Stefani Katherine Czuchlewski ("Stef") was born on Feb 6, 1944, in the Washington, DC area, where her father engaged in chemical research in support of the Manhattan Project. The family moved to locations in New Jersey and Staten Island before settling in Vestal, NY, in the late 1950s. Stef graduated from Vestal HS in 1961, where she participated in the Latin club and led the marching band in competitions in NY state and Canada. She then began her studies at Harpur College (now SUNY Binghamton). Inspired by her Italian and Greek heritage, Stef majored in Classics and earned her BA in 1965.

Stef entered Yale U to pursue a unique MAT degree, which prepared graduates with bachelor's degrees in traditional fields for careers in education. She earned this degree in 1966. There, she met her future husband, Stephen Czuchlewski, who was pursuing a doctorate in physics. They married at Yale's St. Thomas More Chapel on July 19, 1969. They then honeymooned in Quebec where they enjoyed reading French coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing.The new couple lived in New Haven, CT, where Stefani began her career by teaching Latin and French at an inner-city high school during a particularly complex period in our nation's history. Through informal and personal interactions with her students, Stef saw an opportunity to have a greater impact in these students' lives, motivating her to earn a second master's degree in Guidance Counseling.

Steve and Stef moved to Los Alamos, NM, in 1975, when he began a long physics research career at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Their son, Richard, was born on Nov 1, 1975. Stef embraced the opportunity to lovingly raise Richard in those early years. She also assisted teachers in the local grade school, often helping with science fairs. In the 1990s, Stef's growing interest in computers motivated her to become the project leader of the computer applications group at the DOE Los Alamos Area office.

In 2007, Stef and Steve's granddaughter, Megan, was born to Rich and his wife Amy in Dallas. Stefani loved spending time with her granddaughter, attending Grandparents' day at school, as well as reading books and playing pretend together. She was always ready with a warm hug!

Steve and Stef moved to Rio Rancho, NM, in 2011 to be closer to the activities they enjoy such as theater and the NM Philharmonic. Stefani volunteered at church, assisting those in need with food and clothing. She also volunteered in support of member-focused activities of the Albuquerque International Association.

This summer, Steve and Stef began transitioning into residence in the La Vida Llena Life Community, looking forward to engaging in the variety of activities the community offers. Unfortunately, before they could complete the move, deteriorating health due to cancer and an infection led to Stef's passing during palliative care on Dec 10.

Steve and Stef collected friends in each phase of their life together, from Yale to Rio Rancho, and everywhere in between. Stef made a tremendous effort to maintain those strong relationships and kept track of where they were and what everyone was up to. She made sure to spend time with her friends, whether it be in person, over the phone, or by email. She always remembered birthdays and had cards ready for every occasion.

Stefani is survived by her husband of 56 years, Stephen Czuchlewski; their son, Richard (Amy) Czuchlewski; and granddaughter, Megan Czuchlewski. She is preceded in death by her parents, Steven and Lucille Levinos, and her brother, Joseph Levinos (survived by sister-in-law, Doris).

Funeral services were held at the Church of the Incarnation in Rio Rancho on Dec 19.

Should you so wish, please consider a donation in Stef's memory to the Arthritis Foundation or the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

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Memorial Remembrances from Stefani's Requiem

Steve’s “Memorial” Reflections on his much-loved wife Stefani.

This introductory presentation preceded the start of the formal Requiem Mass.

Stefani is a loving and a great-caring woman. (I believe she is still here with us today.) She makes connections and forms personal relationships with most of the people she encounters. Today, I want to focus on how, all her life, she was a teacher and a mentor.

Stef’s Italian and Greek heritage led her to major in Classics at SUNY Binghampton, from which she received a BA in 1961. Stef then entered a somewhat unique Masters program at Yale. This program attracted graduates with degrees in traditional academic fields and prepared them to be, perhaps somewhat different, educators in Grade Schools and High Schools. She received the MAT degree in 1966.

And incidentally, here in the Yale dining hall Stef met a young NYC guy who was studying for a doctorate in physics. Some time passed before we started going out together. But ultimately we became lifelong partners.

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In 1967 Stef began teaching French and, of all things, Latin at a very inner-city Hillhouse High School, in New Haven, CT. These were contentious times! Especially after after Martin Luther King’s assassination in 1968, there were protests and disturbances in high schools across country.

Occasionally, at Hillhouse, after lunch, students would rampage thru the halls with no real goals, just to express anger and frustration. These were somewhat mild with little damage and few injuries, just to interrupt everything.

Stef, however, was a determined teacher. she would lock her doors, almost surely a violation of some rules, and continue teaching. She taught not just the usual Caesar, Cicero, and Virgil, which I studied. But with more advanced students, she introduced short LATIN writings by Roman poets and philosophers. After translating, the class then went on to discuss how ideas in thodse Roman works applied to their current lives and times.

Stef found that students often approached her after class to continue to discuss their own lives and the world around them. This experience motivated her to begin part-time work on a 2nd Masters in Guidance Counseling, which she completed. All these experiences and studies informed the rest of Stef’s life.

In 1970, there was in New Haven a notorious murder trial against members of the Black Panther party. ( It became a cause célèbre. You should go look up this history.) Stefani was called for Jury duty.

As she entered the court room to be interviewed, there were gasps from Hillhouse students playing hookey in the balcony. “That’s Mrs C.”, they called out.

During the interview, she was asked for her opinion of the Black Panthers. Stef responded that she rejected many of their extreme political positions. But, she added, in New Haven the Panthers had established active programs, gathering students after class for academic tutoring and encouraging them to study in class. She added that she admired the Black Panthers for this. The gallery applauded, and Stef was summarily dismissed from Jury service.

That, indeed, was “Mrs C.”, the educator, in the ‘60s & 70s.

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We moved to Los Alamos in 1975, and our son, Richard was born later that year. Stefani went on to serve as a teacher’s aide in an LA grade school, helping to guide and mentor students in daily work, especially in the Science Fairs.

In the early ‘90’s, Stef started studying computer languages (Fortran, Pascal, etc) at UNM-LA. I had a primitive computer terminal at home. It audio-coupled to the phone receiver and did painfully slow transmission. One day we were well into our dinner, when she interrupted her meal 3-times to go change a statement in the program she was writing. I knew she was hooked on computing !

After such studying, Stef joined the computer applications group at the DOE Los Alamos Area Office. She was quickly promoted to its project leader. All her counseling skills were used to interact with the government staffers and to enable her pc people to work effectively with them. She especially mentored the young women from the surrounding areas. who were often in their first real jobs, to develop skills that would be essential in future professional careers.

Moreover, the DOE people began to recognize Stef’s writing skils and her sound judgement in complex situations. When she returned their first drafts on especially sensitive matters, e.g. communications with the governors of the surrounding Pueblos, in addition to editing grammar, Stef would sometimes gently suggest “wouldn’t this sound better if we worded it this this way”. Staffers often agreed. And after a time, they would approach her initially for her suggestions. Thus, within her somewhat limited job description, Stef was able to bring all her education, experiences, counseling and teaching skills to bear to help produce a more-professional product for the organization.

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At the Church of the Incarnation Stefani worked with the St Vincent de Paul Society to assist less-fortunate community members with food and clothing.

At my Albuquerque International Association, she volunteered in people-related activities, such as, assisting them to attend lectures, and especially, in organizing the annual Galas.

Having told you my understanding of Stefani, the teacher and mentor, I will now ask our son, Richard, to share some of his perceptions of his Mom.

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Richard’s Memorial on his Mom.

I began by reading my cousin’s, Nora Tamm, remembrances of Mom.

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Memories of Aunt Stef

When I think about Aunt Stef, I think of her warm, welcoming spirit. As a small child, I remember showing up at Grandma’s house early the morning after your flight, so excited to see the relatives from ABQ, and she always welcomed me with the same warmth and kindness. She gave the most comforting hugs - soft, steady, and unhurried. When I sat next to her on the couch or at a restaurant, she would casually rest her arm around my shoulders and ask, “How are you tonight, Sweetheart?” or, “What’s going on, Lady?” In the midst of busy family gatherings, these little moments with her always made me feel noticed and loved. Even as an adult, she kept in touch, always asking about the boys and how life was going.

I also remember her sense of humor and her joyful laugh. She kept us laughing whether we were baking cookies, washing dishes, or sitting around the dinner table. She had a gift for a perfectly timed funny, or gently sarcastic, comment that would send the whole family into laughter. Ryan and Andy {my young sons} especially remember one Thanksgiving when she read aloud a newspaper column filled with children’s advice on how to cook a turkey, including ideas like throwing it into a volcano or cooking it for 24 hours, and laughed right along with us.

In later years, I came to admire her quiet grace and the way she embraced life with a positive spirit despite any challenges she was facing. She focused on what truly mattered, like family and friends, while never losing sight of the needs of others. Her dedication to serving the community was evident in her support for the local food bank and other similar organizations. She was always looking for ways to help and brighten the lives of those around her.

I’m so grateful for the love she shared with our family and we will miss her greatly. But I will carry the memories of her warmth, her humor, and her generous spirit with me, and I hope I can pass some of that on to others.

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I added my own thoughts on some of Nora’s observations.

I then told the story of Mom meeting Amy's family for the first time when both families visited for Thanksgiving at Amy’s home in Austin in 2002.

Mom was determined to hug every single person. The one person she didn't hug was Scott (Amy's young nephew), who stuck to the couch playing video games. So Mom sized him up, said something (that I can't remember) to him and gently bopped him on the head. She was able to get him to stop his game, look up and smile, and introduce himself. This ability to connect with people in little moments (like with Nora and Scott) was the sign of a good teacher.

In my own childhood, I got a lot of advice and guidance from Mom (most of it unsolicited, so I did my best to pretend I wasn't listening), but she figured out how to make it stick with me, and it has helped shape who I am today. Mom taught me to be warm and kind (except to jerks, then she might not have been so kind!), to treat people with dignity and equability. She wanted people to have a chance, and for the those who were still lagging behind society, she was generous with her time (such as SVDP) and donations (she supported numerous charities).

“Mom, we love you / we miss you / we thank you".

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Excerpts from Fr John Carney’s Homily prepared by Steve

Fr John delivered a personal and moving homily at Stefani’s Requiem.

Theologically, he noted that important in every person's life are the cardinal virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity (Love), and he reflected upon them in Stef’s life.

I will not presume to report Father’s theological discussion. But he also referred to certain events in her life, and I will mention them here.

Fr John noted that science was an element in Stef’s life long before she got to Yale. Her father, Steven Levinos, as a chemist was always involed in science, from his days in research related to the Manhattan Project throughout the rest of his life. Steve commented from the pew that her father was indeed a consummate scientist, who held over a hundred patents. His science colleagues were always visitors to their home while Stef was growing up. Her father was a most important influence on Stef’s life. She always strove to conduct her life to conform with the values she learned from her dad.

Fr John then moved on to an anecdote that I had supplied: “At New Haven HS, Stef had a special student, Karen. After Karen graduated and went to college, they continued to keep in touch. This evolved into a long adult relationship. Karen became a pharmacist, and over the years she shared her career and family with Stef, and Stef did likewise. Karen is now also retired, and they continued to share their senior lives and families.” Father felt, as I do, that this was a somewhat unique, special relationship and exemplified the importance Stef gave to building good long-term relationships.

Finally, Father was kind enough to quote from my perception of Stefani’s last moments, which was based on a unique experience with her doctor. “On the morning of Stef’s passing, Steve was awakened by a phone call from Stef’s doctor at the hospital. He said it was time for the family to gather at her bedside for final farewell. But the doctor spoke very strangely: his voice was broken, with long pauses between words, very difficult to understand. As Steve and Rich met with the young intern at the bedside, shortly after Stef had passed, the doctor said, again somewhat brokenly, Stefani was the first patient in his care who had ever passed away and he was finding this difficult. His call to Steve was the first time he had had to pass this sad message to a husband. Also extremely difficult.

I would like to think that in her final breaths, Stef mentored this young man on the start of his long career as a caring physician. “

Stefani had a most blessed and most loving life.

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