Victoria Secunda
It is with enormous sadness that the family of Victoria Secunda announces her passing on June 17, aged 80, after a brief illness.
‘Vicky’ will be greatly missed by her many admirers, including (and especially) her adoring friends and family. The impact she had on a great many people is unquantifiable, and her departure has left a huge hole in our hearts. We will all miss her vivaciousness and her sharp wit, her glamour, her warmth, and her complete devotion to the people and causes she held dear.
Through her career as an award-winning journalist, author and lecturer, her impact traveled even more widely. She began her working life at Newsweek, later becoming an editor for Reader’s Digest and an associate producer for National Educational Television. Additionally, she was a researcher for CBS News, a commentator for NPR station WYLL, and a columnist for Gannett Newspapers. Most significantly, she was the author of eight books, and made many appearances on national and international radio and television including Oprah, The Today Show, CNN, BBC, National Public Radio and others. Victoria’s work also appeared in numerous periodicals including Woman’s Day, Harper’s Bazaar, Redbook, Glamour and others including The Einstein Quarterly Journal of Biology and Medicine. Victoria’s much-celebrated books include Losing Your Parents, Finding Your Self; When Madness Comes Home (winner of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) June Roth Award for a Medical Book); Women and Their Fathers (recipient of the ASJA Author of the Year Award), When You and Your Mother Can’t be Friends, By Youth Possessed, and Bei Mir Bist Du Schön: The Life of Sholom Secunda. She also twice received the Outstanding Service Article Award from the ASJA.
Victoria had a keen sense of duty and served on Matilda Cuomo’s New York State Citizens Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect. In recent years she was a proud volunteer for the beautiful Ridgefield Public Library, where also she spent many happy hours reading. She adored her adopted home of Ridgefield, where she discovered her love of gardening, passing on her extraordinary horticultural knowledge not only to her nearest and dearest, but to the readers of Ridgefield Magazine, for whom she was a regular contributor (and dear friend). Her extended family included the choir at St Stephen’s Episcopal Church, with whom she formed a deep bond starting with a shared love of music, developing into a close network of loving, generous friends. In truth, it was hard for anyone not to fall in love with Vicky, and she returned the love tenfold.
She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Shel Secunda, her daughter (for all of her 50), Jennifer Heller, and by her ‘Usual Suspects’ - you know who you are. Life will not be the same without your bright lights, Vicky. Mom. We miss you terribly.
Services for Victoria will be held at 3:00 PM on Saturday, July 20 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 351 Main Street Ridgefield, CT, followed by a reception at Lounsbury House.
Any desired memorial contributions may be made to the Ridgefield Public Library or St Stephen’s Episcopal Church, which will be warmly received in her name.
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