For Vladimir by Matthew Lubomirsky

Pictured with his beloved wife

lubomirskyma1 — 2024-02-04 15:56:42 UTC

The woman pictured with him here was his beating heart and soul. She unfortunately passed away from cancer, but it was her that made him smile every day. There was no other woman in the world that he loved more and they cherished every moment together. This photo in itself just shows you the joyful and excited man who lights up any room with his wisdom, charisma, and overall enjoyment to be around.

Going through the holocaust

lubomirskyma1 — 2024-02-04 15:57:36 UTC

While many have gone through it, it was Vladimir who simply was another person who went through this tragedy. He spent months on end, grinding and persisting to not only make it out but have a life for himself. He told me oddly enough, "this wasn't even the biggest struggle I went through in my life, it was simply trying to make it from Russia to America. Thankfully, I did."

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/the-holocaust

With all of his grandchildren. His proudest achievement.

lubomirskyma1 — 2024-02-04 15:58:08 UTC

The one thing he always said was, my grandchildren are my biggest achievement in life. I asked him why and he said, "it allowed me to realize the true meaning of life."

The song that let him fill the room with joy and dance.

lubomirskyma1 — 2024-02-04 15:58:36 UTC

This is a well-known russian song that is known but everyone in the russian culture. This song is played at every part and man could Vladimir make the room light up as soon as it came on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv2AiQ9WfF4

The team he played soccer nationally for, when he was younger.

lubomirskyma1 — 2024-02-04 15:59:02 UTC

As a kid he loved to play soccer, he was so good that he was able to play for the national team all the way back in the 1960's for a brief period. He said however, "soccer was never my passion, it was always to make a life in America and thats what I did."

The word that allowed him to persevere through life.

lubomirskyma1 — 2024-02-04 16:00:28 UTC

This word right here was the beating drum that allowed him to go through life, even living with stage 4 lung cancer. It was the word that he always told me to understand and really cherish because he said "with out, why do people go through life. Hope is a form brightness in the world, and we need more brightness in this world."

A simple man for a simple life.

lubomirskyma1 — 2024-02-04 16:15:34 UTC

Vladimir has always lived such a simple life. Once he came to America by boat he always wanted to make sure that his roots were connected to the ground and made something of his name. He married his childhood sweetheart Ida and had two kids Alex and Regina. After this, he moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s and built a house from scratch. He did this within a year and from then on worked as an engineer and helped build the landscape of what Los Angeles is today. Working on numerous skyscrapers, stadiums, and amusement parks he was very well known. Through his later years, he started to settle down and enjoy the moments that came as they were getting numbered.

Time through the years.

lubomirskyma1 — 2024-02-04 16:19:53 UTC

For the last 80+ years, Vladimir has experienced everything and anything that has occurred in the world. Now, that is a lot to take in as there have been a far great deal of things that have occurred since 1932. The one thing that he has never allowed himself to do is let the aging stereotype affect him. He has always done things at his pace and simply acts and lives as if he were 20 all over again. He still drives to this day and the only difference for him is not age but it is simply the fact that his days are numbered. He does believe however that the culture and the stigma of what goes on today in this world is close to atrocious. He is a simple man and the amount of new updates in this world, while he adapts, is not one that he enjoys. He feels people do not understand what it means to live in a beautiful country the United States of America.