Naomi Pinsky Blumenthal

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Naomi Pinsky Blumenthal
On Monday, December 14, Naomi Pinsky Blumenthal, loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and great aunt, died peacefully at her home with her family by her side following a long illness.

Naomi was born on April 2, 1942 in Syracuse, NY to Norman and Rose Carlin Pinsky. She graduated from Nottingham High School in 1956 and received her degree in Psychology and Elementary Education from Syracuse University in 1962.

Naomi developed a passion for horses as a child and it led her to a long and storied career. After graduating from Syracuse University, she taught elementary school in Liverpool before returning to the place she loved: the barn. A life-long entrepreneur, she started her first business boarding horses at a farm in Oran, before opening the first indoor, privately-owned arena ring in the area, which allowed her to host horse shows year round.

During her tenure, she modernized and expanded the shows to what they are today. She also introduced thousands of fair-goers to horses with her World of Horses tent, a popular breed and educational exhibit.

During her more than four-decade career, Naomi served as superintendent of the NYS Fair Horse Shows for 40 years, executive treasurer of the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA); chairwoman of the Syracuse Chapter of the Professional Horsemen’s Association; national president of the Professional Horsemen’s Association (PHA), and a committee member and zone director of the US Hunters and Jumpers Association. She also taught equestrian studies and equine business management at Cazenovia College for 27 years and coached the college’s equestrian team.

Naomi developed the first Apple-compatible horse show management software and Apple even flew her to its headquarters to demonstrate her breakthrough software program. For her significant contributions in equine education and events, Naomi received a Lifetime Achievement Award from IHSA and the Frank J. Hawkins Award from PHA. Countless horse show riders and fans benefited over the years from her wisdom and skill as a mentor, teacher and promoter.

Naomi’s professional achievements were plentiful but the most important thing to her was family. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, aunt and great-aunt. She was wise, generous, fun, and loving. She loved taking trips with her grandsons, hosting the family’s annual Thanksgiving gathering, and cheering on the SU football and basketball teams.

Naomi was pre-deceased by her parents, Norman and Rose Pinsky, her brothers Philip and Roy Pinsky and her nephew Ari Bluman.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law Shari and Corey Schneider, her grandsons Cooper, Riley, and Jaxon Schneider, her sister Elaine (David) Bluman, her sisters-in-law Marilyn Pinsky, and Stephanie Pinsky, and many devoted nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

A memorial service will be live streamed by invitation via zoom at 1:00 on Sunday, December 20.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Naomi’s memory may be made to the Intercollegiate Equestrian Foundation scholarship fund (contact Kelly Francfort, ief.kfrancfort@gmail.com), or The GFYC foundation (gfycfoundation.org), a family charity benefiting cancer research.
www.sisskindfuneralservice.com