Ross Golbienko

Ross was born on February 1, 1940 in Slonim Poland.

He was born during the Second World War. The Cichonczyk and Golbienko family were taken from their homeland by the Nazi Germans in 1941 to the Dachau Concentration Camp and then were moved to Flossenburg concentration camp. They were in the camps until 1945 as slave laborers. The war caused so much suffering and the family lost lives, connection to loved ones, their home and homeland.

In 1945 the war ended, once liberated by the allies the Cichonczyk and Golbienko lived in Germany.

In 1950 the family received sponsorship to come to America. Lots of preparation was needed for this voyage. My father Ross recalls that Mikolai (his Father) would send him to the preparation classes as he spoke the best English and was highly intelligent.

The family boarded the General RM Blatchford Vessel from Bremerhaven Germany on October 22, 1950 and docked in the Port of New York on November 1, 1950. When they arrived in New York, Ross was 10 years old. Ross was especially close to his grandmother Julia Cichonczyk and his uncle Wlady Cichonczyk (Cook).

Ross joined the US Army at just 16 years old and served his country until honorable discharge in 1979. The Army took him all over the World. He received numerous awards and military honors during his career. He served in the Vietnam War and also had several tours in Korea. He was a Combat Camera Photographer Specialist.

He met his wife Gabriella while stationed in Verona, Italy. They wed in 1962 and had 3 children. Daniela Worl (fiancé Khalid Hassan), Jerry Golbienko (Kimberly Higgins) and Lorris Golbienko. Ross had 4 grandchildren Jennifer, Korey (Marisa), Luciano (Lauren) and Dylan and 3 great-grandchildren Alexus, Cecilia and Luca.

The family resided in the Shoreline area, later in Soap Lake and most recently in Arlington/Darrington, WA.

He was proud to be an American and to live in the country of the free and the brave, he was also proud of his adopted country of Italy. Cultural experiences meant a lot and we celebrated many of them which often became part of our family traditions. He loved our annual father’s day celebration with German cuisine, music and of course German beer.

Ross loved his family and this was everything to him. He enjoyed family gatherings and was usually in charge of the main meat dish, which usually involved brining and or marinating over several days. We are so going to miss this. During the holidays he made his signature Gluhwein (mulled wine) a recipe he gained while stationed in Germany.

He always had a camera with him and you can be sure that before you left he would hand you a folder of recently shot photos.

He was loved by his family and his absence will be a huge void in all our lives. Rest in Peace Dad.