Ethel Wentworth Lazaroff, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, died peacefully on Dec. 25, 2014, in Tucson, Ariz.
Ethel was born in Gardiner, Maine, on May 15, 1921. Her mother, Ethel Kelsey Wentworth, an artist, was a great- granddaughter of Cadwallader C. Washburn, who served as a Major-General in the Union Army and as Governor of Wisconsin. Ethel's father, Bertrand Hebron Wentworth, was a fervent naturalist and a nature photographer who traveled in the west with William Henry Jackson. From her parents, the Maine woods, and the rocky coast, Ethel learned a love of nature that lasted throughout her life.
After graduating from Smith College in 1942, Ethel studied statistics at Columbia University. She worked for the National War Labor Board in Washington, D.C.; as Chief Statistician for the Richmond, Va., Army Depot; and later as a freelance writer and editor.
Ethel married Louis Lazaroff in 1943, and Lou's career in foreign aid eventually took them around the world. They lived for a time in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and in New Delhi, India. When not overseas they made their home in Orinda, Calif., where Ethel was active in the American Association of University Women, the League of Woman Voters, and other organizations, as well as an English Reader for Del Valle High School.
Ethel and Lou remained a devoted couple for more than 60 years, until Lou's death in 2004. Together they reared five children, all of whom have survived them: David W. Lazaroff of Tucson, Ariz.; Judith L. Bouyxou of Grenoble, France; Ann M. Lazaroff of Bothell, Wash.; Deborah L. Alpi of Laguna Hills, Calif.; and Michael J. Lazaroff of Trumbull, Conn. They are also survived by seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Ethel's ashes have been scattered in the Pacific, as were those of her beloved husband. No public memorial is planned.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA