Obituary of Liudmila Batisheva

                    Liudmila Batisheva, 1937-2021

We are pleased to present a snippet of the inspiring story of Liudmila Batisheva, who was born in February 1937 in Novonikolaevka village, 60 miles from Kyrgyzstan republic capital Bishkek.

Liudmila may not remember all of the details from her childhood, but the memories she has and the stories she's shared with us have always inspired and reminded us of the strength of our people. 

She told us of a childhood that was greatly impacted by the second World War and that her family moved around Kyrgyzstan in search of jobs. She told us that her father, Ivan Gubanov was a lathe operator who worked as hard as he could through uncertain times. She told us about her Grandfather Filliph - from her Mom’s side of the family - who brought several members of her family (four daughters, daughters in law, and his grandchildren to be exact) to live together during this difficult time.

She also spoke about her Grandmother Anastasia, who was a praying woman, who would pray to God three times a day with her grandchildren at her side, often joining in the prayer. They knew the “Our Father” prayer by heart. Liudmila and her family knew the power of prayer. Her men of the family came back home from this war safe and sound, through the grace of God.

Liudmila also remembered the hunger she experienced; the constant search for food from early spring to the first snowfall. She recounted how she had looked for food everywhere, leaning on "nature" to provide edible roots, young stems, and leaves and the cold winter days that she endured in frigid classrooms, where there was no glass in the windows to protect them from the cold weather.

 She recalled the first grade where there was one ABC book for 42 students and that her first teacher, Maria Silina, a very kind person, resourcefully taught them the basics of science and her second-grade teacher, who she also admired. This teacher was disabled and used her differences to teach Liudmila important life lessons about persistence, determination, and the pursuit of life goals. She made a huge influence on Liudmila’s future career as a schoolteacher.

After graduating from high school, she was accepted to Fergana National Pedagogical University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Russian and Russian literature. She worked for 33 years as a teacher in different schools in Kalinin district, eventually retiring in 1992. During her time as an educator, she touched the lives of many students who remembered her long after their time in her classroom. She was a strong advocate for students.

In 1994 her youngest daughter, Marina, moved to Germany with her family. Liudmila, full of love and the desire to stay connected with her daughter, started writing letters to her in the form of poetry. In 1998 her eldest daughter Olga moved to Canada with her family. She dedicated many of her poems to Olga and their family too.

She was a very talented poet, but her life changed when her middle daughter Tatyana introduced her to God.  On June 10th, 1999, she dedicated her life to Jesus in a church congregation called “Joy “in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Tatyana was her spiritual support during her time as a member of the church.

Since that time, her life has changed a lot. Her medical conditions and general health improved

For all these years she served alongside many people at her church, and she was beloved by her church community. During this time, she wrote over a thousand poems expressing her love to Jesus and her family members and friends.

She was truly the daughter of her Heavenly Father, and she passed away at the same date when she accepted Jesus as her Savior 22 years ago.

Liudmila is survived by her three daughters, three sons in law, five grandsons, two granddaughters, and four great grandchildren.

We are thankful  to her for the many life-lessons she taught us tremendously.

We all will miss her so much.

 Glory to God for giving us Liudmila, our lovely Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma, sister and best friend.  We all look forward to the day that we will feel her warm embrace again.

Visitation will take place at Scott St Mennonite Brethern Church (339 Scott St, St. Catharines, ON L2N 1J7) on Saturday, June 12th, 2021 from 8:30am-9:30am.  Funeral service will begin at 9:30am with burial to follow at Victoria Lawn Cemetery.  Those wishing to attend the funeral please follow this link to register. For those wishing to attend the funeral service. Please follow this link Funeral Registration