I spent my high school years angry, unhinged, unmotivated and unsure of how to live my life. So, before attending Salem State University (then Salem State College), I spent a couple of years trying to find myself at North Shore Community College (NSCC).
I took classes mostly at the Lynn campus because it was five minutes from my house. I spent more time in the smoking room than I did in class, and cared more about my long hair and clothes than about what the future might hold. It was a confusing time but also a fun time, which I needed. Indeed, the experience did allow me to sort things out, and I have many people to thank for that — especially Lisa Milso, director of student life.
She was a voice of reason and motivation as I delved into all manner of activities, including a stint on the student government council. She touched countless lives in similar fashion, so I was sad to learn that she passed away Dec. 24.
I’m not sure how she died, but I know from the college’s Facebook page that as an organ donor, she saved seven lives on Christmas Day. That was Lisa, helping people to the end.
The statement from NSCC said in part:
Lisa loved NSCC and our students and proudly served the college for over 28 years. Through her many roles at the college Lisa has personally touched the lives of countless students and alumni and her absence will be deeply missed.
She held that post for 28 years, which is amazing in this day and age, where people switch jobs every few years.
She was a master volunteer, organizing student trips to New Orleans as part of NSCC’s “Labor of Love” initiative, in which students and faculty traveled to New Orleans to help in the continuing effort to rebuild neighborhoods destroyed by Hurricane Katrina a decade ago.
She was a rare gem, the type you can’t replace.
But when I think of all the lives she touched, I know she’ll live on in many people — from those who received her organs to the countless people she helped steer toward productive lives.
Thanks for what you did for me, Lisa. Thanks for what you did for everyone.
Obituary: MILSO, Lisa Anne Of Lexington, Dec. 24, 2015. Lisa is survived by her mother, Theresa Marie Milso (Pace) of Lexington, and by her aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Director of Student Life at North Shore Community College. Funeral from the Douglass Funeral Home, 51 Worthen Rd. Lexington Monday Jan. 4 at 9am followed by a Mass of Christian burial at St. Brigid Church, Lexington at 10am. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Visiting hours Sunday from 4pm to 7pm. Donations in her memory may be made to the Lisa Milso Memorial Scholarship Fund, Attn. Tatiana Espinal, Director of Development at tespanoi@northshore.edu. Interment private.
Lisa touched my life in ways that continue to reveal themselves to this day. She was a kind, compassionate person that reached out and touched the lives of so many people and I will always remember her fondly. Thank you Lisa for the lessons you taught me and for all you have done to teach our next generation about unconditional love and the connections that all human beings share. I am forever indebted to you for sharing the “labor of love” experience which will always be a highlight in my life. With Love, Mike.