Faina Karetskaya

Faina (Mushtakova) Karetskaya, 88, of Brighton Massachusetts, died in the early morning hours of September 1, 2023 surrounded by the love, comfort and care of her husband and son. She was the devoted wife of 65 years to Yefim Karetsky.

Born in Moscow, Russia on August 30, 1935, she was the daughter of the late Israel Mushtakov and Sonia (Tseitlina) Mushtakova. Life in Moscow at that time was extremely difficult, and Faina’s early life was beset with tragedy; she was evacuated to Siberia during a famine, and in the ensuing year was so weakened due to lack of nourishment that she lost the ability to walk.  She lost her brother at the age of 19 due to an accident. She also lost her parents at a young age.

For as much as she endured through the low points in life, Faina had many wonderful high points; she met and married the love of her life, Yefim, when the two worked at a steel factory. She developed into a wonderful person with a kind and loving personality. She was tirelessly devoted to her family, and she was simultaneously very shy but persuasive with others. In the face of adversity (and adversaries) Faina was calm and collected; never upsetting anyone. She took great pride in maintaining a very clean home, and was extremely well organized and loved her family deeply.

Encouraged by her supervisors at the steel factory, Faina continued her education and received a degree in Accounting.  She continued to work her way up in the company and retired as a Senior Accountant. She and her husband both retired from the company in 2001 and promptly moved to the United States to be closer to their son.

Faina was the beloved mother of Alexander Karetsky and his wife Lina of Ashland and the cherished grandmother of Viktor and Mark. She is also survived by her husband, Yefim. She will be greatly missed.

Private services will be held by the family in early September.