Anastasia Czerniakiewicz passed away on May 20, 2004. Her life was filled with love, courage, and accomplishment. Her friends and family have suffered a tremendous loss. Anastasia was born in 1943, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Under the loving care of her mother Leticia, in modest circumstances, Anastasia embraced life with determination and zeal. Anastasia made her own toys and invented games, accomplishments that always gave her pride. She excelled in school, carrying the school flag and receiving medals on many occasions. She was certified as a grade school teacher and as a piano teacher.

Anastasia won The Albert Einstein Scholarship to study mathematics at the University of Buenos Aires. Later, she won a scholarship for graduate study at the New York University Courant Institute and moved to the United States with her first husband, Norberto. She studied under Wilhelm Magnus and received her PhD in 1971.

She won appointment as a Ritt Assistant Professor at Columbia University. Later, she taught at Queens College. During this period, Norberto and Any parted amicably; they remained close friends.

Eager for new challenges, Any left academia and returned to the Courant Institute for study in Computer Science. Then, she moved to North Carolina to work for Data General. She practiced her new skills, became part of a vibrant community of young engineers, and made many life long friends.

In North Carolina, Anastasia found her best friend and perfect match in Roger Ray, and they married in 1982. No one who knew them could ever doubt the depth of their love for each other.

In 1981, Any and Roger moved to Portland, Oregon, to work at Intel. Later, Any’s mother, Leticia, joined them. At Intel, Any led teams of talented engineers in complex software projects. Her teams were known for high quality, dependability, and innovation.

Anastasia was able to do this and to keep her life in balance. She loved children and volunteered in schools. She also loved to travel, so that she could make friends and have adventures. She always studied a language before a trip, leaving her fluent in Spanish, French and English, and able to make friends in Italian and German.

Another passion called to her and she studied painting under Roberta St. Louis. In 1995, she became a full time professional artist. Her paintings, for which she has won many awards and honors, balance realism and impressionism: realism for compelling details, impressionism for overall emotions. Her portraits focus on one individual, one moment, one emotion. They celebrate the beauty of life.

Always eager to help others, Any gave in many ways. She became a philanthropist, giving to health and education foundations, and creating a scholarship at her high school in Argentina. She bequeathed her estate to the Courant Institute, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society.

She also directly gave of herself, working sometimes behind the scenes and sometimes right on the front lines. She became a Cancer Buddy and helped women with breast cancer, many of whom spoke only Spanish and found themselves with a frightening disease and Any as their lifeline.

The last decade of Any’s life included many health problems. The courage and determination with which she faced her problems awed and inspired everyone who met her. To Any, it was simply a question finding out what needed to be done and doing it.

To our sorrow, her breast cancer returned and she passed away on Thursday, May 20, in peace, at home.

To Any, life was a wonderful book. Each turn of the page brought new and marvelous things, and each new chapter brought excitement and challenge. Obstacles she found were simply part of the plot; they were to be met head on so that she could write as many chapters as possible. The number and quality of her chapters astounded and inspired all who knew her: daughter, pianist, teacher, mathematician, engineer, artist, philanthropist, friend, and wife.

She is survived by Roger and hundreds of friends and family who loved her dearly and hold her in their hearts.