From autopsies to authorship

NORTH SYRACUSE – Dr. Mary Jumbelic excelled in her previous profession as a forensic pathologist. She performed hundreds of autopsies during her 25-year-career before retiring as Onondaga County medical examiner in 2009.
Along the way, she served on the National Disaster Medical team following the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in 2001 and also responded to the Thailand tsunami in 2005.
As a pioneering medical examiner, Jumbelic was honored by the National Transportation Safety Board, the NY State Senate and the National Organization of Women.
Now, after having recreated herself as a writer, she’s being heralded as an emerging talent in the field of creative non-fiction.
Last year, she published her first full-length book, a memoir titled “Here, Where Death Delights.” Jumbelic will autograph copies and discuss her medical career and new role as a writer from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, at the Golden Bee Bookshop, 324 First St., in Liverpool. The hardcover’s retail price is $31.99 while a kindle version can be had for $11.49; maryjumbelic.com/.
What’s most impressive about “Here, Where Death Delights,” is the way Jumbelic has woven her personal life around the many various professional scenarios she recalls from Ground Zero to the Indian Ocean, from Chicago to Syracuse. The warm stories of her family life really put things – even death – in perspective.
Jumbelic is married to Dr. Marc Safran, an opthamalogist who has a practice in the town of Clay. Safran and Jumbelic raised three sons at their home in Fayetteville.
Although the word “delights” rarely appears along with “death,” the book’s title is actually drawn from an inscription appearing at the site of the ancient anatomical theater at the University of Padova, Italy’s Palazzo del Bo: “Here, where death delights to help the living.”
In her memoir, Jumbelic provides a strong voice for the deceased as she explores the human imprint made by the departed, thus demystifying death for herself and her readers.
Having endured years of medical education, Jumbelic knew it would be wise to pursue her retirement career by learning the nitty-gritty of the wordsmithing craft.
She credits the YMCA’s Downtown Writers’ Center and local poet Georgia Popoff for helping her develop her syntax and style. That hard work paid off.
In 2014, her piece was selected for the top 10 in the AARP/Huffington Post Memoir Writing Contest. And just two years ago, her work was chosen in the top 10 for the Tucson Literary Festival while a different story was nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
And now Jumbelic is laboring to finish a new true crime tome.
As-yet-untitled, the work-in-progress began as a close-up look at the 2012 murder of Leslie Neulander by her husband, Dr. Robert Neulander in DeWitt. But the book has blossomed into a more wide-ranging study of violence against women.
“My writing goes through these drastic shifts,” Jumbelic said. “One day I’m working with a translator for a Spanish edition of my memoir and the next I’m rewriting a story for my second book. In the coming months, I’ll share some excerpts from the upcoming book which has a focus on women.”
Jumbelic plans several more area appearances to celebrate her memoir.
From 6 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 8, she’ll discuss the life of a medical examiner and the science of forensics at the Northern Onondaga Public Library, 100 Trolley Barn Lane, in North Syracuse.
The author will sign books from 1 to 3 p.m. on Aug. 17, at Barnes & Noble, 3956 Route 31 in Clay. The next day, she’ll participate in a local authors showcase from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 18, at the Clay Historical Park, 4939 Route 31.