Lars Charles Mazzola died on 10/21/25 at age 84 after a long illness.

Lars was preceded in death by his parents Agnes and Charles Mazzola and brother Christian Mazzola. He is survived by wife Jane, sister Joy Bidlack (Jerold), and sister-in-law Susan Mazzola, niece Jill Hahn (Jeffrey), nephews Jamie Ellis (Erin Holt) and Colin Mazzola (Kim) great nephews Andrew (Jackie) and Alexander (Shriya) Hahn; great nieces, Alyssia Hahn (Alan) and Brittany Ellis (Jason); great grand niece, Layla Hahn; and Jane’s children Adina, Solon, and Caleb Morse.

Lars loved his family farm, Baltar, in Springwater, NY, more than anything else in the world. His real home was in its woods. When he was a teenager, his father appointed him “Assistant Superintendent of Waterworks.” Lars made and carried out plans for improvements at the farm, maintained gardens, trails, ponds, and ditches, supervised logging operations, kept the 1957 Oliver caterpillar tractor running, and mowed lawns and trails. As long he was able, Lars discussed farm projects with his beloved brother Christian and, lately, with Susan and her son, Colin.

Lars was a seeker of knowledge. He was educated at three institutions:

Hamilton College (BA in History, 1963); Harvard Divinity School (SBT in Theology, Church History, and Ethics 1966), and the University of Minnesota (PhD in English Literature, 1974).

At Hamilton, Lars sang in the Men’s Choir, later naming the choir master as an important influence. Another important person at Hamilton was the Chaplin, Rev. Colin Miller. Lars ventured into activism at Hamilton. In 1963 he climbed the steeple of the chapel on campus at night to hang a “Ban the Bomb” banner. Had college officials identified the culprit, Lars could have been dismissed. His classmates kept his secret until they “outed” him to applause at their Fiftieth Reunion.

At Minnesota, Lars taught humanities. He learned to meditate, thereafter a life-long practice. A roommate invited him to hear a speaker from the yoga group Ananda Marga. This life-changing experience led Lars to study yoga in India. He became a disciple of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, guru of the group. Ananda Marga promoted economic equity through their proposed system of organizing society. After graduating, since there were few jobs for newly-minted English professors, Lars became a full time volunteer for Ananda Marga. Finally, Lars taught at Corning Community College, Ithaca College, Finger Lakes Community College, SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Brockport as an adjunct professor.

In 1994, Lars met his future wife, Jane Fowler Morse, a widow, taking a new job at Geneseo. They married in 1996 and bought a home in Geneseo.

Services will be held at the United Methodist Church, 8001 South Main St., Springwater, NY on Thursday November 6 at 11am. Friends, family, and students are invited to the home at 4285 Reservoir Road, Geneseo for a reception afterwards.

In lieu of flowers, Lars asked that donations in his memory be made to:

The Pluta Cancer Center, 132 Red Creek Drive, Rochester NY

Doctors without Borders - doctorswithoutborders.org

Ananda Marga International - amurtglobal.org