Julia Kuznetsov

Julia Kuznetsov 1967 ~ 2011 Julia Kuznetsov was known to her many friends and family for her unyielding optimism and passion for life. She balanced love for those around her with a keen passion for intellectual pursuits and an insatiable appetite for adventure.Born in Leningrad on May 26, 1967, Julia spent the first half of her life growing up in the U.S.S.R., cultivating a passion for good literature and the fine arts, as well as following the counter-culture of underground rock music. She studied French language and literature at the Gertzen Pedagogical State Institute. In the Soviet Union, all students were required to volunteer at collective farms in nearby Russian villages, and it would be here that she would meet her future husband Radomir in 1985. They would marry in 1987. In 1990, Julia and her husband took an ambitious risk and immigrated to the United States, a one-way proposition made no easier having their two-year old son Gleb along for the ride. Upon settling in Cleveland, her husband recalls that it was Julia's initiative that motivated the two to enroll at Cleveland State University where Julia studied and excelled at Computer Science. Over the next two decades, Julia and Radomir would complement each other's energy in taking the family on an amazing journey to where it is now, raising two sons and eventually moving to Salt Lake City. In her career as a software engineer, Julia earned the respect of her colleagues through careful attention to detail, designing software with quality always in mind. Her thoughtful, rational approach to work mirrored her overall manner of living that always made her an individual others could confide in and was enjoyable to be around. Julia loved to travel, and with her family, explored all corners of the United States, as well as Costa Rica, Mexico, and Europe. Julia was an avid skier, and would take to the slopes with friends and family at every opportunity. She valued staying fit and eating well, not only taking care of herself, but inspiring those around her to do the same. More recently, she took to biking, carefully preparing for and participating in a 200-mile bike race along the coast of California in the October of 2010, as part of the Young Survivor Coalition's Tour de Pink. The years during her remission saw Julia paying extra close attention to the health of her body, mind, and spirit. And invariably it was this care that helped her put up a respectable final fight against the disease that would ultimately claim her life. Julia is survived by her husband Radomir, her two sons Gleb and Phillip, her twin brother Aleksandr A. Osadchenko, and her father Aleksandr I. Osadchenko. They were all at her side when she passed away at the age of 44 on Sunday morning July 31, 2011. The funeral service will be held on Wednesday August 3, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. at the B'nia Israel Cemetery, 4th Avenue Q Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84102.

Published in Salt Lake Tribune on August 3, 2011 ns & Early Mortuary, Salt Lake City, UT.