Obituary of Lidia S. Pacira

Lidia Samukowicz Pacira GENEVA- Lidia Samukowicz Pacira, 81, passed away peacefully on Thurs. (March 17, 2016), at Rochester General Hospital. Friends may call from 5 to 8p.m. Tues. (March 22), at the Palmisano-Mull Funeral Home LLC, 28 Genesee St. Geneva. Trisagion Prayers will be at 6:30 p.m. in the funeral home. A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wed. (March 23), at St. Michael's Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, 98 Genesee St. Geneva, with the V. Rev. Fr. Gregory Murphy officiating. Burial will follow in Glenwood Cemetery. Contributions may be directed to St. Michael's Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, 98 Genesee St. Geneva, NY 14456. Lidia was born on May 3, 1934 in Poland and was a daughter of the late Maxim and Sophia Samukowicz. She received her Bachelors and Master's Degrees in Russian linguistics from the University of Krakow, Poland. Lidia moved to the United States in 1969 and received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Russian Language and Literature from Michigan State University in 1974. She began teaching foreign languages (Russian, Polish and Belorussian) both undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. During this time, Lidia was also the Five-College Professor of Slavic Languages at Amherst College, Mt. Holyoke College and Smith College in Northampton, MA. During the summers of 1977 through 1980, she taught Russian and Polish languages at the Slavic workshop at Indiana University, Bloomington. From 1983 to 1998 Lidia was invited to teach the intensive Russian courses at the Russian Summer School at Middlebury College, VT. In 1985 Lidia became a United States citizen and in 1986 she received her professorship at Hobart and William Smith Colleges teaching Russian Language and Literature. While at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, she became the Chair of the Russian Language department. In 2001, Lidia retired from the colleges as Professor Emerita. She was not only a scholar, but also a kind, compassionate individual who truly cherished her relations with students and friends. Since her retirement from teaching, Lidia continued to enjoy gardening, church activities and keeping in touch with friends. She was a devoted member of St. Michael's Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church in Geneva and a member of the Order of St. Ignatius. Lidia is survived by her dear friends at St. Michael's Antiochian Orthodox Church in Geneva and many other friends across the world, whose friendships she held dear to her heart. She was predeceased by her sisters, Anna in 1995 and Olga in 2015.