Information on Irene comes from 4 sources: Ancestry.com documents, documents found in the Kositzin’s home (2008 and 2022), first-hand recollections in an interview with Irene in 2008 and numerous conversations with George and Mary Ellen Kositzin throughout the years.
Irene was born on May 2, 1939 in Harbin, China to Peter Buyanoff and Vera Kriloff Buyanoff. She had a brother, George Peter Buyanoff Kositzin. In an interview in 2008, Irene said that Vera had wanted a divorce from Peter. Peter said if she (Vera) gave him two children he would grant the divorce. They were divorced in 1941. In Harbin, the family lived in a house owned by Irene and George’s maternal grandparents Michael and Anna Kriloff. In 1941, Vera felt that to keep her two children safe they needed to separate and hide. Migrating away with two young children would have been a difficult and demanding effort for a single mother. Glebyshka (George) was adopted by Peter’s sister Uliana Kositzin and her husband Ivan and they fled to the Philippines. In the 2008 interview with Irene, Vera took Irene and they lived in a monastery to hide. We don’t know where the monastery was located, but we are assuming in Harbin. Irene left Harbin in 1957.
Irene’s journey to the United States continued when she departed the port of Yokohama, Japan, on September 19, 1958. She arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 26, 1958. On this same date, Irene submitted her Petition for Naturalization. She started the process while in Honolulu before boarding the American President’s Line ship the President Wilson for her passage to San Francisco.
According to the Treasury Department Passenger List, Irene’s residence on arrival to San Francisco was at 1662 Margaret Way in Ceres, California. Irene married Alexander Mihailovich Shegoleff on November 26, 1960 in San Francisco. Alex was born on November 13, 1936 in Tokyo Japan. He reached Honolulu on March 6, 1957. On this same date, his Petition for Naturalization process began. His passage to Hawaii from Japan was aboard the American President’s Line ship the President Cleveland. Irene and Alex had two daughter’s: Vera Crossfield Shegoleff was born on June 30, 1962 in San Francisco and Natalie Ferrari Shegoleff was born on October 8, 10964. Irene and Alex raised their family at 413 Zamora Drive in South San Francisco. Irene was a grandmother to: Larissa, Victoria, Christina, Nicholas, Gianna and a great grandmother to Adalyn Irene.
Irene was granted naturalization to the United States on July 19, 1966.
She passed away on July 23, 2016 at the age of 77.
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