Fr. Valery Karpukhin, the rector of the Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Krasnaya Gorka, Kazan, departed to the Lord, having suffered from COVID. He left behind his wife, Matushka Yanina, and their two daughters. 

He accomplished much during his 6 years as rector. He would stay late at the church working together with the parishioners. He treated the church with a special awe, and you could even say, zeal. If he saw that something wasn’t quite right, he would fix it or redo it. He was very hardworking and loved his parish and all the parishioners, taking special care of all of them. Father always listened to them, gave them advice, and comforted them when they were down. 

Fr. Valery started feeling unwell after getting home from church in the evening of October 11. He had a fever of 100.5, and took some medicine, thinking it was the common cold. He was tested for COVID in the morning, and by that evening he found out he was positive. Doctors prescribed some antiviral medication for him to take at home. 

That evening, Matushka got sick too. And on October 13, Matushka’s birthday, the children also got sick. 

On Saturday, October 16, they called the ambulance, as he wasn’t getting any better. When the ambulance arrived, they said they could hear Father wheezing, and they took him to the hospital. Matushka also wound up in the hospital a week later, and Fr. Valery kept getting worse every day. 

Matushka Yanina was discharged from the hospital on the afternoon of October 26, and by that night, Fr. Valery was transferred to the ICU and connected to a ventilator, as if that day he took on the whole burden of the disease by himself. He was there for two weeks. Everyone hoped for the best and believed Father would get better. But alas… 

Fr. Valery reposed on November 9, 2021, at 6:30 in the morning. He was only 36.  

The future priest Fr. Valery was born on September 19, 1985, in the city of Kazan. He was raised by his mother. 

His wife recalls:

“Father and I got married on November 25, 2005. Our first daughter Ekaterina was born on June 30, 2006. He was ordained a deacon on August 17, 2008, in the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Kazan and appointed to serve at the Raifa Monastery of the Mother of God, where he was ordained to the priesthood on September 4, 2014.”

On September 28, 2015, he was appointed as rector of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kazan. When he and his wife arrived at the church, they couldn’t even have imagined how much work awaited them. Matushka was worried they wouldn’t be able to handle it. “Everything will be fine, just pray,” Fr. Valery told her. She would work in the church trapeza and always drove Father everywhere he needed to go.

The church was in a pretty dilapidated state. There was practically no parish community, except for a few old women. But the church gradually started filling up. Fr. Valery knew how to unite the people and the parishioners became like one big family.

Their second daughter Masha was born on September 28, 2017. Fr. Valery really loved his children and doted upon them.

Matushka Yanina says: “I can’t write about Fr. Valery without tears. Of course, I understand that it’s all the will of God. But it’s really hard for me and my daughters without the head of our family. God forbid anyone should experience this! I know it’s better for him there, without any torments or suffering. Therefore, I only pray and try to accept it. For us, he’s alive! May the Lord help us all!” 

Now the children comfort their mother. The younger daughter Masha especially often says: “Don’t cry, mama. Papa will be back soon.”

They have a hard road ahead. The younger daughter is only 4 and the older is in the difficult period of adolescence. Our help can be a great support for this family, and a sign that love knows no bounds. 

Священник: Fr. Valery Karpukhin
Матушка: Karpukhina Yanina
Дети:
Karpukhina Ekaterina 06/30/2006
Karpukhina Maria 09/28/2017
Место жительства: The family lives in the city of Kazan