Magdalena Maria Gebska-Wojdynska

MAGDALENA GEBSKA-WOJDYNSKA OBITUARY

Magdalena Gebska-Wojdynska

September 20, 2022

Chapel Hill, North Carolina - Dr. Magdalena Maria Gebska-Wojdynska of Chapel Hill passed away in late September due to complications from cancer. A beloved physician, wife, mother, sister, aunt, and grandmother, her kindness and ability to delight in life's small wonders will be missed by many.

Born and raised in Warsaw, Poland, young Magda was an active scout and a motivated student. After receiving her medical degree from the Medical Academy of Warsaw in 1977, she completed two years of residency in internal medicine and endocrinology before emigrating to the U.S. in 1981 with her husband and young son.

After passing her required examinations to practice medicine in the United States, Dr. Wojdynska undertook a second residency in psychiatry, completing her training at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she served as chief resident in her final year. In 1994, she entered private practice as a psychiatrist, which she continued through recent months until her illness made it no longer possible.

She found her greatest joy in being able to take care of others, including her patients, her family members, and others who happened to be in need. She was generous with her time, but also with beautifully arranged bowls of fresh fruit, cozy bowls of soup, and calming conversations. She loved planting flowers around her house and yard, trips to the beach or to lakes with her husband, and jumping with both feet into whatever imaginative play worlds her grandkids could conjure.

Magda is survived and desperately missed by her loving husband and partner of 55 years; by her "kids" (her son and daughter-in-law) and her two beloved grandchildren; by her sister and mother; by her dear nieces and their families, and by a wide community of friends from the Triangle to Warsaw, and beyond.

A celebration of Magda's life will be held later this month; for more information, please email celebratingmmw@gmail.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the National Women's Law Center at https://nwlc.org/.