Yevgenia Georgievna Yemelyanova

Zhenya was born in 1946 in Biisk, Russia (USSR), to World War Two veterans Georgii Zakharovich Bavik (d. 1978) and Natalya Matveyevna Semyonova (d. 1995). The young family moved with to Alma-Ata (later Almaty, Kazakhstan) when Zhenya was a baby. She finished secondary school with a Silver Medal and attended Kazakh State University. At 19, she met and married fellow student Viktor Dmitrievich Yemelyanov (d. 2013). Their only son, Konstantin Viktorovich, was born when Zhenya was 20. She went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in Education at Karaganda State Pedagogical University. The couple divorced in 1973, leaving Zhenya to raise Konstantin on her own.

Zhenya worked in public relations and as a copy editor until her retirement in 1998. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought economic instability and decreased demand for Russian-language editing services in a newly independent Kazakhstan. In 1999, Zhenya moved to Columbia, Maryland, to live with Konstantin and his growing family. She devoted herself to caring for her grandchildren and seeking out new experiences in the US as inspiration for creative writing, learning to use the internet and participating in online Russian-language writing competitions. She also enjoyed going to casinos and traveling to see her daughter-in-law’s family members in Florida, West Virginia, and Michigan.

Zhenya is survived by her son Konstantin and daughter-in-law Katherine of Elkridge, Maryland, as well as grandchildren Timothy, Joseph, and Max.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to NAMI Maryland (http://www.namimd.org/donate) to honor Zhenya’s memory.

A receiving of friends for Yevgenia will be held Monday, July 17, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Witzke Funeral Homes Inc, 5555 Twin Knolls Road, Columbia, MD 21045. Following the receiving of friends will be a memorial service at 11:00 AM at Witzke Funeral Homes Inc., 5555 Twin Knolls Road, Columbia, MD 21045.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.witzkefuneralhomes.com for the Yemelyanova family.