Dr. Lena Scherba, 79, of Springfield, passed away at 4:35 pm, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. She was born on February 26, 1947, in Shchuchyn, Belarus, the daughter of the late Aleksandr Petrovich and Vera Lvovna Shemyekin. She is a graduate of Riga Medical Institute in Riga, Latvia.
Dr. Scherba was a resident of Springfield since 2000, previously living in the San Francisco Bay Area where she was the Chief of the Department of Pathology for Kaiser Permanente. Prior to immigrating to the United States of America, Dr. Scherba was a senior pathologist at the Department of Pathology within Ben Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva, Israel.
She married Donald A. Scherba on July 27, 1984, and he preceded her in death on July 9, 2012. They enjoyed traveling together, playing tennis, walking their poodles, and gardening.
Dr. Scherba retired in 2019 from her work at St. John’s Hospital as an anatomic and clinical pathologist, also specializing in hematology. She served as the Laboratory Medical Director for some years at St. John’s Hospital. Dr. Scherba was also a lecturer at SIU School of Medicine. She led several inspection teams for the College of American Pathologists as well.
Dr. Scherba was an avid reader, world traveler, and lover of fashion and art. She enjoyed music, listening to mainly classical music and frequenting the opera throughout her life. Dr. Scherba enjoyed the beach and swimming, especially spending time walking along the Baltic Sea in Latvia, as well as the Dead Sea in Israel. She regularly traveled to Kauai, Hawaii over the years to enjoy the sunny beaches there.
She is survived by her daughters, Alexandra “Alexis” Scherba (Kristian Sharp) of Springfield and Yvonna Krugliak of Tel Aviv, Israel; five grandchildren, Owyn, William, and Eleanor Sharp, Yahli and Ben Or Zakai; one sister, Angelika Filimonova – Liepaja, Latvia and one nephew, Vladimir (Ilona) Filimonov of Liepaja, Latvia. Dr. Scherba is also survived by one great niece and two great nephews.
Visitation: 9:30 am – 11:30 am, Thursday, April 2, 2026 at Staab Funeral Home – Springfield.
Funeral Service: 11:30 am, Thursday, April 2, 2026, at Staab Funeral Home – Springfield with Father George Pyle officiating. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery.
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