Olga Petrovna Ryabinina

Olga Ryabinina (born Korotkova) passed away surrounded by her family on March 31 after a battle with multiple heart attacks. She grew up in the town Dzerzhinsky (Moscow Region, USSR) as a studious child deeply caring about this world and her family. She received her equivalent of MS/MD in medical biochemistry from the Medico-Biological Department in Moscow Medical University. 

While at school, she married Andrey and started a family, giving birth to two sons,

Stepan and Peter. Olga and Andrey were married for 41 years. Living an incredibly active lifestyle, Olga found time for everything: family, work and exploring culture and nature. Deeply committed to advancing science, she worked as a molecular biologist first at the Gamaleya Research Institute for Microbiology, and, after moving to the USA, at the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, and later, at Oregon Health & Science University. During her 34 years in science, she contributed to over 10 peer-reviewed publications on topics ranging from infectious diseases to cancer research and basic neuroscience. She regretted that her advancing lupus made it extremely difficult to work in the lab, but this did not stop her from having an unprecedentedly active life.  

Olga selflessly cared about others and helped people around her, not only her family, but also neighbors, colleagues, classmates and simply people she met. She stood strong for democratic and liberal values, justice, peace, and was not afraid to express her opinions at rallies. Olga excelled at so many things in her life that it is difficult to list them all: piano, metalworking, photography, Japanese watercolor, cooking (she was famous for her baking), gardening, birdwatching, hiking, mushroom hunting, kayaking and cross-country skiing. She completed courses in Spanish and Portuguese, introduced her family to archery, scuba diving (she logged in 59 dives) and dancing (she danced waltz, foxtrot, tango, samba, swing, salsa, casino rueda, bachata 2-4 times a week). Olga regularly volunteered at the Japanese Garden. She was an erudite and was an endless source of knowledge about animals and plants. She was an avid reader, frequented classical concerts and opera, but also knew sports, especially biathlon, soccer and hockey. She loved animals and constantly took care of dogs and/or cats at home. She enjoyed traveling and explored Greece, Italy, Japan, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Canada, Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Mexico and Australia. Her trips and exploits were often adventurous, and sometimes risky. Olga was contagious in her hunger for life, and would want us all to also be active, brave and adventurous.

Celebration of Olga’s life will start at 4PM on April 8th at her home and garden: 4014 SW Comus Street, Portland. To say that Olga loved flowers would be an understatement, but in lieu of flowers please consider donating to Lupus Foundation of America (www.lupus.org).

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