Luba Koval (nee Dowga), passed away on May 19, 2022.  Born on March 3, 1921 in Lysianka, Ukraine, Luba lived through and survived many historic events. She survived the Holodomor as a child, and in 1941 during her third year at the Kiev Institute of Technology, she was kidnapped by German soldiers and sent to Germany to be a maid and housekeeper.  In 1945, because she was in Germany, the Soviet regime considered her a traitor and she was not able to return to her home country. She was unable to see her family in Ukraine until the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953.

In Germany, she married Joseph Felcyn and they emigrated to Poland and had two children together. Luba was fluent in multiple languages and worked as an interpreter for a government maritime agency while raising her children. After Joseph's death, she raised her children as a single mother until marrying Benjamin Wertman.  After 2 years of marriage, she was widowed. A third marriage brought her to America at the age of 46 where she lived in Philadelphia with her youngest son. A fourth marriage brought her to the Lower East Side of New York City where she lived until she was 94. While living in New York she loved spending time singing in the church choir, traveling the country on bus, sewing, spending time with her friends, and searching the streets of New York and thrift shops for treasures. And of course, she always made time to hop on the bus to visit her grandchildren in South Jersey while also staying connected to her grandchildren living in Poland. Her final years were spent with her youngest son and daughter-in-law in South Jersey who lovingly cared for her in their home.

Luba is predeceased by her son Richard (Regina). She is survived by her son Zdzislaw Felcyn (Anna), her grandchildren Rafal, Kamil, Aneta, Diane and Elizabeth, and numerous great grandchildren living in the U.S and Europe.

Relatives and friends are invited to her viewing on Saturday, May 28 ^th from 9:00-10:00 AM at St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Church, 316 Cassville Road, Jackson, NJ.  A funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM and burial will follow in St. Vladimir's Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Luba Koval's honor to support UNICEF emergency humanitarian programs for children in Ukraine. https://www.unicefusa.org/?form=donate