It’s us — Lewie, Betsy and Mark, your kids. You always loved when all of us could be together, so here we are.
You often spoke of wanting to celebrate your 100th birthday with us, and we have October 5, 2028, marked on our calendars. Though life had other plans, we will still honor that date and celebrate the incredible life you lived and the countless memories you gave us. You passed away on Friday, November 8, 2024, at Gardenview, the memory care center at Converse Home, at the age of 96.
Your quality of life had gradually diminished in recent years, culminating in a final episode of ill health which commenced the last week of October. Betsy, Margaret and Lewie remained with you, maintaining a bedside vigil and assuring your needs were addressed by the wonderful staff at Gardenview. The devoted staff, who had come to know and enjoy your feisty spirit, stopped by often to say goodbye and share stories about the things you had said and done over the years.
Mom, you revered the memory of your parents, Charles D. Cohen and Eva Y. Cohen, who welcomed you into the world on October 5, 1928, at Bishop DeGoesbriand Hospital in Burlington. You joined your older sister, Edythe, your best friend. Your love for Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Edie was sublime.
You grew up on Adams Street, enveloped by the affection of an extended Jewish family. You attended Talmud Torah, celebrated weekly Shabbat observances and all the Jewish holidays. You attended Burlington public schools, graduating from Edmunds High School, where you played a mean clarinet in the marching band. You studied a year at Syracuse University, but after Grandpa’s heart attack, you moved back home to be closer to him and enrolled at the University of Vermont, earning a degree in secretarial science in 1950.
You met Yaesef “Joe” Sussman at Edmunds, where he was a year ahead of you. We obviously are grateful you married him in 1950 at a “fancy schmancy” affair in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. After your honeymoon, Dad continued working for the Mazel family at Mazel’s Department Store on North Street, while you tended to us: Lewis was born in March 1951, Betsy followed in December 1954 and Mark arrived on your 29th birthday — what a gift!
You worked your tail off caring for us and maintaining the home, initially our apartment on Isham Street, then one on Adams Street. In the early 1960s, you and Dad built the modest home on Dale Road, which served as the family headquarters for decades thereafter. You created a multitude of memories in that house and hosted countless celebrations: birthdays, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Shabbat dinners, anniversaries, weddings and the arrival of grandchildren. You created a warm, welcoming and joyful home.
In the mid-1960s, you took the initiative and earned a Vermont Teacher’s Certificate, launching a 25-year career as a fourth-grade teacher at Thayer School in Burlington. We have heard anecdotes from former students and their parents that your teaching style was “old school.” You required discipline and decorum, and if a student stepped out of line, they heard from you promptly and decisively.
You and Dad were the antithesis of “helicopter parents.” You created an environment of mutual trust and respect, allowing each of us to thrive in our own way and build lifelong friendships with our peers. Your generosity provided each of us with debt-free college and graduate education, gifts for which we remain eternally grateful.
When retirement called, you were drawn away from Vermont, as Dad wished to work his dream job of playing golf year-round. So, in the early 1990s, you moved to Palm Beach County, Fla. There, you easily gathered new friends and quickly adapted to the life of a snowbird, and, yes, played lots of golf. We each enjoyed visiting you in Florida and always anticipated your smiles, hugs and kisses as you greeted us and our families at the airport.
After Dad’s passing in 2015, in the 65th year of your marriage, you chose to return to Vermont to be closer to us, first at Allenwood in South Burlington. After a few years, you moved to the Converse Home, initially in its assisted living area, where, among other activities, you daily traveled the hallways with your walker for a two-mile trek. Later, as your eyesight deteriorated and your memory waned, you moved to Gardenview.
You often spoke of the kind and loving care provided by the folks at Gardenview, and we echo that sentiment. Thus, we suggest if a reader of this letter wishes to honor your life, they consider a gift in your memory be made to the General Fund at Gardenview, 272 Church St., Burlington, VT 05401.
On November 11, 2024, we gathered to celebrate your life and lay you to rest at the Ahavath Gerim Cemetery in South Burlington. You are resting now beside Dad and next to your parents.
In addition to us, you are survived by: Lewie’s wife, Margaret Sussman; your granddaughter Jessica Langer and her husband, Josh Langer; your great-grandchildren Noah and Anna Langer; your great-granddaughter Avery Ducharme and her mother, Laura; Betsy’s husband, Larry Bennett; your grandson, Sam Bennett, and his wife, Erin; your great-granddaughter Eva Bennett; your granddaughter Mariel Bennett and her husband, Dillon Groeneman; and Mark’s wife, Cathy Nguyen.
You are also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and their families, as well as your cherished first cousin, Ed Colodny.
We remember those who predeceased you with love: Dad; your parents; your grandson, Chuck Sussman; your sister, Edythe, and her husband, Bob Wool; your friend and cousin, Harriet, and her husband, Mark Rosenthal; Uncle Ralph and Aunt Mildred Sussman; Uncle Lou and Aunt Sarah Fastow; Uncle Lou And Aunt Dodo Fishman; and many beloved relatives and a bucketful of friends.
Before we close, we’d like to recognize the following people for their kind assistance: the Bayada Hospice team, Shimmy Cohen at Ready Funeral Home, Rabbi Philmus and the members of Ohavi Zedek synagogue for hosting a comfort meal after your funeral.
Mom, we are grateful for your exemplary life which established a template for living a fruitful life. Thank you for being our mom. You were, are and will forever be our one and only, a blessing then, now and forever.
Shalom, sweet Sara, and Godspeed.
Love always,
Mark, Betsy and Lewie
This article appears in The Winter Preview Issue 2024.
Dear Lewis, Betsy and Mark,
I was so sorry to hear of your mother’s passing. My condolences goes out to you all and the whole Sussman family. What a wonderful send off you gave Sara with your beautiful obituary. Your mom was very special to me and my family. I (we) love the Sussman’s. All my love, Brian Smith
Lewis, Betsy, and Mark – Every few weeks I check Seven Days, really I check the obituaries to see if people from my long years in Vermont have passed. Sadly I almost always know someone, and today is no exception, both your mom and John Tampas. For the seven years that I taught school your mom, Sara, was across the hall from my classroom at Thayer School. I know that Marty Waldron and I raised more than a few eyebrows with our very open, open classroom in the 70’s, but Sara was nothing other than a supporter, a cheerleader, and someone who “got” the young New York Jewish kid that I was in my 20’s. Not that I needed a mother figure but she was someone that I trusted and probably knew me better than I knew myself. My life moved on from teaching and I left Vermont for the Pacific Northwest some 20 years ago, but thinking about your mom always brings a smile to my face.
I know that your wonderful memories of your mom will be a blessing to you – warmest regards – Mark