Lydia P. Stowbun

Dr. Lydia Stowbun passed away peacefully on Monday, December 16, 2019 at the age of 99.

Born in Ukraine in 1920 during the Russian Revolution, Lydia, along with her beloved parents, suffered and survived the Holodomor, the Ukrainian Genocide of 1932 – 1933. Graduating from medical school in Kiev in 1942, in the midst of World War II, she was forced to serve as a doctor in a labor camp. In recognition of her compassionate care for those workers, the city of Wolfsburg, Germany named a street in her honor: Lydia Stowbun Weg.

Lydia emigrated to America in 1946. She served as a research assistant at Thomas Jefferson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before moving to Akron, Ohio and completing a second medical internship at St. Thomas Hospital in 1959. Setting up her private general practice in Tallmadge, all while caring for her family, she made house calls and served a wide range of grateful patients, many of whom she spoke to in their native tongue thanks to her fluency in four languages. Lydia continued to practice medicine until her retirement in 1994.

A constant gardener, Lydia loved all growing things. Even in her final weeks, she maintained her interaction with nature, walking the grounds of her home at Sunrise Senior Living, and sharing brightly colored leaves and magnificent blooms with fellow residents. Lydia was also an avid reader; an adroit seamstress; a fine Bridge player (Life Master); a budding painter, and a whiz at Sudoku.

Lydia was a longtime member of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, since its early days on Sylvan Avenue.

Survived by her two sons, Roald Oleg (Denise) Janke and Igor (Hope) Janke; three grandchildren, Raisa (fiancé: Chris) Janke, Konrad (Jenni) Janke, and Tatjana Janke; and great-grandchild, Clara, Lydia was preceded in death by her parents, Prokip and Anna Stowbun.

Funeral services will be celebrated on Monday, December 23, at 11:00 AM, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, 755 South Cleveland Avenue, Mogadore, Ohio. The family will gladly receive friends for one hour prior to the service. The burial, at St. Nicholas Cemetery, will immediately follow the service.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.