Gita Kooba's Obituary
Gita Kooba born on February 11, 1935, in Tallinn, Estonia to Gerhart and Hildegard Poldemann passed away on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, in Parma at the age of 87.
Gita and her family immigrated to the United States from Estonia in 1949 when she was 14 years old. She graduated from Summitville High School in Summitville, Ohio in 1953. After graduating from high school, she earned a nursing degree from the Salem City Hospital School of Nursing in August of 1956. She obtained an additional degree in operating room supervision and management from New York Polyclinic Medical School and Hospital in 1958. She was employed at Cornell University as a neurosurgical nurse when she met her husband, Eino Kooba.
Gita and Eino were married on May 30, 1959, at the Finnis Synod Church in Cleveland, Ohio. After Eino completed his residency they moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania where she and her husband both worked at Coatsville Hospital. In 1961 they moved to West Liberty/ Bellfontaine, Ohio where they had a private medical practice until 1964 when they chose to settle in Lorain, Ohio, and opened a private medical practice, retiring in 1992 after working side by side for 35 years.
Gita had a passion for traveling along with supporting her Estonian heritage participating in multiple Estonian Festivals and events worldwide throughout her life. One of her favorite places was Zurich, Switzerland where the family lived for two years while Eino completed an internal medicine fellowship at Zurich Medical School. She loved gardening, reading, especially history books, playing the piano which, she taught herself, and singing. Eino would prepare a proper Scandinavian breakfast each morning. Gita cherished that special time together.
Gita loved being surrounded by family and friends and her church community. She was an active member of the Amherst Community Congregational United Church of Christ, where her prayer group enjoyed lunches at Blue Sky Restaurant. Gita spent a lot of her time graciously volunteering with the Salvation Army and numerous other community organizations and functions. that she generously supported with her time.
Gita is survived by her son, Dr. Erik Kalev (Kelly) Kooba, of Bloomington, Illinois; grandchildren, Teresa Kooba, Alexander Kooba, Lakyn Bowman, and Logyn Bowman; and her brother, Gosta Poldemann, of Powell, Ohio.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Eino, in 2012.
The family will receive friends on Friday, August 26, 2022, from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. in the Dovin and Reber Jones Funeral & Cremation Center, 1110 Cooper Foster Park Road, Amherst. Funeral services will follow the visitation at 2:00 p.m. in the funeral center with Pastor Peeter Pirn of Unity Evangelical Lutheran Estonian Church in Cleveland. Interment will follow at Ridge Hill Memorial Park, Amherst Twp.
Online condolences may be left for the family at http://www.dovinreberjones.com
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