Mrs Selma S Simkin

May 3, 1917 - May 27, 2017

Selma Sherli Simkin, May 1917 – May 2017, completed her long and well-lived adventure on May 24, 2017 at her residence in the Sedgewick unit of the Kimball Farms Nursing Care Center. Born in Brooklyn on May 3, 1917 to Edna and Hyman Cohen, she and her brother Jerry were raised in Bensonhurst close to her extended family. She married Edward Simkin in 1940 and moved with him to then rural Rockland County. There they began a family and made many close and long lasting friendships. Sherli saw to it that her children received advantages she never had—a stay-at-home mother, a country environment, dance and music lessons, and the opportunity for higher education. She encouraged their independence and achievement. Sherli was known for her quick wit and positive, can-do attitude. She was clever and inventive and loved to entertain. An excellent, self-taught cook, she frequently hosted dinners and holiday parties. She was a devoted and patient bridge teacher and competitive player. She also was a talented knitter and in the early 60’s she oversaw the renovation of an old farmhouse on Strawtown Rd., New City, NY. In 1998, Sherli and Ed left their beloved apartment in Upper Nyack overlooking the Hudson and moved to Kimball Farms, a Life Care Community in Lenox, MA, where they took advantage of many excursions and activities, and where they enjoyed the Berkshire’s music and arts. New friendships were made and old friends and family continued to visit. When Ed died in 2007 after 67 years of marriage, and over the next 10 years, Sherli lived in various levels of the Kimball Farms Continuous Care Community, where she benefitted from wonderfully caring staff and private caretakers and no matter how she was feeling, she never missed an opportunity to tell them they were “100% nice.” Her strength in coming to terms with widowhood and her ability to weather and recover from serious illness and injuries showed her remarkable resilience. Sherli will be dearly missed by many. She is survived by her children Mark, Linda, and Diana Simkin; son-in-law David Kritchman, grandson Ian Salsberg, his wife Maria Salsberg and great-granddaughter Anna, as well as many nieces/nephews. A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. Contributions can be made to 1) Hospice Care in the Berkshires, Inc., 877 South Street, Suite 1W, Pittsfield, MA 01201 or 2) the Daughters of Sedgewick advocacy and support group c/o Joan Ackerman, 108 Church Street, Mill River, MA, 01244 to continue to enrich the lives of residents through music and art.