Nina Dorothy Stanko (6 Dec 1931 - 18 Apr 2020)

In loving memory of Nina Dorothy Stanko who sadly passed away on 18th April 2020.

Nina Dorothy Hook was born at 14 Fox Grove, Basford, Nottingham on the 6th December 1931.
She was the only child of Gladys and Cyril Hook who had moved to Nottingham from Offord to find work in the city.
Nina spent a happy childhood in Nottingham with frequent visits to Offord where she loved to get into the country life. This was interrupted by WW2 but rather than being an evacuee child Nina remained at Fox Grove with her Mum and Dad, sleeping under the stairs during aid raids!
A little later in her life, whilst working in her first job as a clerk at Wrights Estate Agents in Chapel Bar, Nina was introduced by a work colleague to the Phoenix Social Club for refugees. This was held at a school near Trent Bridge and it was here that Nina met her lifelong love, Dmytro whilst working as a volunteer, serving refreshments at the numerous dances they organised. Dmytro had been taken from his family in the Ukraine by the Germans and was made to work on a farm and in a brewery in Austria during the war years. Unable to return to his family in the Ukraine he opted to come to the United Kingdom when the war was over.
Nina and Dmytro soon fell in love and were married shortly after. They lived with Nina’s parents at 14 Fox Grove, a house that they eventually bought.
They both continued to share an enjoyment of dancing and ice skating and attended dance clubs regularly where they kept in touch with many Ukrainian and English friends throughout their lives. They also loved to tend their own garden and greenhouse along with an allotment plot where they worked together growing fruit and vegetables.
Nina and Dmytro went on to have four children, Sonia, Tony, Michael and Paul, so you can imagine the house got rather crowded with Nanna Gladys living there too!
Nina had several jobs during her life time, first at Wrights Estate Agents followed in later years as an examiner at the Vedonis factory, an assistant at the Sketchley Dry Cleaning Shop and lastly as volunteer at the Mencap Charity shop, but the job she enjoyed most was looking after her children!
Nina had great love and compassion for all animals and over the years looked after two Corgis of her own, both of them living to good old ages after which she then adopted a neighbour’s cat! She took great delight in feeding the wild birds which visited her garden each day and when she was unable to do this herself delegated the job to any visiting family members! Nina thoroughly enjoyed numerous days out visiting wildlife parks and zoos’ with her family and spoke regularly about all the wonderful animals she had seen there. At family BBQ’s she would be often found with her granddaughter’s rabbits on her knee.
Nina devotedly cared for Dmytro at home in his later years during his constant battle with chest infections until he passed away in early 2007 after which she was kept busy by her ever extending family of thirteen grandchildren (Lesley, Geoff, Chris, Rob, Sam, Anya, Liya, Frazer, Regan, Alfie, Harvey, Jacob and Isaac) and nine great grandchildren (Jack, Amelia, Lullah, Corey, Isla, Freddy, Ted, Tom and Billy all of whom played such a big part in her life.
Throughout her life Nina was an avid reader of fiction novels, in particular, historical ones. When she could no longer read books due to her failing eyesight her family persuaded her to invest in a Kindle E Reader which she embraced and enjoyed a few more years of reading pleasure. Eventually though, she was unable to read even the largest font size and so passed most of her days enjoying numerous murder mysteries on the television. A love of which she has passed on to some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren!
Nina continued to live in the house where she was born on Fox Grove, despite suffering from severe Arthritis and a heart condition, but with help from a loving family and, eventually, daily carers, she remained there, content and happy and never complaining until the great age of 88 years! She will be so greatly missed by all her family.

By request family flowers only please, but if desired donations can be made on the just giving section of this page to 'P.D.S.A.' or 'Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity' or sent to C Terry Funeral Services, 244 Bulwell High Road, Bulwell, Nottingham, NG6 8NU.