Penza, 20 March 2015. PenzaNews. Memorial service for Valery Sazonov, Honored Artist of Russia, was held at the Penza Savitsky Art Gallery, where he worked as a director for over 40 years until the last days of his life, on Friday, March 20.

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Among the officials who came to honor the prominent Penza culture worker were the governor Vasily Bochkarev, the city head Viktor Kuvaytsev, and the mayor Yuri Krivov. The funeral was also attended by colleagues of the deceased and the people who came to know Valery Sazonov throughout his life.

The memorial service brought together people of different occupation and ages with different views on life, but all of them brought together by Valery Sazonov, noted Kirill Zastrozhny, deputy head of the Department of Culture and Archive of the Penza region.

“It is hard to name a person in the modern history who would be comparable with Valery Sazonov. [...] We cannot bring him back, we can only express our sincere condolences and sympathy to the family and friends who have suffered an irreparable loss. We all must do everything to ensure the Penza Art Gallery, the Penza artists, the culture and art of Penza showed its worth loudny, brightly, with talent, ‘a-la Sazonov’ on national and international levels, for us to be worthy of his blessed legacy,” he said.

While there may be no irreplaceable people, some people are no doubt unique, and the late director of the Penza Art Gallery was one of them, Kirill Zastrozhny added.

In his turn, Evgeny Shilov, head of the Department of Culture and Archive, said that Valery Sazonov was not just a good man to talk to, but also a wise mentor to the young.

He stressed that the gallery became much richer, and the public grew more and more interested in the art thanks to the competent manager.

“This is a great loss to Penza, the region and Russia. Such a person is impossible to forget,” he said.

It is still difficult to understand that Valery Sazonov has died, said Viktor Shabanov, chairman of the Penza branch of the Russian public organization “Russian Union of Artists.”

“One cannot leave so early. There is so much to be done. The Art Gallery and Sazonov are inseparable, it was his home where he spent most of his time,” he stressed.

Viktor Shabanov expressed confidence that the name of Valery Sazonov will not be forgotten with time.

The professor at the Penza State University Nikolai Inyushkin also shared his memories of the deceased.

Turning to his now late friend Valery Sazonov, he called him his like-minded colleague.

“You were not just an excellent teacher: you were the person whom the students always received with warmth and admiration. For us, for the part of the faculty still in this world, you were not just a colleague, but a member of our team, our family,” said the professor.

“Keep on shining. Eternal memory to you,” Nikolai Inyushkin added.

Valery Sazonov’s funeral took place at the Novo-Zapadnoye cemetery of Penza.