Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke College
Department coordinator for mathematics and statistics Lindsay Woloszyn, 39, passed away on April 3.
BY LIZ LEWIS ‘22
“Lindsay was like a ray of sunshine brightening whatever room she stepped into,” said mathematics professor Giuliana Davidoff.
Mount Holyoke lost a beloved member of its community on Wednesday, April 3, as mathematics and statistics department academic coordinator Lindsay Woloszyn, 39, passed away surrounded by loved ones after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
“Lindsay was a dear friend and colleague to many of us and will hold a special place in our hearts,” wrote Andrea Foulkes, chair of the department of mathematics and statistics, in an email to mathematics and statistics majors and minors on April 5.
According to her obituary, published in The Springfield Republican on April 6, Woloszyn was “born in Springfield and lived her whole life with spunk and humor in South Hadley.” She graduated from South Hadley High School in 1997 and earned a bachelor’s degree from Westfield State University. “She will always be remembered as loving and supportive” to her many friends and loved ones, including, among countless others, her “amazing and supportive husband of 15 years, Christopher Woloszyn, and their beautiful children, Nicholas and Lily.”
To Davidoff, the love Woloszyn felt for her family and friends was palpable. “I especially loved to see her when her father came to spend a few quick minutes with her in the office,” Davidoff said. “They were a great team and their affection for each other gave a special warmth to those moments.”
Margaret Robinson and other mathematics professors at Mount Holyoke also recalled many moments when Woloszyn’s love for her family was abundantly visible. “I remember the day I found out that Lindsay’s dad, Robert Guerin, worked at [Mount Holyoke],” Robinson said. “I came into Lindsay’s office and they were laughing. Lindsay took one look at me and said ‘You didn’t know he was my Dad, did you?’ They beamed at me, each so proud of the other.”
Woloszyn’s presence is missed both in the South Hadley community and on Mount Holyoke’s campus. “We are all so heartbroken to lose Lindsay,” said mathematics professor Jessica Sidman. “She was unfailingly patient and cheerful, and served as a confidante, advisor and friend to us all. Lindsay was flexible, quick and eager to learn new things, and full of ideas to make things better. She kept us organized with a smile, and we were so grateful for everything she did.”
“Anytime we needed something, she would help you,” said mathematics professor Alanna Hoyer-Leitzel. “She had so much work to do to organize everything for the department. Any time I was like, ‘Lindsay, I need help with something,’ she would stop what she was doing and help me. It didn’t matter if she was busy or not. She was a really, really special person.”
This sentiment is widely shared among the faculty of the Mount Holyoke Mathematics and Statistics Department. As Robinson put it, “The fourth floor of Clapp just seems so much dimmer without her.”
Students and faculty alike have expressed gratitude for all that Woloszyn gave to the department and community. “Lindsay brightened the days of the mathematics and statistics department collectively,” said Annie Schenk ’19, a mathematics and art history double major. “Every time I passed her in the hall or looked in as I walked by her office, she would always smile and offer a warm hello. Whenever I needed her assistance to help with logistics for events, she always took an interest in the materials and asked about the interesting things we were planning. She is, and will continue to be, greatly missed.”
According to Davidoff, Woloszyn gave countless hours of time and energy to the department readily and graciously, with endlessly attentive care. “Without ever seeming to be busy, she handled multiple tasks, among them tasks she didn’t need to take on but did, just to make our lives easier,” said Davidoff. “In our department this year, we had two tenure-track searches and a 10-year review, the details of which were confounding, but she organized everything seamlessly and efficiently, all with a big smile that never went away.” But to Davidoff, Woloszyn’s loving energy will be missed the most.
“Lindsay’s optimism and care for all of us was a continual lesson in community and selflessness,” said Davidoff. “We will miss her terribly.”
Students can sign a card addressed to Woloszyn’s family, which can be found on the door of the Mathematics and Statistics Department Office, at 415A Clapp Laboratory. Woloszyn’s family is graciously accepting donations to the Woloszyn Children’s Scholarship Fund, c/o Peoples Bank 494 Newton Street, South Hadley, MA 01075.