Mother Thekla was born Marina Sharf on 18 July 1918 to Vladimir and Alice Sharf (née Volkenstein) in Kislovodsk, a spa town in the North Caucasus. She was born during the revolution in Russia, the day after Nicolas II and the royal family were murdered. The family escaped to England and lived in Richmond, Surrey. Her older brother, Andrew, was a historian specialising in Byzantium. He moved to Israel with his wife, Eva, a painter, and his mother. Andrew became professor of history at Bar Ilan University. Mother Thekla died in the early hours of Sunday 7 August 2011.