Sydney Ann (Seymour) Fingold

Sydney Ann (Seymour) Fingold, passed away at the age of 87 on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Born on January 14, 1938 in Chicago, daughter of Maurice Seymour and Fay (Machat) Van Natten, she grew up in Chicago and graduated from Hyde Park High School Class of 1955. She married James Fingold in 1958 and they later moved to Framingham and then Cambridge, MA. Sydney received her BA in Health Science Librarianship from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Sydney’s 40 year career as a medical librarian was a singular source of pride for her. From 1972 – 2004, Sydney was Director of Library Services at Harvard Medical School’s New England Primate Research Center. She transformed what started as a “reading room” to the Henry Coe Meadow Library, a state-of-the-art biomedical library with a collection of over 12,000 volumes.

Sydney held numerous positions with the Massachusetts Health Science Libraries Network (MAHSLIN) and was an active member of the Medical Librarian Association. Sydney and her co-authors published a paper in the journal Science and Technology Libraries (1989). In 2003, MAHSLIN honored Sydney for her outstanding performance and leadership in her field citing her “talent and dedication” and “her long and distinguished career in medical/health science leadership.” After her retirement, Sydney’s boundless energy led her to two part-time library positions, at Harvard’s Wolbach Library and Ernst Mayr Library. She also became an active member of Harvard University Retirees Association (HURA), serving in many different capacities well into her 80’s.

Sydney and her husband Jim lived in Framingham for 30 years where they raised their two daughters and were active members of the community. In 1995, they made their dream move to Cambridge. Sydney loved all that Cambridge had to offer, including inspirational neighbors like Elizabeth Warren and Julia Child, and proximity to the Charles River and Esplanade, Club Passim, Symphony Hall, museums, and an abundance of ethnic restaurants.

As a grandmother, Sydney reveled in the adventures and accomplishments of her grandchildren, Ben, Leah and Molly. She also had many dear friends from all parts of her life who gave her great joy and comfort. Sydney loved to travel and she and Jim visited most countries in Europe and dozens more across the globe. The daughter of a renowned photographer, Sydney inherited her father’s gift and loved taking photographs, especially of cultural images from their travels.

Sydney was immersed in folk music from the earliest folk club, the Gate of Horn in Chicago, to Passim in Cambridge. A life-long fan of Pete Seeger, she saw him in concert many dozens of times, and she and Jim could be found at the Newport Folk Festival beginning in the early 1960s. Sydney also loved Celtic music and they traveled to Ireland with Brian O’Donovan and his music community. Sydney was active in politics through the League of Women Voters, participating in protests, knitting pink pussy hats and writing letters to politicians. A cherished memory for Sydney was when, as a Cambridge poll worker in 2020, a Boston Globe photographer captured Sydney handing a ballot to then candidate for president, Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Sydney’s incredible life force helped her defy four separate cancer diagnoses and, despite dementia over the last few years, she was comfortable and smiling until the end. She is survived by her daughters, Brenda Fingold and her partner, John Gass, of Newton and Diane Fingold and her husband, Paul Howard, of West Newton. She leaves three grandchildren, Benjamin and Leah Howard and Molly Geffken. She also leaves three nieces, Susan and Karen Adler and Shelly Adler Morrison of Chicago and half-siblings, Charles, Sue, Tatiana, Tamara and Betsy Seymour and Raoul Van Kirk. She is pre-deceased by her husband James Fingold, her half-brother Daniel Seymour, and half-sister Rosie Van Kirk. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, May 21st at 1pm at Levine Chapels, 470 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA.

In lieu of flowers, you might honor your relationship with Sydney by taking in some live music, walking on the beach or doing anything that strengthens your life force and makes you feel part of the greater world. That’s what she always did!

If you would prefer to make a donation in memory of Sydney, you might consider: League of Women Voters, https://www.lwv.org/ or Brian O’Donovan Legacy Fund at Passim, https://www.passim.org/mission/grants/brian-odonovan-legacy-fund/