Christo Popoff

Christo M. Popoff of Santa Fe died at home on Saturday November 19th, 2011, at the age of 90. He was born on January 4, 1921 in Svishtov, Bulgaria, to Michail and Ivanka Popoff. He studied law in Sofia, Bulgaria, and received his PhD in Law in Heidelberg, Germany. He received his Masters of Library Science from the University of Missouri at the age of 62. He married Assia Tzankoff in 1955 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where their two children were born. In 1963 they moved to Heidelberg. He and his family immigrated to the United States 1967, first to Bloomington IN, then to Edwardsville IL. During these years he worked as a medical illustrator and librarian. After his retirement, he and Assia settled in Santa Fe in 1996. Throughout his life, Christo Popoff created artworks, usually depicting places where he lived and visited. His paintings have been exhibited in Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada and the United States, and are represented in public and private collections. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Assia; daughter, Michaela; son, Assen; grandson, Xhristopher Nikolai; sister, Senka Ilkova; and nephew, Michail Ilkov. Funeral Services were held on November 26, 2011 at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Santa Fe. Father John Bethancourt officiated.