of Azerbaijan, after which he completed a Ph.D. in mathematics at Moscow Polytechnic University.

While in graduate school, he met Olga Gershenzon, who became his first wife in 1961, and two years later their first daughter, Liza, was born. The Soviet government then sent him away again, this time to work as a professor of math and physics at a college in the city of Syktyvkar, where he was introduced to computer programming. Soon after, he worked as a programmer in the nearby town of Ukhta where he co-wrote the first Soviet assembly language. In 1968, he moved his family to the northern town of Vorkuta to establish a statistical analysis group at the Coal Mining Research Institute. Two years later, Olga gave birth to their second daughter, Tina, and in 1972 the family moved back to Moscow.

In 1977, Alex and his family left all they had, except for $75 and a small shipment of furniture, and moved to Houston, Texas as refugees. There, a Jewish nonprofit helped them find an apartment, and, within three months, Alex found a job as a programmer and continued to work in that field until his retirement from Williams Companies, Inc., at 67 years old.

In 1987, Olga passed away after a long struggle with cancer. But luck did not abandon Alex, and a year later he met Leah and her son Alexy. Leah and Alex married in 1988 and loved being surrounded by devoted friends and family in both Houston and Austin ever since. In 2012 tragedy again struck, with Alexy’s early passing due to complications from Type I diabetes, Alexy being survived by his loving wife Zhenya. However, through all the ups and downs, Leah and Alex spent 32 wonderful years together, traveling and enjoying life to the fullest, with Leah caring for Alex until the very end.

Sasha—as his friends and family affectionately called him—loved music dearly. He learned to play piano from his mother, a conservatory-educated pianist and teacher, and acquired an education in classical music. But, it was jazz that inspired him above all else. Having grown up in the repressive environment of the USSR, Alex saw a profound freedom in the way jazz combined virtuosity and improvisation. Few things demanded his attention like the music of Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Glenn Miller and many others.

Alex valued intellectual pursuits of all kinds. In addition to music, history, and literature, he loved chess, puzzles and logic games. Once a month, Alex played a Russian bridge-like card game called “Preferans.” He played with his nephews Leonid and Victor who loved him like a father. He was a prolific reader, and once even read the entirety of Dumas’s Count of Monte Cristo in a single sitting while drinking tea at a cafe in the Azerbaijani village where he taught. On the other hand, in spite of his extraordinarily keen intellect, his absent-mindedness earned him equal notoriety among those who knew him—on one occasion, he managed to completely melt a glass mug in a microwave with a defective timer after forgetting about it for an entire hour.

Alex often said he was not afraid of death because he had led a very interesting life. Indeed, adventure seemed to follow him everywhere he went, and he was always ready to meet it. He had an uncanny ability to make anyone feel like they were the most impressive person he had ever met. He was always enthusiastic about his family’s accomplishments, big or small. At every family gathering, he would express that joy, pride, and love in lengthy toasts—even as arms tired from holding aloft glasses of wine, beer, vodka or (his favorite) gin, those in attendance were happy to wait, and listened raptly to the stories and jokes that filled his speeches. At these gatherings, he showed off his skills as an official member of Toastmasters and loved being the master of ceremonies, referring to himself as Tamada (Georgian for Toastmaster). His antics, humor, and deep affection will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Alex is survived by his wife Leah, daughters Liza and Tina, sons-in-law Lane and Michael, grandchildren Max, Hannah, Ava, and Zoe, stepdaughter-in-law Zhenya, nephews Leonid and Victor. He was preceded by his parents Maria and David, his first wife Olga, and his stepson Alexy.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his memory to Jewish Family Service of Houston https://www.jfshouston.org/giveonline.php

Due to concerns regarding Coronavirus the family will be holding a private graveside service and will have a memorial service at a later date. In the interim, please leave the family your remembrances below.