Elena Victorovna (Talalaeva) Rousseau

Elena Victorovna (Talalaeva) Rousseau of Forest, a loving and devoted wife and mother, passed peacefully into the arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on December 1, 2021 after a long illness. Elena was the wife of Michael Rousseau. They were married 21 years, and had 3 children Andrew (16), Natasha (13), and Katie (7). Elena was born in Grozny in the former USSR to Victor Arcadyevich Talalaev and Evgenia Simeonovna (Bebik) Talalaeva, both currently of Vyazma, Russia. When she came to the United States in 2000, she lived in Waterbury, CT and married Michael. They moved to Bedford, Virginia in 2004, and ultimately settled in Forest, VA. Elena was educated as a linguist, and besides the English degree she earned in Russia, she also obtained an MBA from Liberty University. She was particularly talented in business finance and administration, as well as in database design, and was employed for many years in financial and administrative support capacities for the insurance industry. She played a vital role in the formation and on-going support of Frontline Adjusting - Appraisals, a company she owned and operated with her husband and their business partner Dan Read. Elena was an active member of Thomas Road Baptist Church, where she volunteered in the nursery prior to her illness. Her hobbies included gardening, crafting, travel, and Bible study. She loved the writings of C.S. Lewis, and James Herriot, and was a longtime fan of the television show M*A*S*H. She occasionally sewed her own dresses and made clothes for the girls when they were little. She looked forward to the family's yearly trips to Myrtle Beach and Québec and loved walking the trails at the Peaks of Otter. She was known among her friends and family for her delicious homemade crêpes, and for jams that she made from red currents and other berries that she grew in her garden. Elena loved watching and helping her daughters in their gymnastics pursuits and was an accomplished gymnast herself as a young girl. In recent years she devoted a good deal of her time and energy towards homeschooling her children. Besides her immediate family and parents, Elena also leaves a brother, Dr. Alexander Talalight and his wife Erin (Lewis), of Owens Cross Roads, AL, and their children Ellie, Peter, Weston & William; Mike’s parents, Ron & Dawn (Dorais) Rousseau of Bolton, CT, her brother-in-law & sister-in-law Matt & Michelle (Rousseau) Hill of Glastonbury, CT and their children Emily & Nathan; and many dear friends in the US, Russia, and in other parts of the world. A visitation will be held on Friday, December 10, 2021 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Whitten Timberlake Chapel located at 7404 Timberlake Road, Lynchburg, VA. A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at the same location. Burial will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Bedford, VA. In lieu of flowers, Elena requested that memorial contributions be made to UTSA, a homeschool co-op ministry that was dear to her: Under the Son Academy (UTSA) Living Word Baptist Church 4130 Waterlick Road Forest, VA 24551 https://livingwordbapt.churchcenter.com/giving/to/UTSA-donations-in-memory-of-Elena-Rousseau