Jury Azarenko

Jury Azarenko was born in St. Petersburg, Russia on 2 April 1926 to his parents Georgy and Ekaterina Osipov. He had three sisters - Aleksandra, Claudia, and Zoya, and one brother - Mikhail. At two he moved to Staraya Russa where his family lived under the Soviet regime. In 1937, Jury lost his father to the Gulag (Soviet-forced labor camp) and in 1941, lost the rest of his family during mass evacuations to the Ural Mountains during World War II. Alone at 16, Jury was taken prisoner of war by the Germans in Russia. After the war, he traveled and worked around Europe for room and board and to avoid repatriation. This is when he met his future wife and the rest of the Leicht family in a small town in Germany called Neuhof. In October 1951, Jury began his US life in New Jersey at Camp Kilmer. He had joined the US Army as a result of the Lodge-Philbin Act of 1950, a U.S. federal law which allowed for the recruiting of foreign nationals into the U.S. Armed Forces. In 1953, he served in Korea as a mines specialist and built homes for the Korean citizens. In 1955, he was stationed in Germany where he reconnected with friends and his future wife. In fall of 1956 he became a US citizen. Earlier that year, on 22 May 1956, Jury had married Sabine “Adi” Leicht who would be his wife and companion for over 60 years. Together he and his wife had four daughters, Anita and Claudia who were born in Ft. Leonard Wood, MO; Elaine at Ft. George G. Meade, MD; and Viola in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, reflecting some of the locations he served during his army career. He also served in other locations- Stuttgart and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, ending with his final tour in 1971-72 in Da Nang, Vietnam. Jury Azarenko loved the United States of America and proudly served his country. He retired from the US Army in May 1972 with 21 years of service having survived and served in three major wars. He worked his way up through the ranks from a humble non-English speaking immigrant Private to Chief Warrant Officer (CW2). After his military service, he worked for the Department of Defense in Maryland. He then finished his career at the Russian Institute in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (1987-1990). Jury retired and moved to Philomath, OR in 1990 where he enjoyed his family, doing projects, helping on the family farm (LaMancha Ranch and Orchard) and loving his little piece of heaven on earth-his home and gardens in Philomath. A passionate learner, extensive reader, and powerful observer, Jury received his BA in German from the University of Maryland in 1968, Master’s of Education from Boston University in 1970, Master’s of Science in Linguistics from Georgetown University, and his PhD from Georgetown University in 1984. Jury was known for his hearty belly laugh and his great story and joke telling. He worked and played hard, always had a project going, and loved to tinker and create gadgets and gifts for the kids and grandkids. He enjoyed hiking, swimming, skiing, playing soccer and volleyball, and gardening. He cherished celebrating all holidays and “un-birthdays” with his family and cooking special meals for family and friends. This amazing husband, Dad, Opa, and Uropa is missed. A very special expression of gratitude to all of those wonderful people who contributed to Jury’s well-being: Drs. Cosimo Storniolo, Matthew Lindberg, Lisa Cornelius and all of their team members; and the whole Evergreen Hospice family. We thank all friends of the family who supported us with prayers, kind words, and care. Jury is survived by his wife and spiritual companion Adi; daughters and sons-in-law/partners - Anita Azarenko and David Landis, Claudia and Bruce Irla, Elaine Azarenko and Rod Greenwood, and Viola and Tom Manning; grand- and great-grandchildren ñ JW Miller and Karen Pineda; Sean, Tarleen and Baeli, Frank Patrick, and Shannon Weston; Tanya Azarenko and Penelope Lynch; and Heather Weakley. The viewing of Jury will be at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Corvallis on 8 July 2016 at 9:30am. A rosary will be said at 10:30am prior to the Mass. The Funeral Mass will be held at 11am. If you wish to make a donation in the honor of Jury Azarenko, please consider the following: • St. John’s Society, 501 NW 25th St. Corvallis, OR 97330 • Samaritan Evergreen Hospice, 1046 6th Ave. SW, Albany, OR, 97321 • Paralyzed Veterans of America, National Headquarters, 801 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006-3517

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Jury Azarenko

April 2, 1926 - July 4, 2016