In Loving Memory of Olga Andreyevna Leontyeva

(March 25, 1930 – July 21, 2025)

With deep sorrow and abiding love, the Leontyev family announces the passing of our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and matriarch, Olga Andreyevna Leontyeva, who departed this life on July 21, 2025, at the age of 95 in Portland, Oregon.

Olga was born on March 25, 1930, in the village of Medynovka, located in what is now the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine, to Andrey and Akulina Muravitsky. Her early years were marked by profound hardship. As a small child, she lived through the devastating Holodomor—a man-made famine engineered by Soviet authorities between 1932 and 1933, which led to the deaths of millions of Ukrainians. Though she was very young at the time, this national tragedy left lasting scars on the communities of rural Ukraine, including her own. Just a few years later, her childhood was again profoundly disrupted, this time by World War II. During the war, a bomb or artillery shell destroyed her family’s home, yet—by God’s grace—they all survived.

After the war, Olga pursued studies in agriculture and trained to be a beekeeper. However, her deep Christian faith would soon place her in grave danger from the oppressive Soviet regime. In 1951 when she was just 21 years old, and at the height of Stalin’s repressions, Olga was arrested for participating in underground Christian gatherings—a courageous act during a time when religious practice was banned and believers were systematically persecuted. She was sentenced to ten years under Articles 58-10 and 54-11 of the Soviet Criminal Code, laws frequently used to imprison people for “anti-Soviet activity” or “counter-revolutionary behavior,” including religious worship.

She was sent to a labor camp in the Kirov region of Russia, part of the infamous Gulag system—forced labor camps where millions of people suffered under brutal conditions. Olga spent over three years working in logging under harsh and inhumane circumstances. She was eventually released in 1954. Decades later, in 1992, she was officially rehabilitated by the Ukrainian government—a legal process that formally overturned her conviction and acknowledged that her imprisonment had been politically motivated and unjust. This act of rehabilitation followed Ukraine’s independence and the adoption of new laws recognizing the victims of Soviet political repression. It restored her civil rights and publicly affirmed her innocence, bringing long-overdue justice and dignity to her name.

While still serving her sentence in the labor camp, Olga met her future husband, Grigory Terentievich Leontyev, who had also been imprisoned for his Christian faith but had been released earlier. A mutual friend, Kramer—who had served time alongside Olga and knew her to be a woman of strong faith and integrity—recommended her to Grigory as a worthy life partner. Moved by this recommendation, Grigory made the unusual and courageous decision to visit Olga in the camp, where they met for the first time. Their bond grew from shared convictions and a deep spiritual connection, and in 1955, after her release, they were married. Together, they went on to raise a large and faithful family. Between 1955 and 1972, Olga gave birth to ten children. Though one child passed away in infancy, nine children survive her, all living in the United States: Ivan, Andrey, Tatiana, Galina, Petro, Lyubov, Vera, Nadia, and Olga. 

Despite post-war poverty, fines for holding prayer meetings in their home, and the challenges of raising a large family under religious oppression, Olga remained steadfast in her faith and in her devotion to her children. She exemplified perseverance, humility, and unconditional love.

In 1989, as emigration opened for Soviet Jews and Christians fleeing religious persecution, Olga’s children began moving to the United States. She and her husband visited their family several times before Grigory’s passing in 2009. In 2014, after three attempts, her daughter Lyubov was finally able to bring Olga to the United States—boarding the plane just one day before the Kyiv airport closed due to the unrest surrounding the Maidan Revolution. Olga’s arrival marked a narrow escape from escalating conflict, and a new chapter of peace and family reunion in her life. She became an American citizen five years later and lived her final years in Portland, Oregon, surrounded by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who cherished her deeply.

Olga was a woman of unshakable faith and constant prayer. Her love for God and her family was the guiding force of her life. Even into her nineties, she remained alert, joyful, and spiritually grounded. She celebrated her 95th birthday with her family in March 2025. A few months later, she suffered a stroke and passed peacefully on July 21, 2025, at 3:45 p.m.

Olga leaves behind a powerful legacy: nine children, 25 grandchildren, and a total of 92 descendants across four generations living in the United States. Her life stands as a testament to faith, endurance, and unwavering love. She is also survived by her beloved sister, Anya, who shared in many of the trials and blessings of Olga’s remarkable journey.

We find comfort in the hope that she is now at peace with her Creator, whom she served so faithfully throughout her life. As her family, we are profoundly grateful for her example and will miss her deeply.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Matthew 25:21