PARISH OF THE NEW ENGLAND DIOCESE OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA
Grigory Likhter
Grigory Likhter, died unexpectedly in his home of heart failure on Thursday, March 1, 2018, in Sunapee NH. He was 55 years old.
Grigory was born on March 19, 1962, in Moscow, Russia, to Vera Likhter and Viktor Shabalin. He was raised by his mother, and he immigrated with her to New York City in 1979. As a young immigrant, Grigory was taken in by Fr. Andrew Tregubov of Holy Resurrection Orthodox church in Claremont, NH, where he did most of the chip carving for the extensive and beautiful wood interior of the church. While doing that, he had a chance to pass on his unique skill to other young men, teaching them to carve.
He then moved back to New York City, where he earned an associates degree from Parson’s School of Design, and met his future wife, Noora. In 1990, they had their son, Andrei, in NYC.
They then moved to Noora’s native country, Finland, where their daughter, Sofia, was born, in 1994. They stayed overseas for eight years, where Grigory worked as a woodcarver, designer, and builder of church interiors.
Grigory returned to the United States with his family in 2001. He was a self-employed woodcarver and carpenter, and a proud member of the League of N.H. Craftsmen. He dedicated the remainder of his days to providing for his two children, while also being a loving grandfather to Sofia’s two-year-old daughter Vera.
Having been known as a master craftsman and woodcarver, a man of history, architecture, all things cultured, and a man with a unique sense of humor, and a big, big heart, he will be deeply missed by many. May his memory be eternal!