Anna Ivanovna Kulakova

Anna Ivanovna (Velgosha) Kulakova was born on July 25, 1933, in the Altai region of Russia into a devout Seventh-day Adventist family. She was the daughter of Ivan Pavlovich and Maria Ivanovna Velgosha. Much of Anna’s early life was spent in northern Kazakhstan, in the Kostanay region. After completing secondary school, she worked as an elementary school teacher.

In 1953, Anna married Mikhail Petrovich Kulakov, who had been exiled to the Kostanay region for permanent settlement without the right to leave. Later that year, following the death of Joseph Stalin, the family received permission to relocate to Alma-Ata, the former capital of Kazakhstan. As Mikhail Kulakov took on leadership responsibilities within the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Central Asia and Kazakhstan, the family faced religious persecution and was often compelled to move from place to place.

During these years, Anna and Mikhail welcomed six children: Evangelina, Pavel, Maria, Mikhail, Peter, and Elena. In the mid-1970s, the family moved to the Russian Federation, where Mikhail became the head of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the former Soviet Union. In 2000, Anna and Mikhail immigrated to the United States to join their children and grandchildren, who had already settled there.

Anna’s beloved husband, Mikhail Petrovich Kulakov, passed away in 2010 after 57 years of marriage.

On June 14, 2025, Anna Ivanovna Kulakova passed away peacefully in Highland, California. She is survived by her six children, 14 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren.