Wendy P. (Jones) Moleski

Wendy Patricia (Jones) Moleski was born in Bethlehem, PA in 1938. She moved to Syracuse, NY, with her mother (Eleanor Jones) and brother (Norman Jones) to live with her grandparents, Harutun and Akabi Azadian. 

At Central High School, she excelled academically and used her artistic talents to create stage sets and event posters. She started a babysitting club, played piano, and practiced ballet. Her family tolerated her passion for adopting stray animals but drew the line when Grandpa discovered "Nellie," the woodchuck secretly living in a closet. Her other obsession, horticulture, was encouraged even as containers of germinating seeds covered the multigenerational household. 

She married Jesse Moleski Jr. and had six children. While he worked the late shift, she would sew everyone's clothes and make lunches for the next day. She learned to swim at Schiller Park in the adult group while their youngest child blew bubbles with her fellow "minnows." Soon after, Wendy was hired as a swim instructor at the YWCA, enabling their family to participate in various enrichment programs there. Eventually, she focused her career on the insurance industry (MONY & Mass Mutual). There, her responsibilities increased as she aced one assessment test after another. 

She always faced life head-on and utilized the public library to search for answers and expand her knowledge. While Wendy exceeded expectations at work, she created pure magic in her free time. Her glorious garden, award-winning photos, exquisitely crafted lampshades, cookie assortments, expertly upholstered furniture, and master-tailored garments were visual testaments to her exceptional skills. However, Wendy's innate gift was spreading kindness. She'd surprise neighbors with flowers and vegetables from her garden or take prom photos of their teenagers. Although she didn't socialize often, she cared deeply about friends from work, her camera club, and church. 

She was loved dearly by her children: Mary (Ed) of MA, Anna (Craig) of NY, Jeffrey of NY, Christine (Steve) of AK, Sharon (Rich) of NJ, and John (predeceased). She stressed the importance of faith, academics, nutrition, exercise, etiquette, and being a "good" person. Wasting any natural resource, money, or opportunity was discouraged. She taught us life skills like time management, creative thinking, cooking, and sewing, to name a few. Most of all, she instilled the self-belief in us that we could accomplish any goal by breaking it down into parts, listing them, and crossing off each step as we completed it. 

Wendy cherished her grandchildren and would call them using different animal voices and personas. Grands and greats include Tim, Jeff, Claudia, Arden, and Madeline (predeceased). Amanda (Dan)'s four children: Elijah, Layla, Oliver, and Ezekiel (predeceased). Maya (Jimmy)'s daughter was named Wendy in her honor. 

We celebrate Wendy for being extraordinary and will remember her as a blessing to have known. She died peacefully at home on October 15, 2023, three months after crossing the final thing off her list. She wanted to outlive all of her rescued animals, and she did. 

As per her request, services are private. Any act of kindness would genuinely honor her memory. HumaneCNY was her favorite charity.

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