Obituary of Barbara Lukas

Barbara T. Lukas, age 59, of Scotia, New York, passed away on July 21, 2014 at St. Peter's Hospice Inn with her family by her side. Born in Syracuse, NY, on March 4, 1955, Barb was the only daughter of Garnett Bethell Tidwell and the late Billy Tidwell. Barb moved to Niskayuna as a teenager and was a graduate of Niskayuna High School, class of 1973. She received her B.A. from SUNY at Potsdam, and then earned her master's degree in Industrial Administration from Union College. She was employed at General Electric Global Research for 30 years, working as Systems Analyst, Project Leader, and Manager of the IT Applications Development Group during her time there. She earned another master's degree in Information Science from SUNY at Albany, thereby pursuing her real passion, teaching; she worked as a Media Specialist for the Greater Amsterdam School District. She was an avid reader and had a gift for reading aloud to her students. Barb will be remembered for her contagious smile, her kindness to all living things, her love of the outdoors, and her passion for teaching; but most of all, she will be remembered for the daily generosity and love she showed to her family. She enjoyed photography, and was an active member of Soroptimist International of Schenectady. She is survived by her dedicated husband of 32 years, Wayne Lukas; two daughters, Katie and Olga Lukas; mother, Garnett "Billie" Tidwell, along with an extended family of cousins, in-laws, and special friends. Funeral service Wednesday July 30, 2014 at 6:00 PM at the Daly Funeral Home 242 Mcclellan St. Schenectady. Calling hours 4-7 at the funeral home . Memorial contributions in Barbara's honor may be made to the Ian Dunn, M.D. Brain Tumor Research Fund at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Development Office, 116 Huntington Ave., 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02116. ( https://giving.brighamandwomens.org/brain-tumor-research ). The family would like to thank the staff members at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Albany Medical Center, and St. Peter's Hospice Inn, respectively, for their support and kindness to Barb and the Lukas family.