Leonid Stukalov, 91

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Leonid Stukalov died peacefully on Nov. 14. Born in 1930 in Gomel, USSR, he enjoyed a happy childhood in a large household shared by his parents Rafail and Leah (Sheyman), sister, maternal grandparents and twin uncles. At the outset of the German invasion in 1941, the uncles joined the army while the rest of the family followed Leonid’s father, an engineer at the local industrial facility, to the Ural Mountains where the plant was relocated to assist the war efforts.

After WWII, Leonid was admitted to Leningrad Institute of Construction Engineering. He earned his engineering degree in 1954, and his career brought him to locations from Siberia to Kazakhstan until he eventually settled in his native Gomel (currently in Belarus). In 1957, he married Faina Liskovich (1930–2017), also an engineer. Their six decades of marriage were marked with much love and dedication to each other.

Leonid enjoyed many hobbies in his lifetime – from his motorcycle to boating and fishing, billiards, singing and traveling. A resident of Rhode Island since 1989, he was an avid follower of politics and supporter of all things Jewish. He was a Temple Emanu-El member, and he particularly enjoyed his trip to Israel.

Leonid is survived by his sons Sam (Irina) and Michael (Marina), granddaughters Regina Stukalov (Ronny Karbunara), Ida Eleff (Michael) and Ronit Zippel (Moshe), and great-grandchildren Giuliana, Ethan, Sophia, Ori and Hadassah. He is also survived by his sister Anna Entin, her children Michael and Larisa, and their children Amy, Elliott and Emily.