Karen Silva

Born in Fort Wadsworth, she graduated from St. Joseph Hill Academy. She later lived in West Brighton for 20 years before settling in Tottenville in 2008.

Ms. Silva graduated summa cum laude from the College of Staten Island in 1978. She then worked in the magazine industry, first as an editorial assistant for Commonweal, a Catholic opinion journal, and then for Playboy.

In the 1980s, she pursued her love of music, playing in local rock bands. She played keyboard and sang with a number of bands that performed in Manhattan and on the Island.

She had been a homemaker for 15 years.

“She truly was a loving daughter and devoted mother,” said her brother, David Silva.

Ms. Silva was a member of organizations advocating for children and families affected by autism, including the G.R.A.C.E. (Getting Resources for Autistic Children’s Equality) Foundation and the Volunteers of America Early Learning Center, Tottenville.

She was an avid reader and especially loved fiction.

Along with her brother, surviving are her husband of three years, Steven Penchenski; her sons, Alexander and Julian Titta, and her mother, Vivienne Silva.

The funeral will be Thursday from the Harmon Home for Funerals, with a mass at 10 a.m. in Sacred Heart R.C. Church, both in West Brighton. Burial will follow in Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp