Mariya Vasylyeva

Mariya (Dmitrievna) Vasylyeva (Golovan), 95 years old, died on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at Mercy One Medical Central in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Mariya was born on December 3, 1927, in the Republic of Kazakhstan in the former Soviet Union. She was born to Vera Korshikova and Dimitry Korshikov, the fifth and youngest child in the family. Her childhood was spent in Kazakhstan. Her family nickname was Manechka, but her friends called her Mariyka
Her two older brothers were officers and fought in World War II. After the capture of Berlin, they returned to live in the cities of Kharkov and Herson, Ukraine.
Her beloved older sister, Katya, took on the role of her mother after Vera, her mother, passed away when Mariya was just 10 years old. After Katya married and moved to Kyiv, Mariya, then 16, followed her sister, continuing to live with her older sibling. There, she completed primary school, followed by Kiev's Veterinary Institute. She received her degree in Veterinary Medicine in 1952.
After graduating, she was assigned to one of Kazakhstan's veterinary clinics as its head veterinarian. After working in Kazakhstan for three years, she returned to Kiev and began work at Kiev's Institute of Zoology, studying animal virology. There she would also participate in the creation of Kiev's Museum of Zoology. Over those years, she received numerous awards for her scientific contributions, including Kiev's 1500 year medal.
In 1965, she was transferred to a gerontology post, where her role was the study of physical exertion and stress on animals.
She worked until she was once again transferred in 1969, this time to work at Kiev's Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology. Working in the laboratory department, she helped facilitate biopsy and histological procedures. She kept this position until 2002, retiring at the age of 75 to immigrate to the United States.
In her personal life, she married in 1955 and gave birth to her only son, Sergey, in 1961. After her divorce, all of her love and energy went to raising her son as an only mother. She would support and devote time to his numerous childhood interests, including radio electronics, chess, swimming, and karate. Each year they would travel to spend a month near the Black Sea.
Sergey would marry in 1987. One year later, Andrey, her only grandchild was born, to whom she directed her love and attention.
While living in Kiev, when she had time, she enjoyed traveling, spending time with her friends, and was a voracious reader Over time, she amassed an enormous book collection that might have been mistaken for a small library at first glance.
In 1995, Sergey and his family immigrated to the United States, and in 2002, she accepted an opportunity to immigrate and reunite with her family. Here she took on the role as the family chef, cooking exquisite, healthy meals for years.
Even in her late age she loved being active and enjoyed long walks, often up to 5 miles in length. She had a fondness for being outside, gardening (growing vegetables and berries), fishing, being surrounded by nature every chance she had, and would travel across America with her family while her health permitted On a week-long vacation, in Okoboji, she fished every single day, preparing and cooking her catches for the whole family. She was beaming with joy the entire time.
Towards her later years, she remained physically and mentally active. She learned to proficiently use a computer, learned English, and was able to pass her citizenship exam at the age of 83. Of course, she continued to read every chance she had.
She is survived by her son, Sergey Golovan; daughter-in-law, Natalia Chikovani; and grandchild, Andrey Golovan. Mariya was preceded in death by her parents, Vera Korshikova and Dimitry Korshikov; and her 4 siblings, Katya, Ivan, Peter, and Alexander.
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