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Obituaries: Cynthia L. Shartzer, 56
The former East Providence woman was an archeologist and gifted
linguist who worked and studied around the world over her career.
http://eastprovidence.patch.com/articles/cynthia-l-shartzer-56
Cynthia Lynn Shartzer, formerly of East Providence, died unexpectedly
while on holiday from her work in Lima, Peru, on Wednesday Dec. 19,
2012. She was 56.
She died at her family's home in West Warwick with her husband, Brian
Green, by her side. She was the daughter of M. Allen Shartzer and
Alice (Areknaz Melkonian) Shartzer, formerly of East Providence.
Her father's family settled in 1630 in Farmington, Fayette County,
Pa., and her grandparents on her mother's side arrived from Armenia in
the early 20th century.
A graduate of East Providence High School, she was president of AYF Jr
in the early 1970s; Armenian School teacher at Sts. Vartanantz
Armenian Apostolic Church, and camp counselor and camper at Camp
Haiastan in the 1970s. She studied Armenian at the Nichan Palandjian
Armenian College in Beirut, Lebanon.
She graduated with a BA in Anthropology with a departmental
distinction from Vassar College, followed by her MA in Anthropology
from the American University in Cairo (AUC), Egypt. Her thesis for her
master's degree was a study of the Armenian community in Cairo.
Following early work experience at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,
she worked as an archeologist in Egypt and throughout the Middle East.
>From 1987 to 2002 she held a number of appointments as a grant
administrator, including two years at the American Center for Oriental
Research in Amman, Jordan, and 10 years with the Egyptian Antiquities
Project at the American Research Center in Egypt, in Cairo. She
continued to work in archeology up to 2002 and was the project manager
at the Jebel Barkal site in Sudan. In 2005 she was commissioned as a
foreign service contracting officer for the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID).
Her work took her to a number of countries around the world,
including, most recently, Ethiopia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru. She
also volunteered for and completed a one-year assignment in Baghdad,
Iraq, in 2009.
She was a gifted linguist, and could read and write a number of
languages fluently, including Armenian, Arabic, and Spanish. Her work
with USAID reflected her core beliefs and desire to support and work
on behalf of people in need. She was passionate about the preservation
of historic buildings and volunteered as a board member of the Oakland
Heritage Alliance and other organizations in Oakland, California.
She also had a passion for animal welfare, and spent considerable time
and energy rescuing strays and working with animal charities.
Besides her husband, she is survived by her mother, Alice (Areknaz
Melkonian) Shartzer, of East Providence; her brother, Stephen A.M.
Shartzer and sister-in-law Stacey A.F. Shartzer, and her goddaughters
and twin nieces Alexandra Vartanoosh Davidian Shartzer, and Victoria
Josephine Melkonian Shartzer, all of Danville, CA. She is also
survived by her sister Linda Rose Shartzer, of Houston, TX; her
cousins, Stephanie and David Emerian of Cranston; Alice, Debbie,
Diane, and Bobby Azarian; and Eddy, Jean and Valerie Garabedian; her
aunt Harriet Shartzer Reynolds of Akron and many other cousins in Ohio
and Pennsylvania.
Her father was M. Allen Shartzer, of East Providence, (formerly of
Akron, OH), who died on June 7, 2012.
The funeral will be held on Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, at 11 am in Sts.
Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church, 402 Broadway, Providence,
followed by a private burial. Arrangements are being handled by
Rebello Funeral Home in East Providence.
In lieu of flowers, a donation in her name can be made at the memorial
page at the American Cancer Society.
The former East Providence woman was an archeologist and gifted
linguist who worked and studied around the world over her career.
http://eastprovidence.patch.com/articles/cynthia-l-shartzer-56
Cynthia Lynn Shartzer, formerly of East Providence, died unexpectedly
while on holiday from her work in Lima, Peru, on Wednesday Dec. 19,
2012. She was 56.
She died at her family's home in West Warwick with her husband, Brian
Green, by her side. She was the daughter of M. Allen Shartzer and
Alice (Areknaz Melkonian) Shartzer, formerly of East Providence.
Her father's family settled in 1630 in Farmington, Fayette County,
Pa., and her grandparents on her mother's side arrived from Armenia in
the early 20th century.
A graduate of East Providence High School, she was president of AYF Jr
in the early 1970s; Armenian School teacher at Sts. Vartanantz
Armenian Apostolic Church, and camp counselor and camper at Camp
Haiastan in the 1970s. She studied Armenian at the Nichan Palandjian
Armenian College in Beirut, Lebanon.
She graduated with a BA in Anthropology with a departmental
distinction from Vassar College, followed by her MA in Anthropology
from the American University in Cairo (AUC), Egypt. Her thesis for her
master's degree was a study of the Armenian community in Cairo.
Following early work experience at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,
she worked as an archeologist in Egypt and throughout the Middle East.
>From 1987 to 2002 she held a number of appointments as a grant
administrator, including two years at the American Center for Oriental
Research in Amman, Jordan, and 10 years with the Egyptian Antiquities
Project at the American Research Center in Egypt, in Cairo. She
continued to work in archeology up to 2002 and was the project manager
at the Jebel Barkal site in Sudan. In 2005 she was commissioned as a
foreign service contracting officer for the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID).
Her work took her to a number of countries around the world,
including, most recently, Ethiopia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru. She
also volunteered for and completed a one-year assignment in Baghdad,
Iraq, in 2009.
She was a gifted linguist, and could read and write a number of
languages fluently, including Armenian, Arabic, and Spanish. Her work
with USAID reflected her core beliefs and desire to support and work
on behalf of people in need. She was passionate about the preservation
of historic buildings and volunteered as a board member of the Oakland
Heritage Alliance and other organizations in Oakland, California.
She also had a passion for animal welfare, and spent considerable time
and energy rescuing strays and working with animal charities.
Besides her husband, she is survived by her mother, Alice (Areknaz
Melkonian) Shartzer, of East Providence; her brother, Stephen A.M.
Shartzer and sister-in-law Stacey A.F. Shartzer, and her goddaughters
and twin nieces Alexandra Vartanoosh Davidian Shartzer, and Victoria
Josephine Melkonian Shartzer, all of Danville, CA. She is also
survived by her sister Linda Rose Shartzer, of Houston, TX; her
cousins, Stephanie and David Emerian of Cranston; Alice, Debbie,
Diane, and Bobby Azarian; and Eddy, Jean and Valerie Garabedian; her
aunt Harriet Shartzer Reynolds of Akron and many other cousins in Ohio
and Pennsylvania.
Her father was M. Allen Shartzer, of East Providence, (formerly of
Akron, OH), who died on June 7, 2012.
The funeral will be held on Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, at 11 am in Sts.
Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church, 402 Broadway, Providence,
followed by a private burial. Arrangements are being handled by
Rebello Funeral Home in East Providence.
In lieu of flowers, a donation in her name can be made at the memorial
page at the American Cancer Society.