Obituary of Raina Georgiev

Raina (Zaharieva) Georgiev, passed away on February 14, 2018 at age 96.   Raina was born in 1921 in Bulgaria, the middle of three children.  She spent her first 40 years in Bulgaria, where she graduated from the Kyustendil Stopanska Gymnasium and a Red Cross nursing course.   In May, 1944, in a wedding officiated by 7 priests, she married her handsome beaux, Boris Georgiev, who was about to take his vows as a priest of the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church.  She lived through WW II bombings, shortages, and communist takeover and rule.  In 1961, St. Stephen Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Indianapolis appointed Boris as its parish priest, and the family, now with two daughters, moved to Indianapolis.   In this new chapter of her life, Raina learned English and joined all aspects of American life and St. Stephen’s church life.  Every Sunday after church, she entertained parishioners at her home.  From the late 60’s until 1980, she worked at L.S.Ayers & Co.  After raising her two daughters, Raina poured her love and devotion on her two adored grandsons whom she helped raise with Bulgarian traditions and language.  And she was fortunate to get to know her twin great grandchildren.  Raina made friends easily and to the end of her life maintained a wide network of “phone buddies,” some as far flung as Italy, Bulgaria, and California.  Her many friends and close family will miss her dearly.

Raina’s loving husband of 61 years, V. Rev.  Boris Georgiev, and her sister, Liliana Supundjieva, preceded her in death.  Raina is survived by daughters, Ophelia Roop, of Bloomington, IN and Lilia (Stephen) Judson of Indianapolis; grandsons, Alex (Kate) Judson of Chicago, IL and Zack Roop of Forest Falls, CA; her brother, Alexander Zahariev, of Kyustendil, Bulgaria, and twin greatgrandchildren, Luke and Piper Judson, of Chicago.