Battled cancer for three years and left indelible mark
We lost a really good one. Someone who cared deeply about her community and impacted the lives of thousands by her kind spirit and overall good nature.
It is with a very heavy heart that we write about the passing of Lisa Falco Conklin, a Sachem alumnus, and special education teacher who spent time at Tamarac, Hiawatha and Gatelot. She passed away on June 10, 2018 after a three-year battle with cancer. She was 54.
As an educator she spent more than 33 years between three elementary buildings, devoting her life to thousands of Sachem students, many of which she endlessly advocated for. As a student herself, she attended SUNY Geneseo and graduated with a dual degree in elementary and special education.
A 1982 graduate of Sachem, she was an All-Conference gymnast and later went on to coach the sport in the district at the varsity level, winning multiple championships and keeping in touch with her student-athletes for years after they left their mark in the gym.
Lisa’s Sachem roots run deeper as many members of her family are affiliated with the school district. Her father Tony is the president of the Board of Education, and her brothers David and Anthony are both teachers and coaches at Sachem North.
After marrying her husband James B. Conklin II, she became a Patchogue resident where she was also deeply involved in the community. She founded the Patchogue-Medford Raiders Touchdown Club with help from other football moms and modeled it after the Sachem North Touchdown Club. She was the president for years, even after her son James, who played on the team, had graduated.
Beyond her love for education and community, Lisa will forever be defined as a passionately devoted mother to her twin boys, Justin and James. No matter the day, or her struggle in recent years, there was no greater topic for her to speak about than her sons. They will carry her legacy and be her defining mark.
Lisa will lay in repose at Ruland Funeral Home on North Ocean Avenue in Patchogue, N.Y. on Tuesday, June 12 from 2-5 p.m. and 7-10 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, June 13 at Emanuel Lutheran Church on East Main Street in Patchogue at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lisa Falco Conklin Scholarship Fund. Donations may be sent to Eileen Gresalfi at 29 Mosby Dr., Lake Grove, N.Y. 11755. Please make checks payable to SYAG Attn: Lisa Falco Conklin Scholarship Fund.
She is survived by her husband James, sons Justin and James, mother Margaret, father Tony, sister Michele, brothers David and Anthony and so many in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews and extended family and friends in both Sachem and Patchogue-Medford.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro