Obituary of Viktor Iosif Berlyand

Viktor Iosif Berlyand passed away peacefully at the age of 90 on Sunday, January 31, 2021 in State College, PA.

Viktor was born on October 26, 1930 in Kharkiv, USSR (now Ukraine) to Yosef Veniaminovich Berlyand and Valentina Ruvimovna Kusher. Viktor graduated his high school as the valedictorian, and went on to earn a Master of Science Degree with Honors in Mechanical Engineering from the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute. Upon graduation, Viktor worked in the turbine industry until his retirement in 1996. Viktor pioneered a new technology that greatly increased the life span of steam turbines across the USSR. For this work he was awarded a Ph.D. in engineering. Viktor truly enjoyed his professional career and colleagues, and 25 years later his co-workers continue to remember him fondly for his support and guidance.

In 1996 Viktor and his wife Mayya moved to the US and dedicated their next chapter to raising their grandchildren. Viktor was an avid reader, enjoying a wide range of books from poetry to science and history. His many friends and their family members always loved talking to him and learning from him.

Viktor's strength and resilience were remarkable. He survived Stalin's purges in 1937 when as a young boy he lost his father and was expelled from the city. He went on to be part of a mass evacuation to Siberia during World War II, and persevered through the notorious persecutions of Stalin's times. He immigrated to a new country and culture at the age 66 to join his son Leonid and his growing family in the US.

Viktor was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 51 years, Mayya Berlyand. They met while on a hiking trip in 1956, it was love at first sight, and they married three months later. Viktor is survived by his loving family including his son Leonid Berlyand and wife Diana Berlyand, his three grandchildren, Stas Berlyand, Ella Seitz (Berlyand) and Yosef Berlyand, and his two great-granddaughters, Arielle Berlyand and Talia Berlyand.

Viktor will always be remembered as a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and a great friend.

An outdoor graveside service will be held on Thursday, January 4th at 2pm at the Centre County Memorial Park. A virtual option will be available. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at give.bcrf.org.