Lisa Marinelli

Marinelli, Lisa ALBANY After a nine-year courageous battle with metastatic breast cancer, Lisa Marinelli succumbed to this devastating disease on December 22, 2014. Those who knew Lisa and had occasion to interact with her, knew of her steadfastness to her core beliefs of fairness and empathy, especially for those who may have missed out on many of life's opportunities. She spent much of her life caring for others, helping them navigate problems that had arrived suddenly on their doorstep. She left no stone unturned whenever solutions seemed too difficult to pursue. Lisa had little patience for artificial boundaries that could become obstacles to people working together and respecting each other's backgrounds and individual perspectives. Lisa entered this world shortly after 6 p.m. on November 9, 1965, the time and date of the great blackout that crippled the entire northeast of the country. She was the youngest daughter of Patricia Marinelli and the late Raymond E. Marinelli, and the sister of Kathleen Marinelli, Karen Marinelli Gomez (Bill), and Robert Marinelli (Wes Carroll). She was the beloved aunt of Allison and Tricia Gomez, and the very good friend of Joe Miller. She loved her friendly, playful cats, Merlin, Alice and Tigger. Lisa briefly attended Holy Cross Elementary School, and then the Albany Academy for Girls. She became interested in the programs of the Empire State Institute for the Performing Arts (ESIPA) and became an active participant in their agenda. Lisa was a high achiever in the national merit biology exams and was admitted to a specialized academic college program that focused on the biological sciences and provided a direct path to medical school. She chose however to attend the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, based primarily on her experiences with ESIPA. After graduating from the Tisch, her first job was with a highly regarded New York production company. Subsequently, she moved to California and worked for Paramount Pictures. During this time she came into contact with many well-known performing artists and directors. She was at Paramount when the use of animation was becoming increasingly popular. Despite her many involvements with the movie industry, her earlier interest and aptitude for the biological sciences returned, and she made a decision to "change course" and to prepare herself for a career in medicine. She returned to Albany and enrolled in courses at SUNY in order to facilitate her goal. While doing this, she was a teaching assistant in several Albany schools. She loved teaching, especially the part about interacting with students. She often reminisced about her teaching years with great pride and fondness. Her original plan to go to medical school was halted by a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, a diagnosis that she dealt with, with her usual determination of spirit and courage. She became tireless in her quest to familiarize herself with scientific information and data relating to breast cancer, especially metastatic cancer. She was hopeful that increased funding for specific research targeting the mechanism whereby cancers cells migrated within the body would become a reality. She was vigilant in encouraging people with whom she came into contact, to ask pertinent questions of their medical providers when being diagnosed and treated. Lisa was truly a gifted multi-tasker. She could fix your plumbing, effectively converse with your computer, decipher complicated medical, legal and bureaucratic jargon, and be of help if you were down on your luck, were distressed or in trouble. She was, to her family, and to those who occupied her universe, a loving guardian angel, always looking out for you. She will be greatly missed. The family appreciates the care Lisa received from her caregivers at NYOH and Community Hospice, especially Duncan Savage, Rufus Collea and Terry Clark. A memorial service for Lisa will be held at the New Comer Funeral Home, 343 New Karner Road, Colonie, on Saturday, December 27, at 11 a.m. There will be no calling hours. To leave a special message for the family please visit NewcomerAlbany.com In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Metastatic Breast Cancer Network, P.O. Box 1449, New York, NY 10159.