VIRGINIA BEACH -Marina Veniaminovna Ponizovskaya, 84, died at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital on January 10 following a prolonged illness.
She was a model of intellect, humanity, resilience, and dedication.
She was born Marina Solomonik on April 23, 1939 in Moscow, USSR. In 1941, during World War II, when Germans were advancing to Moscow, Marina, her sister, and their mother were evacuated to Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Women, children, and elderly were packed for two weeks in a cattle car, with little food and no sanitation. In Uzbekistan, which was overrun by evacuees, the family barely survived near starvation, disease, and lack of sanitation. In 1944, the family returned to Moscow.
Marina graduated from high school in 1956 with the gold medal for the highest academic achievement. In 1961, she graduated at the top of her class from the Moscow Institute of Construction Engineering as a civil engineer. In 1961, she married Solomon Ponizovskiy, and the family started their life’s journey building a new city, Zelenograd, a special administrative division of Moscow. Marina was in charge of supervising construction, operation and maintenance of an underground water supply and sewer lines, including residential high-rise buildings, industrial plants, schools, hospitals, and department stores.
Having witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of the lack of running water and sanitation, Marina was passionate about her job. Marina was a well-respected industry leader. She knew every building in Zelenograd, because she helped to build it.
After 35 years of tireless service to her profession and her thriving city, Marina retired. In 1995, Marina and Solomon immigrated to the United States, where they reunited with the family of their daughter, Yuliya, and Marina’s sister, Tamara.
Marina loved living in the United States. She liked the friendliness of people, warm weather, sunshine, the ocean, and how clean everything was.
Marina had a sharp mind and boundless energy. She made friends easily and was always ready to help. She spoke English very well, often helping her Russian-speaking friends with everyday tasks and endless paperwork. She learned to drive in her late fifties – and loved it!
Above all, Marina was completely dedicated to her family. As a grandmother (babushka), she enormously contributed to raising her grandson while taking care of the entire family. These were her most important duties.
Marina’s last years were plagued by multiple health problems, partly stemming from a severe COVID infection in 2021. But she was tough. Marina survived against all odds and lived for another three years, though these years were mostly full of pain.
Marina is survived by her daughter Yuliya Dobrydneva (Boris) and the light of her life, her grandson, Ilya Dobrydnev (Casey). She was predeceased by her parents, Berta and Veniamin Solomonik, her husband Solomon Ponizovskiy, her sister Tamara Solomonik, and her nephew, Mikhail Solomonik.
May Marina’s memory be a blessing to her family and friends.