Liliya Zhermunska of Brighton passed away on February 18, 2020 at the age of 87. Dear daughter of the late Raisa Zhermunska and Boris Zhermunsky. Beloved wife of the late Rafail Segal. Devoted mother of Alec and Ilya Segal. Cherished grandmother of Julia, Natalia, Alexandra, and Victoria Segal.
Lilya was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. At age 9, she fled Kharkiv with her family on the last train before the Nazis occupied the city. After surviving hardships in evacuation in the Urals, she returned and finished school and the Kharkiv Polytechnic University cum laude. Lilya built a successful career for herself as a researcher, teacher, and mentor, despite being Jewish and not joining the Communist Party, both huge obstacles to advancement in the Soviet Union. After marrying Rafail, she moved with him to St. Petersburg, Russia, where she worked in a research lab and wrote a PhD thesis in Material Science. Then she followed her husband to Sumy, Ukraine, where she worked as a professor and director of a research lab. In addition to her work, Lilya was a loving and nurturing mother, and instilled her love of reading, learning, and music into her children. She was a kind person and enjoyed helping friends and strangers. After retiring and coming to the US to join her children, Liliya started a new life by learning English and attending community college to learn new subjects such as history and art.
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