Sydney Lynn Altman

ALTMAN, Sydney, Age 71, of Newton, MA, died peacefully at home on April 20, 2021 from lung cancer. Sydney was born on May 2, 1949 in New York City to Harry Altman and Sylvia (Shavee) Altman. She was a woman of diverse and immense talents, enhanced by a creative, inquisitive, and eclectic mind, and an irreverent wit. Sydney spent her early career years as a child psychologist committed to helping young people — including many born and raised in troubled circumstances — contend with the difficulties of childhood and adolescence. She taught a graduate course in child psychology to help train others to follow the same course.

In her early forties, Sydney changed careers and became a lawyer. She also authored and coauthored humor books that made people all over the country laugh and find relief from the tedium and difficulty of everyday life. A lover of animals both domestic and wild, Sydney was a sporadic breeder of Bengal cats, as well as a talented interior designer with a wonderful aesthetic sense. Everyone who stepped into her house marveled at the beauty she had conceived (and none attributed it to the males who otherwise dominated the household). Throughout her life, she was also a voracious reader, an avid traveler, and a skilled photographer.

But most of all, Sydney was a person of great warmth and compassion who cared deeply for others. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, and sister, and a devoted friend. For the last decade or so of her life she struggled with severe depression, as well as debilitating migraines, but until her final days persistent flashes of the “old Sydney” brought much-needed joy to her family and friends. Blessed with a genuine human kindness and a deep empathy for others, Sydney will be greatly missed by the many whose lives she touched.

She leaves behind her husband Bruce Singal; their three sons Jesse, Gabe and Alex Singal; her two beloved grandchildren, Riley and Cameron Singal; her daughter-in-law Jennifer Schlussel Singal; her mother Shavee Altman; and her three brothers, Robert, Kenny, and Gary Altman. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Funeral services will be held 12:30 pm on Thursday, April 22nd at Stanetsky Chapels in Brookline, 617-232-9300. Due to coronavirus restrictions, the ceremony will be small and the family is asking additional well-wishers to watch the services online. Please call the chapel at 617-232-9300 for the link.