Lev Isaakovich Soyfer, 05/23/1932 – 04/19/2024
Lev Isaakovich Soyfer passed away on April 19, 2024. Dear Father to Igor (Anna) Soyfer. Beloved grandfather of Isabella, Samuel and Jacob Soyfer.
Lev was born in Ukraine, to Isaak and Bella Soyfer. When Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in 1941, Lev and his mother evacuated by train to the city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The train journey took several weeks, the train was bombed, and Lev almost got separated from his mother at the age of 8. Lev’s father, Isaak, was enlisted into the Soviet army and went to the front lines as a war journalist. Few months after arriving in Tashkent the family received notice that he was “lost in action”.
Lev and his mother remained in Tashkent, where she worked as a doctor. After he graduated from high school, he was accepted into Tashkent State University to study psychology, which became his life’s work and greatest passion. He later became a professor there and enjoyed teaching students and conducting research on how humans perceive time and space. Lev married his first wife Bella and they had a son, Igor. When Igor was 13 years old, Bella passed away and Lev raised his son on his own with the support of family. In 1994, Lev moved to St. Louis with his son and his second wife, Mila. While he was officially retired, he continued his research on his own and enjoyed discussing his work and collaborating with several professors at Washington University of St. Louis. Lev remained a devoted father and later became a loving grandfather to his three grandchildren. He wrote a children’s book for his granddaughter and always presented their birthday greetings as short poems. He always strived to stay abreast of new developments, showed interest in the latest technology and liked to spend time in the company of young people discussing science and current events.
In lieu of flowers, contributions are preferred to a charity of your choice to support the people of Israel.
Services were held at Chevra Kadisha Cemetery in University City. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information.
