Amy Shenker, a Bethesda resident who spent more than two decades volunteering at Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation, died Oct. 9 after more than eight years with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. She was 57.
Shenker served as Oneg captain at the Bethesda synagogue, planning themes, organizing volunteers and bringing congregants together over homemade food after Shabbat services, Washington Jewish Week reported.
Her husband, Bill Kline, said many congregants told him during shiva about their time on Shenker's Oneg teams. Rabbi Rachel Hersh was important to Shenker, he said.
"I want people to remember Amy because of her kindness," Kline said.
Shenker and Kline raised their children, Adam and Alyssa, in Bethesda. Both attended Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. Before settling in the Washington area, Shenker studied political science at the University of Michigan and earned a master's degree in public policy at Georgetown University. She worked in child advocacy in Illinois and later in public relations.
Her family said symptoms of Alzheimer's became noticeable when she was 48. Her father, Dr. David Shenker, a neurologist, also died of the disease.
"I wouldn't be the person I am without her," her brother, Noah Shenker, said.
Washington Jewish Week's full obituary includes details of Shenker's advocacy work, her upbringing in Evanston, Ill., and the family traditions that shaped her life.
