Obituary of Lisa Karen Senft

The community lost a remarkable woman on Monday, October 7th, when Lisa Smalkin Senft passed away after a battle with cancer. Although anyone meeting Lisa would sense her huge heart, many did not know that her generosity spread far beyond family and friends. Each Christmas, she purchased gifts for local children from families facing economic hardship. Each Thanksgiving, she provided holiday dinner gift cards for families in need. All year, Lisa would charm neighbors into bringing used clothes, furniture and appliances to her garage for the FreeCycle program. When asked, Lisa would say she did these things because she felt lucky herself: she was married to Mike, the love her life for sixteen years, and she was a full-time mother to son Jacob and daughter Sydney, on whom she doted. Her days were spent surrounded by cherished family: mother Penny Smalkin; brother Eric Smalkin; Penny’s long-time companion Michael Silberstein; sisters in law Linda Smalkin, Terri Senft and Sally Senft; and nieces and nephew Juniper, Serafina, Rory and Alex. Friends mattered just as much to Lisa as family, and nobody was more precious to her than Ellen Finkelstein Soricelli, her honorary sister of forty years. Lisa’s memorial service will be held Saturday, October 12, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the McManus-Lorey Funeral Home, 2084 Horse Block Road in Medford, NY. In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations be made to Good Shepard Hospice, a place that provided Lisa the care and dignity in her last days that she gave so many others over her lifetime.