Journalist, community leader Marilyn Ajavananda dies at 59
Marilyn Ajavananda, a longtime journalist at the Democrat and Chronicle and a tireless storyteller within the local Asian American and Pacific Islander community, died Jan. 17.
The cause of death was a heart attack, according to her family. She was 59 years old.
Ajavananda's career at the D&C began in the sales department in 1988. After 10 years she switched to the newsroom, serving as a copy editor and then a newsroom producer until her departure in 2019.
More recently she was the emerging audiences editor with the New York and Michigan Solutions Journalism Collaborative, where one of her focus areas was caregivers of older adults.
Former D&C executive editor Karen Magnuson is project director at the Solutions Journalism Collaborative, and so worked with Ajavananda at both places.
Ajavananda was unfailingly punctual, Magnuson recalled, including joining Zoom meetings several minutes early. The two of them made a habit of logging on early together to catch up.
"She was always very kind and humble and patient," Magnuson said. "Just a kind and gentle soul who was all about helping others."
Apart from her career in journalism, Ajavananda was involved with the Asian/Pacific Islander/American Association (APAA) of Greater Rochester, where she took a particular interest in anti-racism work and cultural understanding.
In recognition of her work toward diversity in both her personal and professional lives, Ajavananda in 2020 was named one of 200 female Changemakers in Rochester history as part of a community-curated exhibit at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.
In a 2014 column, Ajavananda recalled how her parents — a Thai father and German-American mother — were steered toward houses with "LSD-induced graffiti smeared on the walls," even though they could afford better.
"The audible (racist) messages were easy to dismiss because we could just block or respond to them," she wrote. "Its' the behind-the-back, the underlying perceptions that undermine full acceptance of others that can derail opportunities."
She collected and curated dozens of oral histories through APAA and also helped organize several photography exhibits focusing on documenting Asian Americans in Rochester, the organization's president, Mimi Lee, said.
"We have been devastated by her passing, and miss her dearly, as a friend and colleague for over 20 years," Lee wrote in an email. "I will miss her bright smile, sunny disposition, quiet fortitude, passion and pioneering spirit."
Ajavananda was one of seven children, including a twin sister, Carolyn, who died in 2019. She graduated from Franklin High School and St. John Fisher College.
Calling hours are tentatively set for 4 to 8 p.m. Feb. 17 at Paul Harris Funeral Home, 570 Kings Highway South, with a funeral the following morning at Saint Margaret Mary Church, 401 Rogers Parkway.
Contact staff writer Justin Murphy at jmurphy7@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Marilyn Ajavananda, journalist and community leader, dies at 59
