Some people soar with eagles. Susan Bardack Sirkin, however, swims with the sharks. No, she doesn’t lend money at usurious rates. She’s a deep-sea scuba diver. She and her husband, Ernie, have “self contained underwater breathing apparatused” in San Salvador, Curacao, Grand Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Cozumel and other underwater playgrounds throughout the world. On the couple’s “must visit” list are the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Sharm el Sheik in Egypt. They also enjoy hiking, touring, and boating on their boat called the “Chutz paw”.
Susan is a certified Physical Education teacher, having earned her degree from Bridgeport University. She subsequently also earned her Masters degree in guidance at Kean Univeresity. After taking a sabbatical to be with her two boys during their formative years, she changed her career path and entered the world of mortgage banking. She is now a Vice President at WFS Mortgage Services in Warren N.J.
Susan and Ernie have been married since 1969. However, they’ve known each other since they were infants. It seems their respective mothers and mothers-in-law had been close friends prior to their marriages (the mothers were friends before they were married to Susan and Ernie’s fathers).
Ernie, who was born in Hillside and grew up in White Meadow Lake, is the Chief Technical Officer and Director of Sales for Applied Optronics in South Plainfield, NJ. The company manufactures high-power pulsed and CW semiconductor lasers, modules and stacked arrays from 635 nm to 2 microns. It serves a variety of industries including military, medical, industrial, research and robotics.
The South Brunswick couple is a member of Beth Chaim in West Windsor. They’ve raised two fine men, Ken and David. Ken, the more traditional son, is married and is an accomplished attorney practicing in Florida.
David, on the other hand, is married with two dogs, but is a bit more adventurous. After valiantly attempting to earn a living on the professional golf circuit for a number of years, David decided to seek his fortunes elsewhere. It seems that as an aftermath of 9/11, he got in touch with his inner patriot and joined the Navy. Now, whereas most people join the Navy to see the world, David hopes to follow in Jesse Ventura’s footsteps and became a Navy Seal (Navy’s version of the Green Berets). “David was ranked number one in all aspects of his training,” Sue states proudly. He currently serves in South Carolina as a bodyguard for Chaplains and is about to leave for Iraq (may he return safely without a scratch).
Susan may be reach at susansirkin@hotmail.com
