Obituary of Dr. Lisa Patel Waller

Dr. Lisa Patel Waller, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, April 7, 2019. She was 41. Lisa was born in Summit, NJ, on March 7, 1978, to Nat and Tara Patel. She was raised in Madison, NJ.

Lisa earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History at New York University (NYU) in 2000, a Masters in Medical Science from Boston University School of Medicine in 2002 and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in 2003, and her Doctor of Medicine degree from St. George’s University in 2008. She finished her Internal Medicine residency at New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) in 2011, served as a Chief Medical Resident at the East Orange VA Medical Center in 2012, started her Gastroenterology Fellowship at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, and transferred back to NJMS to complete her Fellowship in 2015.

Lisa was a gastroenterologist at Middlesex Monmouth Gastroenterology, a division of Allied Digestive Health, for 2 years.  She was an attending physician at CentraState Medical Center, Hackensack-Meridian Health Bayshore Medical Center and Raritan Bay Medical Center. She was a dedicated professional who earned an outstanding reputation for her personal dedication and excellence, and the high-level of care she provided to her patients.

Lisa was a devoted wife and mother, she was most proud of her two daughters, Madison (3) and Morgan (1), whom she loved dearly. In January 2018, six weeks after Morgan was born, Lisa was diagnosed with Stage 4 Mucosal Melanoma which derailed their lives.  Lisa received most of her care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, but Lisa's disease progressed despite trying all possible treatments available.

Lisa was caring, brilliant, fun, and passionate while genuinely loved by all who knew her.   She was a talented pianist achieving many honors, including multiple gold cups awarded to her by the National Federation of Music Clubs.  Lisa was also an accomplished tennis player and had a passion for tennis since a very young age. She was a nationally ranked junior tennis player, in addition to winning Morris County championship titles in singles for 4 consecutive years, representing the Madison Dodgers. She also played collegiate tennis at NYU, with an extraordinary record and achievements on that level as well. Lisa loved to travel and enjoyed visiting many countries to learn about other cultures.  But above all, she loved spending time with her two beautiful daughters and prioritized any moments she could share with them.  She took pride in embedding her girls with the closeness of family, and her wisdom, honesty and kindness were always present in the way she raised them. 

She is survived by her beloved husband of 5 years, Alfonso Waller; her two beautiful daughters, Madison (3) and Morgan (1); her parents, Nat and Tara Patel; one sister, Lopa Zielinski and her husband, Jeffrey, and her nephew, Andrew and niece, Tara; her mother-in-law, Maria Waller; one sister-in-law, Christine Waller and her husband Eric Hong, and her nephews, Daniel and Robert; and many other close family members, dear friends and colleagues.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, April 11, 2019, from 4-8 PM, and a Funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, April 12, 2019, at Burroughs, Kohr & Dangler Funeral Home, 106 Main Street, Madison, NJ.

Those who wish to honor and remember Lisa, in lieu of flowers, charitable contributions may be made to a 529 college fund established for her two daughters: https://www.gofundme.com/waller-girls.