YANINA YAKOVLEVNA PROKOPOVICH CELEBRATED HER 100TH ANNIVERSARY
The doors didn’t close in the hospitable house of Yanina Yakovlevna on the 7th of January. A lovely, kind-hearted and open-minded woman took congratulations. She was wished strong health, warmth of the surrounding people and high spirit by the chief of management on labour, employment and social security Natalya Anatolyevna Kushelevich, the chairperson of the district council of veterans Nelly Kazimirovna Pushnenkova and also friends with whom she sang in Catholic church and, of course, the nearest and dearest. They came to Voronovo from America, Poland, Lithuania to celebrate the holiday together with their favourite mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother.
Yanina was born on the bright holiday of Christmas 100 years ago in the small village of Chegliki. The girl might have been the happiest in the world. But the fate decided otherwise…
Yanina Yakovlevna grew up in a large family with 12 children. It was difficult for the parents to bring them up but it was more difficult to bury six of them. These were not the last losses in the family. The father passed away on the first day of the war. He like other men was sent to the airfield to haul sand. While returning home he was hit by bombing and died. After the war when they could live and enjoy every new day, the trouble came again to the house of Yanina Vakovlevna – the unknown killed her husband Stanislav. She had to bring up her daughter Danuta, who was only three months, alone.
The life was getting better. The woman got married for the second time. Son Yan was born. Her husband Victor was a shoemaker as they say from God. He repaired shoes on conscience. His wife Yanina was also a good craftswoman. She had worked at the bakery in Voronovo for all her life and enjoyed baking bread and rolls. At home she pleased her loved with fragrant cakes, appetite sausages. Their taste as the relatives consider is the taste of their childhood. Besides she succeeded in household, fed domestic animals and kept the kitchen garden in order. Yanina Yakovlevna was not afraid of any work. She spent much time and strength on building her own house. Hard work is the secret of her long age, as the woman confirmed.
And relatives couldn’t but admire their dear person. – She taught us the main thing in life – to believe in God and be good people.
Marina Kondratovich
translated by Zinaida Tserpitskaya
