Obituary of Svetlana R. Golinkin

Svetlana Golinkin, of East Windsor, NJ, passed on Wednesday, October 16, at St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ, at the age of 77. Svetlana was born in 1941 and spent thirty years working as a psychiatrist in Kharkov (now called Kharkiv), Soviet Ukraine. During her time as a physician she helped countless individuals from all walks of life. She could not go anywhere in the city without running into grateful patients and their family members; decades after she left Ukraine, her colleagues told her of patients asking about how she was doing. In 1989, Svetlana and her family left the Soviet Union, lived in refugee camps in Austria, and were eventually granted asylum by the United States. Her family was adopted by a Jewish community in West Lafayette, IN, and settled in New Jersey shortly after. Svetlana, who didn't speak English upon coming to the U.S., worked hard to learn the language. For fifteen years, she was employed as a security guard at South Brunswick Security, a job she adored. Employment at South Brunswick Security enabled her to once again work, contribute to society, and meet new people - her favorite things. Svetlana, above all, loved kindness and helping others. She was thrilled to contribute to her adopted land, including by volunteering at Coalition for Peace Action in Princeton, NJ. She was also a voracious reader who loved history and fantasy books, and kept both Hickory Corner Branch library and Barnes & Noble in business. Svetlana is survived by her loving husband of over 53 years, Samuel Golinkin; daughter Inna Elsner; son Lev Golinkin; son-in-law John Elsner; grandchildren Daniel and Alex Elsner; sister-in-law Emily Averbukh, niece Stella Nikhenson, and grand-nieces Julia and Nika Nikhenson. Svetlana loved animals - in lieu of flowers, the family asks you send donations to your local no-kill pet shelter. A memorial gathering will be 2-3pm on Friday October 19, 2018 at the M. David DeMarco Funeral Home, Inc. - 205 Rhode Hall Rd., Monroe Twp., NJ 08831. To plant a tree in memory of Svetlana Golinkin, please visit our Tribute Store.