Anatoly Gregory Rubchinsky, 85, of Overland Park, Kansas, died Monday, Jan. 25, 2022.
Funeral services were held Sunday, Jan. 30, at The Louis Memorial Chapel, 6830 Troost Ave., Kansas City, MO 64131. Burial followed in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Born to Clara (Chiya Yiska Lubovna Katz) and Gregory "Gresha" Rubchinsky on Nov. 4, 1936, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, during the Soviet Union, Anatoly's birth coincided with extreme political repression and severe famine. At the age of nine, Anatoly and his family moved to the capital city of Kyiv. As a young adult, he earned his degree as a telephone communication specialist.
After finishing his studies at 17 years old, Anatoly had to serve compulsory service in the Soviet military and, as a private, was sent to Kazakh in the now known "Virgin Lands Campaign," where he developed pneumonia. After recuperating, he was reassigned as a communication specialist for the entire Soviet Navy Black Sea Fleet command center station in the Sevastopol Naval Base in the Crimean region. Anatoly was assigned to serve in a Soviet-era submarine.
Anatoly was honorably discharged in 1959. He then moved to Kyiv, where he met 22-year-old Tatyana Tolpina at a neighborhood party; it was love at first sight, and he quickly married his beloved wife of 62 years in 1960.
In 1961, Anatoly and Tatyana gave birth to their eldest son, Igor. Anatoly continued his education in Kyiv, where he earned a master's degree in electromechanical engineering. Anatoly worked for the Soviet-era Engineering Bureau on various assignments during this time. In 1974, Anatoly welcomed his second son, Konstantin.
At the age of 43, in 1979, he moved his multi-generation family from the Soviet Union and was embraced in the United States as a refugee. Anatoly immigrated to Kansas City with his wife, two sons, father and mother-in-law, and 93-year-old grandmother-in-law.
As the head of the household, speaking little-to-no English, Anatoly walked the streets of Kansas City, specifically Troost Avenue (where the family lived), going door-to-door and inquiring about work. Finally, upon learning of his profession, he met a man who referred him to Mobay Chemical Corporation, where he worked for a few years. He finally procured employment with the Pritchard Corporation (a subsidiary of Black & Veatch). During his tenure, he earned his Professional Engineering licensure by self-studying. Anatoly retired at the age of 65.
In 1985, Anatoly and the entire family that emigrated from the Soviet Union achieved the “American Dream” and became citizens of the United States. During this time and after, Anatoly passed on what he had learned and helped many other Jewish refugees adapt to American life.
Anatoly passed one day after his 62nd wedding anniversary. His loving wife of 62 years survives him; in addition, his sons and daughters-in-law, Igor Rubchinsky, and his wife, Claudia Chavez, of Chicago, Illinois; and Konstantin and Lisa Rubchinsky, of New York City, New York. He is also survived by grandchildren Gunner Gosling and Naomi Sky Rubchinsky; his loving nieces Freda and Lara, their husbands Eduard and Boris, and their loving children; and his half-brother Semyon. Anatoly is preceded in death by his sister Fera.
Online condolences for the family may be left at louismemorialchapel.com
