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Obituaries: Cynthia L. Shartzer, 56

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  • Obituaries: Cynthia L. Shartzer, 56

    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.

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