Wladimir Klitschko Rodionovich, Father of the Klitschko Brothers, Passes Away

Wladimir Klitschko Rodionovich, the father of the Klitschko brothers, has passed away. His long-fought battle with cancer came to an end July 13, 2011, when the 64-year-old Wladimir Rodionovic passed away.

"Wladimir Rodionovich for his life raised two sons and three grandchildren. Colonel of the Air Force, he was a lifelong devoted service in the army, took an active part in the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant," the family said in an official statement, according to a Yahoo Sports report.

Death in a family is never an easy thing to deal with, and often has long-lasting effects on the loved ones. "Time will heal all wounds" is a very common saying in many cultures around the world, and while it's true, not everyone's time carries similar responsibilities.

For Vitali Klitschko, the older son of Wladimir Rodionovich, this will be a very difficult scenario, as he will have to deal with numerous major emotional and physical demands in his life: the death of a wholeheartedly loved father, caring and supporting his now widowed mother and of course the mental and physical preparation for his upcoming title defense against Tomasz Adamek on September 10, 2011, in Poland.

I extend my condolences to the entire Klitschko family, and hope that warm memories of Wladimir Rodionovich will help ease their pain.