Nikolai Vasil Lashinsky

Nikolai Vasil Lashinsky, 48, passed away on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at home in Lebanon, Virginia.

 Born July 29, 1976, in Sharon, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late Vasil Patrick Lashinsky and Cheryl D. Spoharski.

 Nikolai graduated from Lebanon High School in June 1994. He graduated 2nd in his class in 1997 from Alliance Tractor-Trailer Training Center, Wytheville, Virginia. In May 2008, Nikolai graduated with honors from Southwest Virginia Community College after successfully completing the HVAC curriculum. His internship with Starnes Heating and Cooling led to a gratifying period of employment. Nikolai’s last full-time employment was with Russell County’s Maintenance Department, under the supervision of Mr. David Jessee. Unfortunately, injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident in March 2012 altered his life, preventing him from continuing the work and many activities that he had enjoyed.

 Nikolai spent his early childhood in the small towns of Knox and Emlenton, Pennsylvania, with his father, a Pennsylvania State Trooper, and his mother, a full-time homemaker. He liked watching Pittsburgh Steelers football games with his dad and being outdoors. He especially looked forward to the many excursions he took with his mom and sister, along with close cousins, Adriane and Daniel Lashinsky, and his Aunt Irene. He loved visits with his paternal grandparents, Baba and Gido, especially during Orthodox Christmas. His Gido, a Ukrainian Orthodox priest, conducted the services, and his Baba prepared the Sviata Vecheria (‘Holy Dinner’).

 After his parents divorced, Nikolai moved with his mother and sister to live with his beloved maternal grandparents, Estel and Bonnie Payne, in Lebanon, Virginia. Several years later, his mother remarried, and he acquired two new siblings, Stan and Melanie Hart. He was happy to become part of this blended family. In 1990, the family grew with the arrival of a baby brother, Tyler. Nikolai deeply loved his little brother, helped care for him, and grew proud of him as the years passed.

 In 1987, Nikolai was introduced to BMX (bicycle motocross) competition. He loved the camaraderie among his teammates and their families as he became a member of the NBL, racing at local, state and national levels through 1990. He and his Pap-paw Estel traveled throughout the country to compete. In 1989, Nikolai captured the 1st place national championship in his novice class in Louisville, Kentucky. He was featured on the cover of BMX Magazine; “Quick Nick” Lashinsky had sponsors and a small following. 

 Nikolai was inquisitive and adventurous. At the age of 14, he traveled to Frankfurt, Germany, to visit his sister. He toured many historical sites and attended the Paris Air Show.

 The birth of his daughter Shyla in 2005 brought renewed purpose and joy into Nikolai’s life. He and Shyla began attending Freedom Ministries in Richlands, Virginia, where Nikolai was baptized by Pastor Mickey Hale on May 27, 2007.

 Those left to cherish his memory are his beloved daughter, Shyla M. Lashinsky; mother, Cheryl Diane Payne Spoharski and husband, David; sister, Melanie H. Lashinsky (Chris Arrington); and brother, Tyler R. Hart, all of Lebanon, Virginia. Nikolai is also survived by half-sisters, Rachel Lashinsky and Reagan Exley (Jacob), of Oil City, Pennsylvania, and dear family friend, Donald A. McGlothlin, Jr., of Lebanon, Virginia.

 Nikolai was preceded in death by his father, Vasil P. Lashinsky; paternal grandparents, the Very Reverend Andrew and Ruth (Skelly) Lashinsky; maternal grandparents, Estel and Bonnie (Bright) Payne.

 The family will receive friends on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, from 10 – 11 a.m. in the Combs-Hess Funeral Service Chapel. The funeral service for Nikolai will follow at 11 a.m., with Pastor Mark Mitchell officiating. There will be a private family burial at Grandview Memory Gardens, Bluefield, Virginia.

 Serving as pallbearers will be Tyler R. Hart, Stanley C. Hart, Christopher A. Arrington, Colton Hartsock, Lavelle Hartsock and Derek Couch.

Expressions of sympathy may be made on the Combs-Hess Funeral Service website at www.chfunerals.com. Combs-Hess Funeral & Cremation Service, 291 Highway 71 Fincastle Road, Lebanon, VA 24266, (276) 889-4444.