Marshall Winokur

Marshall Winokur died September 2, 2022, at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, surrounded by his loved ones. Marshall was born on November 26, 1942, in Washington D.C. to Louis and Alice Winokur. He married Janice (Richardson) Winokur in August 1965. At the time of Marshall’s death, the couple resided in Grantham, New Hampshire. Marshall was an Army Veteran, a college professor, a recognized collector of books and postcards on Russia and the Soviet Union, a dedicated husband, and a man loved by many.

Marshall and Janice met when they were students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Marshall received his B.A. in Russian from the University of Massachusetts (1965), and his masters (1966) and doctorate (1973) in Slavic Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania. He began teaching Russian and German at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 1969, where he remained for his academic career, retiring in 1994. His research on Russian culture and the fate of Russian Orthodox churches, convents and monasteries under the Soviet regime led to numerous publications, fellowships, and talks, and found expression in his collection of over 25,000 postcards depicting life in the Russian Empire, a collection now available at the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (the Winokur-Munblit collection of the Russian Empire postcards). 

After his retirement, Janice and Marshall moved to a 19th century farm in Deering, New Hampshire, where Marshall stored his collection of books and postcards on Russian and New Hampshire culture. He donated the New Hampshire Collection (1805-2004) to the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. Marshall was a loyal Alabama Crimson Tide fan, an avid swimmer, and a lover of animals, especially his cats. He and Janice were dedicated to family, education, travel, and charitable causes. Marshall has been described by those who loved him as  “soft,” “warm,” “respected,” “sincere and caring,” “a loving husband,” and, finally, as “quirky, in the most endearing way.”

In addition to Janice (Richardson) Winokur, his wife of fifty-seven years, Marshall leaves behind his brother Eliot Winokur and his wife, Irene; his brother-in-law Brian Richardson and his wife, Marsha; his sister-in-law Judy Richardson; and nine nieces and nephews, Ian Winokur and Jason Winokur; Lorna Williams, Linda Sicotte, and Brent Richardson; and Karen Healy, Carl Richardson, Annie Cantrill, and Amanda Sonnenberg. He also leaves behind several cousins as well as many grand nieces and nephews. Among others, he was predeceased by his brother-in-law, Carl O. Richardson II. 

The family would like to thank the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, especially the Palliative Care Program and the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care. The burial and celebration of life will be at the family’s convenience.