Tatiana Mihailovna Somov

Tatiana Mihailovna Somov (1901-2002)

— by Archpriest Andrey Somow (edited)

Somov may be spelt Somow.

Early life of Tatiana Mihailovna Bourda

On 27 September, 1901, Tatiana Mihailovna Bourda, was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia (at that time, the Russian Empire).

Tatiana was the youngest child of 3 in the family of Dr. Michael and Claudia Bourda (born Houdsinski). The family lived in Odessa, by the Black Sea, in Ukraine (at that time, in the Russian Empire). Her father was a renowned physician with a large medical practice in the city. He also taught internal medicine at the local university.

From the age of 4, Tatiana was educated at home by 3 tutors : Russian, French and German. In order to enhance fluency in these 3 languages, all members of the family spoke French on Mondays and Tuesdays ; German on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and Russian the rest of the week. In this manner, Tatiana learned these 3 languages in her childhood.

Revolution ; marriage ; exile, 1917-1920

Tatiana graduated from high school (“gymnasium”) in 1918, during the turmoil of the Bolshevik Revolution, just prior the siege of Odessa by the Red Army for the first time.

The older generation of the Bourda family fled to Istanbul in Turkey. Tatiana did not follow them. Instead, since she was in love, she got engaged to a junior lieutenant from the Russian Imperial Air-force, and followed him to the air-base at Simferopol, in Crimea.

In 1919, the White Army pushed the Bolsheviks out of Odessa, and the Bourdas returned back from Istanbul just in time to bless Tatiana to marry her fiancé, the lieutenant Ivan Y Musatov. The newlyweds then moved back to Simferopol, where he was stationed with his squadron. In effect, Tatiana followed her husband to war.

In early 1920, the Bolsheviks occupied Odessa for the second time, and the Bourdas fled again to Istanbul. In the meantime, in Simferopol, Tatiana gave birth to her first child, a son named Alexey, in memory of the Prince Alexey, the son of the last Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II. In October, 1920, little Alexey and his parents Ivan and Tatiana were evacuated by the French navy amongst the thousands of members of the White Army under General Anton Denikin, after they were forced to give up the last piece of Crimean territory to the overwhelming forces of the Red Army.

Constantinople ; Czechoslovakia

Ivan, Tatiana Musatov, and their son Alexy arrived in Istanbul, and connected there with Tatiana’s parents. Her brother Vsevolod, forced by the events to leave his wife Sophia and daughter Helen in Moscow (in the newly-established Soviet Union) joined them, too. Later, he moved to France where, by that time, their sister Natalia and her husband had already settled. Vsevolod’s family, by God’s mercy, were able to come to France, too.

In the years after the emigration, the hundreds of thousands of Russian refugees who found themselves in Turkey began to spread all over Europe, and later, over the whole world. Tatiana and her husband Ivan received both the "landed immigrant status", and scholarships from the Czechoslovakian government. They then went to Prague to study at one of the universities. Tatiana chose to become a lawyer, her husband, an engineer. The son, Alexey, stayed in Istanbul with the grandparents.

After some time, when Tatiana became pregnant again, she decided to travel to her parents in Istanbul.

Her second son, Andrey, was born there, in 1923. Later, she returned to Prague in order to continue her studies. It was quite common amongst the Russian emigrants in those days that the grandparents would take over the responsibility of bringing up their grandchildren, in order to provide an opportunity for their grown married children to get the so-necessary education in the new homeland.

In Istanbul, the Bourda family included Dr. Michael Bourda, his wife Claudia, her sister Emily, and 2 nannies, who took the responsibility for the care of the grandsons Alexey and Andrey.

Further stress ; divorce

Everything seemed to work well ; however, in 1924, the Turkish government decided to expel most of the Russian immigrants from the country. The Bourda family moved to Romania, to the city of Kishenev (now in Moldova). Shortly after this relocation, Dr. Bourda had a heart-attack and he reposed in the Lord. His widow, Claudia, took her grandsons Alexey and Andrey, and her sister Emily, and together they moved to Paris, France, into the house of her son Vsevolod.

Meanwhile, Tatiana and her husband were still studying at the university, and they were not able to take their children home. Already there were signs that their marriage might not survive. Eventually, they separated and they were later divorced. According to the judgement, the custody of their children was divided between them. The custody of Alexey was passed to the father, and that of Andrey to the mother.

Tatiana moved from Prague to Bratislava (Slovakia), where she began working in the library, and she was able to bring Andrey from Paris to her newly established home in 1929. However, this reunion did not last long. Tatiana became ill with tuberculosis, and she was treated in a special hospital for a quite long time. Her son Andrey was admitted into a Russian Residential School in Moravska Trebova in the Czech Lands. He later moved with the school to Prague, and he graduated from the high school (“gymnasium”) in June of 1941, two weeks before WW II broke out there.

Second marriage, 1938 ; move to Slovakia, 1951 ; widowhood, 1984

Tatiana remarried in 1938. Her second husband, Pavel O Somov, a civil engineer by profession, moved from job to job throughout the country of Slovakia, since he was building bridges, dams and roads.

In 1951, the family finally established permanent residence in Bratislava, Slovakia. They lived there until Pavel’s death in 1984.

By that time, her son Andrey had become well-established in Canada. He and his family had arrived in Canada as refugees, having fled Czechoslovakia in 1968, while the country was being occupied by Soviet forces.

While he was working in Ottawa, Ontario, he was ordained to the Holy Diaconate in 1974. He eventually had been able to work for the Canadian Government in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Emigration to Canada, 1985

When Tatiana became a widow in 1984, Deacon Andrey successfully sponsored his mother's immigration, and she arrived in Canada in late November, 1985. She arrived first in Montréal, Québec, where she spent a day with her elder son Alexey. Then she flew on to Vancouver, where she was met by her son, Deacon Andrey, and his wife, Henriette. Due to the fact that she was almost blind because of cataracts, she relied heavily on her white cane while being escorted out of the plane by a flight attendant and into the embrace of her son after a separation of 17 years.

Canada was a real blessing for Mrs. Somov. During her first year in the country, she got rid of the cataracts through surgeries in Surrey, British Columbia, after which she received a second chance at living a productive life. Suddenly, she was able to read again, and to follow news broadcasts on TV, of which she had been deprived a few years prior to her arrival. She was also now able to admire the wonderful scenery in British Columbia.

Soon afterwards, she made several friends, particularly within the Russian community in Vancouver, as well as in the neighbourhood. She enjoyed the Divine Services at the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church in Vancouver, which she attended whenever her family were present. She also had the opportunity to visit Expo 1986. At that time, she actually had the opportunity to see the whole world gathered together in one place (as it were).

Tatiana Mihailovna Somov became a Canadian citizen in September, 1989, in the same year that her son was elevated to the dignity of protodeacon. One can say that it was almost like a gift for her 88th birthday. She began to enjoy her new life, which was filled with exploration, excitement, the goodwill of people around her, and love. When one would visit her in the home of her son, one would encounter a woman of refinement, of generous hospitality and kindness, of active intelligence and keen perception, of genuine interest in other persons, of a lively sense of humour. This sort of person, female or male, has become increasingly rare. Perhaps the epithet “last of the Mohicans” that has been applied to her might include such personal characteristics as these, as well as her personal experience in life.

However, as time progressed, and as Tatiana Somov grew older, she became very fragile. After having several falls while in her late nineties, she became disabled. In 1996, she fractured her left hip, and in 1998, the right one. The second fracture was especially severe, and she spent seven weeks at Vancouver General Hospital. During this time, she lost a lot of weight and she almost died. Thanks be to God, she survived this ordeal, and she was admitted to the Brock Fahrni Extended Care facility in Vancouver.

In November, 1999, Father Andrey retired as rector of the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Sobor in Vancouver. He moved his mother from Vancouver to Surrey, where he and his family had lived for many years. Later, she was admitted to the Surrey Memorial Hospital Extended Care Unit, and after that she was moved into the Dainard Pavilion of the hospital on 1 June, 2000.

Tatiana Somov then spent the last 2½ years of her long life in this facility. The nursing staff strove to provide her the best care possible, so as to keep her happy and comfortable while maintaining a sense of dignity. It was in this challenging environment that Tatiana began to learn to speak English, and to acquire her fourth language at a time when she had great difficulty seeing !

Like children of similar Russian families of that day, Tatiana was formed in and by the life of the Orthodox Church. She raised her family in a similar way, as much as the turmoil of the times would permit. As she knew by heart throughout all her life many melodies, prayers and liturgical texts, so it was with her son Andrey. Since life in the Church was part of her nature, so it was with her son. For instance, as a child he was taken by her to church in Bratislava, in Slovakia. There, he started serving in the Altar, and he became an altar-boy. There, he served for Igumen Nikon (de Grève), who later became the Archbishop of Toronto and Canada for the “Metropolia” (now the OCA).

A brief summary of life in Vancouver

To repeat the important details : in Tatiana M Somov, there was a characteristic combination of elegance, noble manners, hospitality, interest in those around, and awareness of world affairs ; a strong character, practicality and a sense of humour. All this was in evidence as she attended the Divine Liturgy during the parish Altar Feast-Day of Holy Resurrection Church in Vancouver. She sat attentively in her wheel-chair during the Divine Liturgy, and then at the dinner afterwards. On this day, the parish marked her 100th year. Elegantly dressed, she was fêted and toasted by both those who knew her, and by those who had just met her. She responded to comments in all her 4 languages ; she directed the singing during the prayers, and she expressed her gratitude to all. On departing from this occasion, she and Anatole E Portnoff (a parishioner with a similar history), exchanged greetings in Russian, and, in parting, touchingly kissed each other’s hands. The celebration of her 100th birthday reflects on the life of many thousands of Russian emigrants, and it encompasses the whole era of Russian history of the 20th century.

Tatiana was one of only a few Russians still living at that time, who had seen with their own eyes the last Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II and members of his family, and now, the renewal of her native land, and even the glorification of this Emperor and his family in 2000.

Repose, 2002

On 31 December, 2002, Tatiana Mihailovna Somov peacefully fell asleep in the Lord.

On Tuesday, 7 January, 2003, at 6:00 p.m., at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Vancouver, a Parastas (Memorial Service) was served by the Archpriest Michael Fourik.

On Wednesday, 8 January, 2003, at 10:00 a.m., the Funeral Service for the Burial of a Lay-person was served at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Vancouver by Archpriest Michael Fourik.

After the conclusion of the funeral services, the body of Tatiana M Somov was taken to Valley View Memorial Gardens in Surrey, British Columbia, for interment. Kearney Funeral Services was in charge of arrangements.

Tatiana Mikhailovna Somov was predeceased by her husband Pavel Somov and her daughters-in-law Georgette and Hedviga. She was survived by her sons Alexei and Andrey, her daughter-in-law Henrietta, and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Grave-marker

Reflections

Tatiana Mikhailovna Somov had lived a very long and productive life. After her death, her son, the Archpriest Andrey Somow, heard some people say that she was indeed the “last of the Mohicans” of Pre-Revolution Russia. This is true enough, for she was born in 1901, raised and educated during the time of Imperial Russia, left her homeland as a refugee in 1920 ; and, for the most part, she had lived as a Russian emigrant in what was formerly Czechoslovakia, before coming to Canada.

When Tatiana Mikhailovna fell asleep in the Lord, she was over 101 years old. She had almost reached the age of the Queen Mother Elizabeth, whom she admired so very much.

May God be merciful to her soul, and may her memory be eternal !