Sylvia Axelrod died on February 27, 2022 at the age of 82. She was born in Brooklyn, NY to David and Esther Gilbert. Sylvia leaves behind her sons David "Daxe" Axelrod and Scott Axelrod, her daughter-in-law Denise Freed, her grandchildren Ilani and Dari Axelrod-Freed, and her sister Myrna Kipnes. She was pre-deceased by her daughter Dara Axelrod and her siblings Gertrude Schramm, Joe Gilbert, and Susan Gilbert.
Sylvia was warm, caring, thoughtful, and beloved by all who knew her. She improved many lives, both personally and professionally in her role as executive director of the NJ branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI NJ. She was a tireless fighter against stigma and divisiveness. Part of her secret was humility and getting other people to claim her ideas as their own.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Dara Axelrod Expressive Arts Network (https://www.naminj.org/programs/ean/) of NAMI NJ, 1562 US Highway 130, North Brunswick, NJ 08902 (https://www.naminj.org/donation/donate/).
