Iosif Khibnik

Iosif Khibnik passed away peacefully on November 14 at the age of 92 at Cayuga Ridge in Ithaca, NY. He was an accomplished engineer and inventor who authored more than 60 patents. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.
Iosif was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1923 to Nehemiy Khibnik and Hava Kagan, the youngest of three children. The Soviet Union entered World War II the day after his high school graduation, and the following day Iosif joined the Red Army. He fought against Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1945 as an artillery officer and defied the odds by making it through the war alive.
Following the war, he returned home to attend the Kiev National University of Technologies and Design, and soon met Yevgeniya, his future wife of 65 years. He graduated in 1951 with a Masters Degree in mechanical engineering and built a successful engineering career in the former Soviet Union (modern Belarus) until retirement. In 1994, he and his wife Yevgeniya emigrated from Belarus to the USA and became residents of Ithaca, NY. Their children followed shortly with their families. Iosif made Ithaca his home despite changing continents and languages. Incapable of idleness, he studied English, wrote his memoirs, and found a new passion in woodworking. He never let language limitations prevent him from connecting with the people around him and was always quick with a joke.
Iosif is lovingly remembered by his wife Yevgeniya Khibnik, son Alexander (Victoria) Khibnik, daughter Alla (Sergey) Lukina, grandchildren Marina (Timur), Slava (Valentina), Lena (Daniel) and Irina (Alexey), as well as three great granddaughters. The family would like to thank his long-time physicians Dr. Adam Law and Dr. Elisabeth Cotton for their excellent care, and the nurses, aides and staff at Longview and Cayuga Ridge for their care and compassion in the last years and months of his life. There will be a celebration of his life at the home of Alla and Sergey Lukin on Saturday, November 21, from 1 PM to 3 PM.