Stephanie Maria Ajudua (née Hladkyj) died on January 5, 2026 at St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center in Roslyn, New York, surrounded by family. She was 78 years old.

Born stateless in Germany on November 10, 1947, Stephanie was the oldest of three children to Halyna Stryhaniuk and Mychajlo Hladkyj. She crossed the Atlantic by boat with her parents at age four, entered America via Ellis Island, and grew up in New York City’s Little Ukraine—so named after her family’s country of origin—becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1971.

As a girl, after helping care for her ailing mother—and, after her mother passed away, for her little brothers William and John—Stephanie decided to become a nurse. She graduated from Bronx Community College of the City University of New York in 1968 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in nursing, then earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing cum laude from New York’s Hunter College in 1973. She went on to work as a registered nurse at Beth Israel Medical Center and, later, Long Island Jewish Medical Center. There, she met her husband of over 48 years—Azu A. Ajudua, a doctor—with whom she had crossed paths while traveling in Europe years prior. He passed away in October 2025.

Stephanie and Azu built a home for their growing family in Upper Brookville, and later moved to Mill Neck. She is survived by their six children—Stephanie, Natalie, Helena (Joseph) Pederson, Christine, A.J., Michael (Morissa)—and seven grandchildren (Isadora, Aurelia, Jalen, Ashton, Hazel, Viggo, Olive), as well as family members in Ukraine.

While raising her children, Stephanie became a critical-care nurse at St. Francis Hospital, where she worked nights for three decades and was honored as a Nurse of Excellence. A member of the Nurse Advisory Council, she trained new hires who would come to take care of her in her last days.

Even when she wore scrubs for work, Stephanie took every opportunity to let her sense of style shine through, donning bright floral scarves and unique pieces of jewelry. She often finished her look with a red lip and a spritz of good perfume. A connoisseur of colorful things, she found much joy in sharing her special finds with family and friends.

Stephanie was also fond of all things food-related, constantly watching cooking reels, recording recipes, and conducting baking experiments through the wee hours during her retirement (still wired from the night shift at St. Francis), with consistently delicious results. Not to mention music, dance, and ice skating—she sacrificed sleep to take her children for lessons before and after school, and regularly hit the road for hockey tournaments as well as summer training camps in Lake Placid and Tanglewood. Somehow, she always managed to stop and smell the flowers (especially gardenias—her favorite) and to admire the moon.

Perhaps most of all, Stephanie relished spending time with her grandchildren, who were as charmed by her sparkly accessories as they were by her smile; and she always had a gift up her sleeve. She will be remembered for her endless generosity and for her will to live well—even in the face of incredible odds—with love, grit, and an unwavering faith in God.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2026 in the chapel of St. Dominic Catholic Church, Oyster Bay, N.Y., with a burial of her ashes to follow later in 2026. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church (30 East 7th Street, New York, N.Y. 10003; stgeorgechurch.us).