Yaroslav Mekhaylov
Born: January 9th, 1938
Died: November 9th, 1977
Height: around 8 feet, 5 inches
Yaroslav was born in Murom, Russia. A kind and worldly person, he liked dancing, learning French and Japanese and collecting records of French folk songs. His favorite flowers were forget-me-nots, cornflowers, carnations and gladioli. From 1941 to 1944, he lived in a village that was safe from the dangers of war. When he was 8 years old, he climbed trees in an apple orchard with his sister, Ira, who was 4 years his junior. They lived with an old woman who they did housework for (and continued to see until 1957). At 13 years old, he was 7 ft 9 and picked apples from the trees since he was too tall to climb them! A year later, he fathered a son named Dmitry, who shared his love of woodcarving and fishing along the shore of the Oka River. Yaroslav's little brother, Victor, was born three years later and was interested in other countries like his brother. Yaroslav was also fond of engineering and helped with many improvement projects from ages 18 to 31. He made furniture & toys out of wood and loved making shoes for kids. He got drunk on wine on his 19th birthday and fell asleep hugging a stool! Another funny moment came in 1960, when he decided to ride an average sized bike. It rode in all directions and tossed him into the water! During his free time, he watched the Ilya Muromets movie (and lived on the same street as the hero!). He loved eating spicy kebabs in vinegar, boiled potatoes and homemade kvass. Porcelain dishes were used on even days while wooden khokhloma dishes were for odd days, which were often holidays. On New Year's Eve, he would watch his favorite comedy, Dog Barbos and Unusual Cross (which starred his fave actor, Yuri Nikulin). Every summer for 15 to 20 years, he spent the night at Lake Bolshoye Svyatoe, which is east of Murom. He and Dmitry loved gathering by the fire at night to cook, chat and play the guitar with friends. Sometimes they drank Essentuki or Barjomi mineral water. Yaroslav used a cane until he was 34, when he started using a wheelchair (which made fishing hard until Dmitry built a convenient fishing chair). He lived in a custom made house with Ira, who sewed clothes for him. She recorded his voice when he was 29 years old, preserving it after he lost it in 1976. Around that time, he visited a school. The teachers and students had never seen anyone taller than a lamppost! Some people (including his nurse) claimed he was 9 feet tall, but Ira scratched out his true height on his death certificate. Just before passing away of a heart attack, Dmitry helped his father fulfill his final wish- to see his grandchildren. Yaroslav remains a beloved figure in Murom. Since 2007, his grandson, Yura, has honored him by helping giants from all over the world!