Diana Siskind

October 27th, 1925 - October 23rd, 2026

A Vagabond Song 
By Bliss Carmen

There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood—
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the scarlet and the purple and the crimson keeping time.

The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry
Of bugles going by.
Any my lonely spirit thrills
To see the frosty asters like smoke upon the hills.

There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir;
We must rise and follow her,
When from every hill of flame
She calls and calls each vagabond by name.

This was one of Diana Siskind’s favorite poems, and it captures something of her colorful, vagabond spirit. She was a storyteller before she could even read, a little girl and her imagination running wild down the streets of Albany. Her parents, Harry and Lena Heller, were Russian immigrants, and she was the youngest of six children. Picture her at nine years old, daring to hitch a ride on the back of a trolley, talking her way onto a live radio show, or sitting on a bridge, swinging her legs and singing “It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie” until the truant officer arrived.

When her family moved to New York City, her future began. She was only nineteen when she signed up for classes at the famed Photo League. There she met and married the ebullient Carrol Siskind, a professional photographer and teacher. They started a family and became part of a New York City circle that included artists, photographers, activists and writers. Engaging with the world, nature and the people she met, her curiosity and empathy made her not only a beloved neighbor, friend and parent but an excellent writer and poet, and over the years her work appeared in various publications and in book form.

The family lived in Hell’s Kitchen, Long Island City and eventually moved to Shark River Hills, in Neptune. Diana not only had a talent for writing, she had a theatrical streak, performing bedtime stories as if they were plays, inventing all the voices and making up songs. A trip to the library with her was a trip to a foreign land, and she would always emerge pushing a baby carriage filled with books. She craved experience, and over the years, her real-life adventures would include riding on the back of a Harley, going up in a hot air balloon, meditation retreats, a stay in a futurist city, Yoga classes, guitar lessons, and so much more

In her fifties, she began to enroll in correspondence courses in economics, political science, French, literature, writing and poetry. She traveled on her own to France and England, and just before turning sixty, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree, a hard-won victory in a lifelong search for learning and experience. Along the way, she discovered a book called “The Science of Mind,” which led her to the all-encompassing spiritual philosophy she embraced in her later years.

After Carroll’s death in 1999, Diana moved to Seabrook Village where she remained in her sun-filled apartment until the end of her life, surrounded by paintings, photographs, plants, the books she called her friends and the everchanging trees outside her window. She was a memorable person, beloved and admired by everyone she met, and she remained thoughtful, funny, feisty, generous, brilliant and unique to the last. With her usual determination, she managed to vote in the midterms. And she passed away in that vagabond month of October, four days before her 101st birthday. Please enjoy the video below!

Diana is survived by her daughter Lynn Ahrens, son-in-law Neil Costa, son Paul Siskind, nieces Sarah Snook, Raven Snook and family, Nancy Barr and family, Fredi Engelberg and family, Barry Siskind and family, Larry Brofsky and family, Marcia Honig and family, Karen Shawn and family, nephews Bob and Bill Skolnik and niece-in-law Beth Keitel. Her extended family includes her beloved aides Barbara Sanchez, Debbie Corbalis, Marilu Kurinzi, Mija Rivera-Albert, Joan Kelly, Christene Graham, Tavia Calder and a number of dear friends.

In Diana's memory, please consider donating to two of her favorite charities:

HEIFER INTERNATIONAL: https://www.heifer.org/support

SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: https://www.splcenter.org/support-us/

Diana's family would love to hear from you or receive pictures on Diana's page of tributes at https://www.wbhfh.com/obituaries/diana-siskind.