PARISH OF THE NEW ENGLAND DIOCESE OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA
Vera and Semion Tregubov
Semion L. Tregubov, 94, died on April 25, 2007, at Haven Healthcare in Claremont, NH.
He was born on June 29, 1912, in the small Russian town of Trubchevsk, the son of Lev and Rebecca Tregubov. After graduating from high school, he was accepted at a school of music, but after a year of study, was unable to continue because his family could not afford the tuition.
In 1931, Semion Tregubov moved to Moscow, where he worked for the railroad in various positions and attended a technical college. In 1934, he entered a major vocal competition and took 1st place. But in spite of this honor, and although he was working, he could not escape the military draft. During his two years of military service he was put in charge of amateur theater and music productions to entertain the soldiers. Because he also sang in the productions that he directed, his talent was recognized and, in 1936, he was ordered back to Moscow to study voice at the Moscow Conservatory. He remained there for six years.
At the completion of his studies, he was qualified both to sing professionally and to teach at the conservatory level. He was sent to the capital of Moldova, Kishinev, where he performed with the Philharmonic Orchestra, on the radio, and in the Opera, while at the same time teaching at the local conservatory. During 1946 and 1947, he performed the part of Eugene in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin numerous times.
Later in 1947, Professor returned to Moscow and assumed a full-time position at the National Institute for the Performing Arts. In his 30 years there, he received several honorary degrees, among them a Doctor of Music degree and the title of Full Professor. He remained with the National Institute for the Performing Arts until his retirement in 1977. In the same year, he and his wife, a retired actress Vera Enyutin, immigrated to America to live with their son and his family.
Professor Tregubov has lived in Claremont for twenty years, generously contributing his time and knowledge to help people who love to sing.
Professor Tregubov’s family includes his son, V. Rev. Andrew Tregubov, pastor of the Orthodox Church in Claremont, his daughter-in-law Galina Tregubov, grandson Timothy Tregubov, of Hanover, NH, granddaughter Anna Tregubov-DuMoulin, of Warner, NH, and great-granddaughter Nika DuMoulin, in addition to a few relatives in Russia.
The Funeral Service will be celebrated at 9:30 AM on Tuesday, May 1st, in the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Claremont. Graveside service will follow in Mountain View Cemetery in Claremont, NH.
Note from the Family
We want to share a few words and some feelings on the loss of our dear Grandpa. Semion passed away very peacefully, falling asleep in the Lord while we were at his bedside and his son was reading the prayers.
With tears, we witness the amazing impact of prayers on a laboring soul that was passing the threshold of eternity. We saw what we prayed for when we asked God to grant us "a Christian ending to our life, painless, blameless, peaceful." Grandpa wasn't suffering. Still, his breathing was hard, like he was climbing a mountain, and the prayers--word after word--were comforting and relaxing. He couldn't speak, but looked at his son with apparent intensity and understanding, then closed his eyes, and his breath slowly became as quiet as a baby's. And a few minutes later, it disappeared like a last tiny puff of the wind. His face remained quiet, peaceful, and beautiful... He has left.
For us, his family, who stayed behind, it was a near Paschal experience--grief and sorrow mixed with hope and joy. If we hadn't been the believers during that last hour at Grandpa's bed, we would have become ones because something extraordinary, something beyond all understanding and imagination, manifested itself and touched our hearts. Like on a stormy day, a ray of sunlight suddenly strikes from behind a heavy cloud only to disclose a tiny bit of a bright, bright blue sky, though for a short moment...
God is so merciful and loving. And why are we always so untrustful, fearful, and stressed out? If only we could calm down for a moment and give Him a chance to act. Then He would. For a couple of weeks before Grandpa's passing, when our entire family was tired and stressed, and didn't realize what was coming to Grandpa, his guardian angel mercifully stepped in and "arranged" everything in the right way. He even "scheduled" the last "accidental" visits of Semion's friends, his children, grandchildren, and great-grandbaby Nika. His last lovingly spoken words and a smile were addressed to her precisely 24 hours before his final prayer...
On behalf of our Grandpa, we, his family, express our heartfelt gratitude to all our friends who were so kind, caring, and loving to him! God rest Semion's soul and make his memory eternal!
Vera (Enyutina) Tregubov was born in Samarkand, Imperial Russia, in April 3, 1914, and had two older brothers, Andrew and Slava. Her father, Vyacheslav A. Enyutin, was a Russian language and literature teacher and later a dean of the faculty of children’s education at the Academy of Communist Education. Her mother, Dina G. Radovskaya, was a librarian.
When Vera was five years old, the family moved to Moscow. In the capital, Vera graduated from high school and an automotive technical school. After working for a year in the shops of the capital’s automotive factory, the girl entered the acting department of the State Institute of Theatrical Art.
In 1937, the young actress graduated from the institute and was enrolled in the staff of the Revolution Theater, where for five years, she took part in performances based on the plays of Shakespeare, Lope de Vega, and contemporary authors. Later, Enyutina served on the stage of the Central Theater of the Red Army and the Moscow Drama Theater.
When WWII began, the actress refused to be evacuated and joined the militia ranks as a member of the concert group that was moving with the soviet troops performing for them. During the fighting on the capital’s outskirts, Vera’s regiment was captured by the Nazis. In a few days, the brave girl managed to escape from captivity. She hid in the occupied town of Kaluga for some time and then miraculously returned home to Moscow.
A brief stay in Nazis captivity left an indelible mark on her later career. Cultural functionaries continually treated Vera with undisguised suspicion of her treachery. The war divided her life into “before” and “after.” In the post-war period, Vera Enyutina undeservedly experienced a shortage of roles, but she managed to turn even a forced downtime in her career into a point of growth. The talented actress was looking for and found new ways to realize her talent.
Vera came to the cinema in the mid-1950s. The few heroines whom she was lucky to perform resembled the actress herself in character: the same down-to-earth women of unbending will and great courage.
The first role of Enyutina is associated with the drama “Freemen,” which tells about the difficult fate of the working class people in Crimea at the end of the 19th—beginning of the 20th century. The artist appeared in it in the role of a peasant woman Praskoveya.
In 1961, she appeared in 2 popular films. First, the audience noticed Vera in the musical movie “Free Wind.” There she starred as the characteristic heroine of the second plan, Clementine. In parallel, the actress starred in the drama “Cossacks” based on the work of the same name by Leo Tolstoy. In the film adaptation, she got the role of the Cossack woman Ulita.
In the late 1960s, Vera was on the set of the military-historical tape “The Adjutant of His Excellency.” Unfortunately, due to biased censorship, almost all episodes with her participation were cut out and, as a result, not included in the picture.
Enyutina’s unspent creative energy was always looking for a way out. At various times, she worked as part of the All-Union Touring and Concert Association and in the theater department of the Central House of Culture of Railway Workers, performed on the stage, did voice acting, and taught.
Almost immediately after WWII ended, the actress got a job on the radio. Since she possessed unique voice quality, she could combine work in the children’s, music, and literature departments. Vera hosted the most famous radio projects: “Good morning!” and “The Moment of Silence.”
The artist entered into marriage twice. Her first husband was a professor at Moscow State University Viktor Zubov. In this union, a son was born, named after his father, Victor. For the second time, Enyutina married vocalist Semion Tregubov and gave birth to her youngest son Andrew.
In 1977, Vera left the USSR with her husband to reunite with her sons and settle in the United States of America. There, the actress did not have the opportunity to act; therefore, with her characteristic energy, she devoted herself to a new business. She implemented a unique project to preserve and popularize the best samples of world literature for adults and children through audio recordings. To listeners of the “library on cassettes,” Enyutina presented herself as a storyteller Baba Vera.
Vera Enyutina died in Claremont NH on November 4, 1992. She left behind a book of memoirs, “Roles and Life,” and the audio achieve of three hundred recordings with her inimitable voice. Her free YouTube channel is still top-rated and gets many appreciative comments. Memory Eternal, dear Baba Vera!