Fakundiny, Lydia
Lydia Fakundiny passed away on March 31, 2013. Born in Pezinok in the Slovenska Republika on June 20, 1941, she early distinguished herself in mastery of the English language, was urged by both Harvard and Yale to attend for a Ph.D., received a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship but declined it in favor of a Marshall Fellowship to Oxford University, where she received a B.Phil. and D.Phil. After returning to the U.S.A., as a Tutor at St. Anne's and Lady Margaret Hall, she taught at Eastern Kentucky University, The Federal City College, Smith College, Ithaca College, and ended her career at Cornell University with her retirement in 2006. She authored several books, the most notable being The Art of the Essay, a collection of 87 essays from the 17th century to the present with headnotes and insight by Lydia. She collaborated on two novels, The Restorationist and The Hearing, with her longtime friend, Joyce Elbrecht. Two brothers, Albert and Vilhelm Fakundiny (wife Margrit) and her longtime friend, Joyce Elbrecht, survive her. Her sister, Elizabeth, predeceased her. At her request, she will be immediately cremated. Friends and relatives are requested to send donations rather than flowers to the charity of their choice or to Hospice, 172 East King Rd., Ithaca 14850
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