Zinaida Sverdlova

Zinaida “Zina” Sverdlova died peacefully on February 12th, 2025 in Newton, MA at 98 years old. She was born in Ulyanovsk, Russia, to Hannah and Hona Veinstock. She married Itzhak Sverdlov on February 19th, 1949, and they shared a loving partnership until his passing in 1998. She was the matriarch of her family, a doting grandmother and great-grandmother. She brought wisdom, kindness, and an unfalteringly positive outlook to all the people who were lucky to know her.

Zina was always a brilliant student, graduating with honors from high school and college. She went on to teach English to middle and high school students, while Itzhak worked as an engineer and director at an automotive factory. Her sons Arkadiy (“Adik”) and Yakov (“Yasha”) were her greatest joys. Yakov moved to the United States in 1991 with his young family, and Zina and Itzhak joined them a year later. She took great pride in volunteering to help fellow immigrants learn English, and made friends wherever she went. In later years, she had many treasured friends at the Zdorovie Adult Day Health Center. The death of her son Adik in 2023 was a most profound loss.

In her last months of life she was surrounded by family and approached every new challenge with the quiet perseverance and positivity that characterized her life. She relished in showering her family with affection and warmth. She is survived by her loving son, Yakov Sverdlov and his wife Svetlana, by her grandchildren, Masha Sverdlov, Deanna Sverdlov and Yury Popov (of Boston), and Misha, Alena, and David Sverdlov (of Moscow), as well as eight great-grandchildren. She will be dearly missed.

Family and friends are invited to remember and honor Zina's life at Stanetsky Memorial Chapel, at 1668 Beacon St., Brookline, MA, on Tuesday, February 18th at 10:15 AM.