Larisa
This is my late mother-in-law, Larisa. This is a framed piece of art in our home; her portrait in a wood burnt sketching. It was done in Germany in 1949. She was born in Kiev and grew up in Russia. She met my husband's dad, Marvin - after the war in Germany. Marvin was a sergeant in the U.S. Army. She was in Germany because she had just also been set free, as she was a domestic slave for a German dentist. Larisa's family was killed, but at the age of 13 she was put on the "right train" and worked until the war for the dentist until the war had ended.
She and Marvin met at a Jewish Community Center and became inseparable. They saved each other's o to speak and began a journey to the United States, then Alabama, Monterey, California and their final stop in San Jose, California. They went on to have five children and remained together until she succumbed to Cancer at the age of 63.
I learned a lot about cooking from Larisa. She was a gourmet cook and baker. Her skills were that of any professional cook on TV. I remember one time she and I were watching Julia Child's cooking show together and she got a little angry (in her strong Russian accent) because JC wasn't using the proper cooking tool for the task at hand. She was a strong charismatic woman, a loving devoted wife and mother, always gushing over her grandchildren. She was so proud of her family.
She never spoke of her past.
This is such an interesting post. I laughed out loud when I read about her getting irritated at Julia Childs!! I live in Alabama so it is interesting to me that she lived in Alabama for a while.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute to a strong and brave woman.
ReplyDeleteMy maternal grandparents were Jewish fugitives from Russia and Germany, and interestingly, a similar portrait of my Grandma exists as well.
https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-z-2021-life-is-what-you-make-of-it.html