Leonard M. Silver

Leonard M. Silver of Sugar Loaf died peacefully Thursday, March 16, 2017, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, surrounded by family and loved ones. He was 69.
Son of Chaim and Yetta Silver, Lenny was born in The Bronx on leap year, Feb. 29, 1948, a child of Holocaust survivors.
He leaves behind his loving wife, Louise, married for 40 years and together for 46; his beloved children, Sara and Jesse; and two brothers, Bill and David.
Lenny bravely and courageously fought cancer for more than eight years to continue being the father, husband and friend that defined who he was and the life that he lived.
He was a skilled and self-taught carpenter, photographer and musician, always the perfectionist in everything he did.
Lenny believed in the concept of Tikkun Olam, making the world a better place. Lenny personified this concept in so many aspects of his life.
He was very proud of the work he did for the Palisades Park Commission and the restoration work he did on historic sites.
Some of the other most meaningful experiences in his life include the time he spent as supervisor for a Teen Suicide Hotline, the five years he worked at Pope Pius as a counselor for troubled youth, as well as his time volunteering at both Sacred Heart Church, serving meals in the soup kitchen, and also the Children’s Snack Program delivering snacks to children in need.
In addition, Lenny was always passionately involved in social change throughout his life. He believed that standing by and not doing anything at all made you just as responsible, if not more, as those who are doing wrong.
Lenny believed in speaking out, standing up to injustice, having a responsibility to family and community and respect for others and their beliefs.
He lived his life always taking a stand for what he believed in. Lenny never sat by passively and allowed injustice to occur.
On two occasions, Lenny even ran for Town Supervisor, not because he dreamed of a career in politics, but rather in strong beliefs and an unwavering drive to make changes he saw were desperately needed in the community.
He will be forever missed and always in our hearts. We will remember with unimaginable gratitude the time we had with him, the memories of the very special trips he took one on one with each of his children and the time we had together as a family, with a loving, caring, incredible man that we were so fortunate to have in our lives. Our lives will never be the same with him gone, yet they are that much richer for the time we had with him.
Shiva was observed at the Silver home daily from Sunday through Thursday evening.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Eitz Chaim Snack Program. Please contact 845-783-7424 for details.