Obituary of Aleksandra Budnikas

Aleksandra Budnikas of Sun City West, Arizona, and formerly of Perth, New York, joined her late husband Alfonsas in eternal life on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011. She was 93. Aleksandra was born in Lithuania and migrated to Massachusetts in 1950. After a brief period, she settled her family in Perth. She was a seamstress and worked the family farm with her husband and four children. In 1997, with her husband, she relocated to Kingston, NY. Her husband predeceased her in 2001. In 2005 she moved to Sun City West with her daughter Ilona and son in law Joseph. Flowers were a passion , especially roses, and she enjoyed spending time in the garden. In her later years, a devout Roman Catholic, she kept abreast of church issues and viewed Mass daily on television. Because she constantly carried blue rosary beads, she was known to her great granddaughter and namesake Alexandra as "grandma blue diamonds". She was extremely proud of her highly educated children. Her three sons are doctors and her daughter a teacher. Beloved by each of them, she enjoyed their company and also often communicated with her sister Elena Leavitt. Her loving family includes her children: Dr. Edward Budnikas and wife Monica of Vestal, N.Y., Dr. Peter Budnikas and his wife Marcia of Williamsburg, Virginia, Dr. Arunas Budnikas of Greenwich, N.Y. and Ilona Spada and her husband Joseph of Sun City West, Arizona. Her sister is Elena Leavitt of Amsterdam, and her niece is Viluna Jennings and her husband Aaron of Russell Center, Ohio. There are four grandchildren: Kristin Baltes, Randy Budnikas, Todd Budnikas, Joseph Spada and six great grandchildren. A prayer service will take place Saturday September 24th at 1 pm at the Betz, Rossi & Bellinger Family Funeral Home, 171 Guy Park Avenue. Fr. O. Robert DeMartinis presiding. Interment will follow in St. Casimir's Cemetery also in Amsterdam. Those who wish may make a contribution in her memory to the Eternal Word Television Network EWTN in care of the funeral home office.