Sofya Iosilevich

Sofya Iosilevich of Chestnut Hill, MA and formerly of Columbus, OH and Ufa, Russia passed away on March 11, 2022, after a long illness.

She is survived by her husband Arkadiy Iosilevich, her daughter Zhenja Iosilevich and husband Ryan Leigland, her grandchildren Aaron, Ruth and Claire Leigland, of Newton, MA and her brother Ilya Gamburg and his wife Irina Gamburg, her nephew Semyon Gamburg and his wife Diana Gamburg, and their children Myron and Vera Gamburg, of Moscow, Russia.

Sofya was born in Ufa, Russia in 1949 and lived there with her mother, husband, and daughter until they immigrated to the United States in the late 1990s.

Sofya grew up spending the summers with her grandparents and extended family in Ukraine, where her parents were from. She always referred to these as the best memories from her childhood. Having graduated from the Ufa Aviation Institute, Sofya had a very successful career as a leading economist at one of the largest jet engine production associations in Russia. She met her future husband Arkadiy in the early 70s and they would be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary next year.

She was an avid reader, and an art and opera lover. She liked to travel, especially when she had the chance to do so with her beloved brother and his wife: their family reunions in France, Italy, and Israel were very special to Sofya. She cherished the time she spent with her grandchildren and, by their account, made the world’s best chicken soup. Her friends and family knew her as the best in class hostess – she loved to cook and entertain, and firmly believed that there should always be at least five times more food on the table than the guests could possibly consume.

Above all, she loved to grow things with her own hands and gardening was her very special joy. Those who wish to make a meaningful gesture for Sofya and her family should consider planting a tree in her memory with https://thetreesremember.com/