Born November 22, 1941   |   Stalingrad (now Volgograd), USSR

I am forever grateful for the successful life Canada has afforded my family.

Yefim was born in a railway car as his mother Manya, four-and-a-half-year-old brother Leonid and grandparents fled the imminent Nazi invasion of Stalino (now Donetsk), Ukraine. He never knew his father, Michael, who was dragged off the train by the Red Army and later killed in fighting near Moscow. Yefim’s first two years were spent in a rough shack in Kazakhstan where conditions were dismal. 

The Lukers returned to Stalino following its liberation in September 1943. Yefim’s grandmother, Baba Sara, lived with them as Manya worked to support the family. Eventually earning a diploma in refrigeration engineering, Yefim was an avid sportsman who rose to fame as the Donetsk Featherweight Boxing Champion in the early 1970s, also reaching the podium in international competition. Following their marriage, Yefim and Klara Brekher welcomed sons Stanislav (Stan) and Konstantin (Ken). As life became increasingly unpleasant for the Jews of Ukraine, Yefim’s family applied for exit visas. Two years later they were finally permitted to emigrate together with Manya and Leonid. Following a six month wait in Italy, they arrived in Calgary where Yefim’s Uncle Isaac Boguslavsky and his family had preceded them. With the help of Jewish Family Service Calgary, Yefim and his family thrived. Klara became a popular beautician and Yefim (now known as Jeff) studied at SAIT, became a certified engineering technologist and worked in property management. He coached and mentored amateur boxers including local legends Willie deWit, Mike Miles and various 1980s Calgary Flames alumni. Always generous with his time and talents, Yefim was a loving caregiver to Klara, devoted father, and dear deda to three grandchildren.