Lioudmila ‘Ludmila’ Stepanovna (Gorbachev) Lerner, 95

Lioudmila “Ludmila” Stepanovna (Gorbachev) Lerner, 95, of Acton, passed away peacefully at Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, on July 31, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife of the late Arkady Lerner.

She was born in Moscow on June 18, 1931, and was the daughter of the late Stepan and Ekaterina (Ismailova) Gorbachev.

Ludmila was raised in the Soviet Union. She survived World War II, famine, and Stalin’s repressions. While growing up, Ludmila became obsessed with gymnastics. Even though she was forbidden to engage in gymnastics by her mother, she would secretly attend training regularly and eventually became part of the Moscow gymnastics team.

From 1950 until 1956, Ludmila attended National Research Nuclear University MEPhI in Moscow, where she received her master of science in physics instrument engineering. Her graduation title was engineer-physicist. After graduation, she worked for several years on a project developing a nuclear reactor. Later she left the nuclear program and started working for the Soviet space program. In 1971 she completed her examinations and dissertation for her doctorate. She worked for the Soyuz portion of the Apollo-Soyuz mission, the first space collaboration between the United States and the Soviet Union, featuring the historic docking of an American Apollo spacecraft and a Soviet Soyuz capsule on July 17, 1975.

Ludmila had a long and exciting career in Soviet science, receiving many awards and patents.

Ludmila immigrated to the United States in February 1997 to join her only daughter. In the U.S. she dedicated herself to helping her daughter raise the children. She was a very loving and dedicated grandmother. All the grandchildren adored her, from their infancy through her final hours. She had a great sense of humor and would make her daughter and grandchildren laugh with her serious facial expressions and commanding tone of voice. She could often be heard laughing heartily while talking to old friends from Russia on the phone.

Ludmila loved life, travel, and her family. Until the very end she lived independently, including driving her car. She loved and excelled at Sudoku. She did not have memory problems and knew the backroads of Acton and the surrounding towns so well that her grandson called her a human GPS. She always supported her family and encouraged them to have good times and achieve their dreams.

Ludmila is survived by her loving daughter Tamara Lerner and her husband John Teves of Acton; her grandchildren Bruce, Katerine, and Leon; Leon’s wife Ruchi; and her great-grandchildren Logan and Reyna. They are struck with grief but are very grateful to have had their grandma for so long.

Visiting hours will be held Friday, August 7, from 10-11 a.m. at Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church, 15 Prospect Street, Maynard. Her funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. Please meet at the church. Interment will follow in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Acton.

Funeral directors are Paul A. Hardy Jr. and Jennifer Lebaropoulos Hardy. For directions and online guestbook, visit ChelmsfordFuneralHome.com, and find us on Facebook.