Audrey Lazarus
Audrey Fedyszyn Jakubowski Lazarus passed away on Sept. 8, 2025 after a long battle with dementia (frontotemporal degeneration). She was the daughter of Stanley and Irene Fedyszyn, born in Dunkirk on Oct. 6, 1942. She is survived by her husband of 37 years, Dr. Gerald Lazarus, daughter Lara Jakubowski (Sandeep Wadhwa, and grandchildren Ethan and Natalie), son Alex Jakubowski (Amy, and step-grandchildren Savannah, Jay, and Kamden), brother Thomas (Lorrie) Fedyszyn, and sister Mary (Glenn) Schafer. Her brother, Stan (Judi) Fedyszyn, and her former husband Peter Jakubowski predeceased her. Audrey is also survived by four Lazarus stepchildren, Mark Elyse, Lynne and Laura and eight step-grandchildren (Mattt, Alex, Elijah, Sisana, Sam, Leah, Mia and Zoe).
She graduated in the class of 1960 from Cardinal Mindszenty High School, and in the class of 1964 from Seton Hill College, and received a doctoral degree from the University of Buffalo in Physical Chemistry.
Dr. Jakubowski had a very distinguished career as a senior regulatory affairs executive in the pharmaceutical industry, having worked in regulatory affairs at Bristol Meyers, Inc, SyStemix Inc., and SuperGen. As the vice president for regulatory affairs at DuPont Merck she understood the needs of working women and initiated a Diversity Task Force. She also served as a member of The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association Regulatory Affairs Steering Committee and chaired its Task Force on FDA Advisory Committees, and was an invited speaker at numerous professional meetings, both in the United States and Europe, sponsored by the Drug Information Association, the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society, and the Food and Drug Law Institute. She and her husband Jerry spent three years in Beijing China where she served as a visiting professor at Peking Union Medical College and was honored by the students “as the best teacher they ever had” . She created the Audrey Fedyszyn Jakubowski Lazarus Basic Science Fund for Women at her alma mater, Seton Hill University, to help advance women in science. Post-retirement, she served as a volunteer for the Queen Anne County (MD) Hospice, Queen Ann Drug Control and Rebuilding Together.
A memorial service will be held in Dunkirk, NY in the spring of 2026.