Obituary for Andrea Danyluk (Pohoreckyj)
On Thursday, March 3rd, 2022, Andrea Pohoreckyj Danyluk passed away at age 59 after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer. Andrea was the loving mother of two children, Katya and Stephan, wife of Andrew Danyluk, and sister of Yvonne Gonzalez and Daniel Pohoreckyj. She was family to many of her former students, colleagues, and friends.
Andrea was the first in her family to receive a college diploma, completing a bachelor’s degree at Vassar College in 1984. She continued education at Columbia University, from which she obtained a PhD in Computer Science in 1991. After working in the research department at Nynex until 1994, Andrea became the first female Computer Science professor at Williams College.. Through her tenure at Williams, Andrea developed her passion for educating and furthering the lives of her students, maintaining strong relationships with many of them (some of whom became close colleagues) long after their respective graduations, and could often be found at Tunnel City Coffee in Williamstown, reconnecting with alumni. As a woman in the male-dominated space of Computer Science, Andrea appreciated the difficulties faced by women and underrepresented peoples in the discipline, and worked tirelessly to expand access for these groups. She supplemented her career as a professor by participating in a plethora of Computing Research and educational expansion organizations, many of which focused on increasing educational opportunities for women within the field. And, as if teaching and serving on the boards of educational organizations was insufficient, Andrea served on a multitude of Williams committees. Her volume and quality of work was perhaps best summarized by a former colleague upon her retirement, who noted: “She will be sorely missed, even though she has already contributed twice as much as could be expected by anyone!”
As with her work, Andrea exhibited an energetic, intrepid spirit in her personal life. She was an avid hiker who regularly ventured on ‘short’ 10-mile excursions around the globe and through more than fifteen U.S. National Parks; Of these destinations, Andrea particularly loved Acadia National Park in Maine, partly due to her proclivity for wild blueberries. Her love for Acadia was shared by her family, and Andrea and her husband Andrew purchased a house in Seal Harbor, which is regularly visited by the family.
In addition to her outdoor adventures, Andrea delighted in brain-stimulating activities such as talk-show, jigsaw, and crossword puzzles, among other variations. For multiple decades, Andrea completed New York Times crossword puzzles daily before bed. Indeed, her crossword prowess necessitated supplementary books and subscriptions, in the likely event that she completed the daily version too quickly and required additional content. She also enjoyed similar challenges through the radio; “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” being her favorite show. As with her crossword puzzles, Andrea was uncannily adept at these challenges. Her family occasionally wondered if she had been fed answers by the hosts beforehand. And, when not completing verbal or written intellectual challenges, Andrea enjoyed working through jigsaw puzzles. She found these physical, geometric puzzles meditative, and often spent evenings completing one. As with other aspects of her personal life, Andrea spread this joy of jigsaw puzzles to her family, who regularly assisted her in their construction.
Although Andrea excelled in physical and intellectual pursuits, she showed true jubilation in time spent with friends and family. She had a rare ability to make people feel like they were the most important thing in the world to her, and her boisterous, infectious laugh gave all of her conversations a warm, pleasant tone. As a result of her magnetic personality leading to a myriad of social events and activities, her family only regrets that she never had a personal assistant to keep track of her cornucopia of phone calls, coffee chats, and dinners with family and friends.
Andrea profoundly impacted the lives of her family, friends, students, and colleagues. She will forever be remembered for her warm spirit, boundless energy, and infectious laughter, and will be deeply missed by many. The family will hold wakes on Sunday and Monday, March 6 and 7, from 3-6PM and 4-7PM, respectively, at the Flynn and Dagnoli Montagna Home in North Adams, Massachusetts (521W Main St). The family will hold a funeral service on Thursday, March 10 at the St. Nicholas Church in Watervliet, NY at 10AM, followed by a burial at the Williams College Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to the Committee on Widening Participation in Computing Research (CRA-W) and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. To add to the Book of Memories, please visit www.flynndagnolifuneralhomes.com
Andrea was the first in her family to receive a college diploma, completing a bachelor’s degree at Vassar College in 1984. She continued education at Columbia University, from which she obtained a PhD in Computer Science in 1991. After working in the research department at Nynex until 1994, Andrea became the first female Computer Science professor at Williams College.. Through her tenure at Williams, Andrea developed her passion for educating and furthering the lives of her students, maintaining strong relationships with many of them (some of whom became close colleagues) long after their respective graduations, and could often be found at Tunnel City Coffee in Williamstown, reconnecting with alumni. As a woman in the male-dominated space of Computer Science, Andrea appreciated the difficulties faced by women and underrepresented peoples in the discipline, and worked tirelessly to expand access for these groups. She supplemented her career as a professor by participating in a plethora of Computing Research and educational expansion organizations, many of which focused on increasing educational opportunities for women within the field. And, as if teaching and serving on the boards of educational organizations was insufficient, Andrea served on a multitude of Williams committees. Her volume and quality of work was perhaps best summarized by a former colleague upon her retirement, who noted: “She will be sorely missed, even though she has already contributed twice as much as could be expected by anyone!”
As with her work, Andrea exhibited an energetic, intrepid spirit in her personal life. She was an avid hiker who regularly ventured on ‘short’ 10-mile excursions around the globe and through more than fifteen U.S. National Parks; Of these destinations, Andrea particularly loved Acadia National Park in Maine, partly due to her proclivity for wild blueberries. Her love for Acadia was shared by her family, and Andrea and her husband Andrew purchased a house in Seal Harbor, which is regularly visited by the family.
In addition to her outdoor adventures, Andrea delighted in brain-stimulating activities such as talk-show, jigsaw, and crossword puzzles, among other variations. For multiple decades, Andrea completed New York Times crossword puzzles daily before bed. Indeed, her crossword prowess necessitated supplementary books and subscriptions, in the likely event that she completed the daily version too quickly and required additional content. She also enjoyed similar challenges through the radio; “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” being her favorite show. As with her crossword puzzles, Andrea was uncannily adept at these challenges. Her family occasionally wondered if she had been fed answers by the hosts beforehand. And, when not completing verbal or written intellectual challenges, Andrea enjoyed working through jigsaw puzzles. She found these physical, geometric puzzles meditative, and often spent evenings completing one. As with other aspects of her personal life, Andrea spread this joy of jigsaw puzzles to her family, who regularly assisted her in their construction.
Although Andrea excelled in physical and intellectual pursuits, she showed true jubilation in time spent with friends and family. She had a rare ability to make people feel like they were the most important thing in the world to her, and her boisterous, infectious laugh gave all of her conversations a warm, pleasant tone. As a result of her magnetic personality leading to a myriad of social events and activities, her family only regrets that she never had a personal assistant to keep track of her cornucopia of phone calls, coffee chats, and dinners with family and friends.
Andrea profoundly impacted the lives of her family, friends, students, and colleagues. She will forever be remembered for her warm spirit, boundless energy, and infectious laughter, and will be deeply missed by many. The family will hold wakes on Sunday and Monday, March 6 and 7, from 3-6PM and 4-7PM, respectively, at the Flynn and Dagnoli Montagna Home in North Adams, Massachusetts (521W Main St). The family will hold a funeral service on Thursday, March 10 at the St. Nicholas Church in Watervliet, NY at 10AM, followed by a burial at the Williams College Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to the Committee on Widening Participation in Computing Research (CRA-W) and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. To add to the Book of Memories, please visit www.flynndagnolifuneralhomes.com