Yelena A. Gurfinkel
Thursday, February 15, 1951
Date of Death:
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Age:
74 years old
Memorial Service
Date: Sunday January 04, 2026
Time: 11:00 am
Location: B'nai Israel Synagogue
Live Stream
To watch the service for Yelena, please click HERE
Thursday, February 15, 1951
Date of Death:
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Age:
74 years old
Thursday, February 15, 1951
Date of Death:
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Age:
74 years old
Yelena A. Gurfinkel
Yelena A. Gurfinkel
February 15, 1951 – November 13, 2025
Yelena Gurfinkel passed away on Thursday, November 13th, 2025 in Mayo Clinic’s St. Mary’s Hospital where she was receiving care for a brain tumour. She was 3 months shy of her 75th birthday.
Yelena was born in Ukraine in 1951 and spent her early childhood in Kiev surrounded by the warmth and love of her grandmother. After moving to Moscow she worked for many years by her father’s side at the Central Institute of Mechanical Engineering until coming to the US in 1996. She was determined to make a life for herself in a new country despite immigrating at the age of 45 with a limited grasp of language and culture, and she has done exactly that. She started at Columbia Sportswear Company rising from a data entry position to a planning analyst, carrying her talents forward to United Healthcare where she became a highly respected business analyst. A common thread can be seen throughout her entire career: she treated everyone with kindness and patience, always trying to build people up.
After arrival to the US, she could openly practice Judaism which her beloved grandmother could only dream of. She embraced her Jewish faith as both a devoted student and a dedicated teacher, while always maintaining an open mind and heart to the wisdom of other religions.
As dedicated as she was to her work and religious studies, she loved her family and adored her grandchildren. It is hard to find a more doting and proud mother and grandmother.
She is survived by her son, Alexander (Lindsay Howell), 2 grandchildren (Peter and George) and her sister Vera in Moscow, Russia.
We miss you, Baba…
A memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m. Sunday, January 4, 2026 at B’nai Israel Synagogue, 150 7th Avenue SW, Rochester, MN 55902. Please consider a donation to your local food shelf in Yelena’s memory. To view the service online please click HERE
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Condolences
The family of Yelena A. Gurfinkel has received the following condolences.
Lenochka was my dearest friend. We spent so much time together enjoying endless conversations about our childhood, exchanging recipes, and sharing fun life stories. She had a beautiful artistic gift for finding just the right color for every occasion, always making life look brighter and more beautiful.
She was a loving mother and grandmother—one of the kind that not everyone is blessed to have. Her family meant the world to her, and she gave every piece of her heart to warm and care for those she loved.
I want to express my deepest condolences to her family for this painful and unexpected loss. Lenochka’s bright spirit, kindness, and warmth will always be remembered.
I met Lena many years ago in Moscow—she was the older sister of my close friend. From the very beginning, we all looked at her with admiration. She was always beautiful, smiling, and filled with an incredible, almost unstoppable energy.
Life later took us to different countries—she to the USA and me to Canada—but in some way that distance brought us closer. We spoke more, connected more, and shared a bond that felt natural and meaningful. Lena was smart, witty, a devoted mother, and above all, a truly kind and beautiful soul.
I will miss our conversations deeply and will always remember her warmth and light. My heart goes out to her family and friends during this painful time.
I met Yelena in 2016 trough my Spiritual Counseling work. We became friends and we would talk at least once a month. I found her to be a very beautiful soul. Kind, loving, happy and generous. I will miss her and the times we talked together, also the warm and love that she shared with her family and friends. My deepest condolences to her family.