Mikhail Morgulis

10/1/1941-11/16/2021 The renowned author, journalist, editor, pastor, and theologian, Mikhail Morgulis, passed away peacefully on Nov. 16th, 2021 in Venice, FL surrounded by family. Mikhail Morgulis was born in 1941 and grew up in post war Kiev, Ukraine. His father, Zinovi Morgulis, fought in WW2 and served as a reconnaissance scout and later as a military journalist. His mother, Lubov Sadanovska was a medical doctor who later joined him in the US. In 1971 Mikhail Morgulis married Tatiana Titov, a teacher, and they have three children, Valerie, Zinovi, and Nicholas. In 1972 Morgulis won a coveted award sponsored by the Ukrainian Union of Soviet Writers and the Soviet Ministry of Culture for his collection of short stories. In 1977 he emigrated from the Soviet Union, going first to Vienna and then Rome before settling in New York City and joining other active writers and artists in the so-called “Third Wave” of Soviet immigration to the US. There he wrote for The New Russian Word (Новое Русское Слово) and Russian Thought (Русская Мысль). At the same time he worked in a relief organization for Soviet immigrants. His articles and stories also appeared in the journals Continent (Континент), Time and Us (Ð'ремя и Мы), The World (Мир), The New Journal (Новый журнал) and Panorama (Панорама). He underwent a spiritual transformation to become a prominent Christian leader and was the first to broadcast Christian programs to millions of people on state-owned radio stations inside the USSR. In 1985, by an invitation from Slavic Gospel Association, he moved to Chicago where he helped establish the Slavic Gospel Press which published over 100 works in Russian and Ukrainian. This included the first Russian translations of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, as well as other works by G.K. Chesterton and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In 1990, he was one of the first Americans to broadcast Christian programming on Soviet television with a show he hosted called Back to God Hour. In 1991 he visited Russia with a delegation of American spiritual leaders where they met with the president of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, and other top ranking political figures. He led prayers in the Kremlin and in the infamous KGB headquarters, which became the basis for the New York Times best selling book, ""Praying with the KGB"", written by Philip Yancey. Mikhail continued to be an active author throughout his life. Contributing to many news outlets, writing countless short stories, and penning several books, which include ""Yearning for Paradise"" and his memoir, ""This Was All a Dream"". Later in life he became very close to the poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko and they spoke almost daily until his death in 2017. Mikhail above all else, loved people. He loved meeting new and interesting individuals. He believed in the power and potential of every person and in the truest sense was a humanist. He loved everyone for who they were and this was apparent with the thoughtful care and attention he gave people when meeting them. He led by example and built a life all his own on his own terms. His limitless energy was contagious. He was an extraordinary man who lived an extraordinary life. Mikhail lived his life with endless curiosity and positivity. He left an immeasurable impact on the lives of those he touched. His profound sense of humor and boundless charisma made him larger than life and an unforgettable figure to all that he met. Cemetery Information Date: Monday, November 22, 2021 Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Indian Spring Cemetery Address: 9500 Indian Spring Cemetery Road Punta Gorda, Florida 33950 941-764-4390 | Map