Sydney Ponturo

Sydney was born in Buffalo, NY to George and Sarah (Munn) Jansen on December 27, 1925. She married John Ferrara on May 31, 1947 in Buffalo, NY, but was widowed just four years later in 1951. Sydney subsequently moved to Washington, DC, where she worked for the Johns Hopkins University’s Operations Research Office, the Institute for Defense Analysis and eventually the Logistics Management Institute. She spent several years working in Germany where a love of travel was born. She met John Ponturo, marrying in May 1957 in Washington, DC. They resided in Potomac, Maryland, where Sydney enjoyed being surrounded by nature and spent much time observing (and feeding) local wildlife. For many years Sydney also was an active member of All Souls Episcopal Church in Washington, DC.

Sydney was widowed for a second time on September 12, 1988. She moved to Baywoods of Annapolis in 2003, where she continued to spend time outdoors whenever possible. She enjoyed travel, reading, current events and was a renowned lover of animals.

Sydney is preceded in death by her parents and husbands. She is survived by her stepdaughter, Judy Weber of Monhegan Island, Maine, her grandsons Tom, John and Matt Weber, and her cousins Harold, Scot, Duane and Keith Boniface.

A graveside service is being planned for the spring of 2023 at Woodlawn Cemetery in Orchard Park, NY, with Sydney’s long-time friend, Father John David Van Dooren, officiating.

The family requests donations to the SPCA of Anne Arundel (https://aacspca.org/) in lieu of flowers