Susan Schapiro
December 20, 1952 - December 30, 2022
Susan Schapiro died peacefully at her home in Lafayette, CA, from complications of esophageal cancer. Susan was born in New York, NY, grew up in Croton-on-Hudson, NY, graduated from University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and from University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Susan practiced at Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund in the 1970s and participated in the successful 1977 sit-in at the SF Federal Building that resulted in meaningful enforcement of the 1974 Americans with Disabilities Act. Susan won the Boston Marathon Women's Wheelchair Division in 1978, the second year that Division existed, and competed in many more marathons. She became a systems analyst at Wells Fargo Bank, where she worked until her retirement in 2014. Susan is survived by her husband, Charley Kopp, her son Gabriel Kopp Schapiro, her sister Naomi Schapiro and sister-in-law Kimi Sakashita, her nieces, Jennifer Scott, Dannielle Schapiro-Sakashita, Erica Schapiro-Sakashita, a grandniece Genesis Walker, many cousins, long-time friends and chosen family Seth Kaplan and Lily Myers Kaplan. Susan was a voracious reader in multiple languages and a longtime volunteer at the Lafayette CA Public Library, where she lived for many years. A memorial service will be held in the future. Donations to Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund.

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Published by San Francisco Chronicle on Jan. 3, 2023.

Memories and Condolences
for Susan Schapiro

Sponsored by Neptune Society of Northern California - San Francisco.

11 Entries

Seth

December 28, 2023

Thinking about Susan today and sending love to all of us who loved her.

Amy Davis

January 22, 2023

Susie was my cherished friend of 65 years-we met when we were five years old and lived on the same street in Croton. So many memories come to mind: countless hours playing together as kids, marathon Monopoly tournaments, letters back and forth when we were in college, visits to Berkeley and Seattle when we both moved to the West Coast, her and Charley´s beautiful wedding, the joy she felt when she became a mother, and all the favorite stories we told and retold over the years, in the way that only old friends can.

Countless other memories come to mind, but in each her great sense of humor, brilliant mind, insightful observations and kind heart shine through. She was an inspiration to all who knew her, and I will dearly miss her.

Jan R. Fogel

January 6, 2023

I remember Susan from elementary school. My condolences to all her family and friends.

Jan R. Fogel

Naomi Schapiro

January 5, 2023

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Naomi Schapiro

January 5, 2023

Naomi Schapiro

January 5, 2023

Naomi Schapiro

January 5, 2023

Naomi Schapiro

January 5, 2023

I dearly miss Susie and remember happier times - driving around California, comparing pregnancy bumps, competing on Words with Friends (I never won), sharing holidays. Words cannot express the grief I feel, Naomi

Judith Levi

January 5, 2023

In my family, conversations about my cousin Susie often included the adjective "amazing." Of course, that adjective was irresistible for a woman who won the Boston Marathon at age 25 in the Women´s Wheelchair Division, who forged careers in two demanding professions-law and information technology-and who learned more languages than anyone else I know. Other adjectives that were a perfect fit for Susie include: indomitable, audacious, remarkable, unstoppable, and admirable. Fortunately, she distinguished herself not only intellectually but also as someone with a golden heart, as has been clear throughout her long, happy marriage with Charley, as Gabe´s loving mother, and in her various roles as cherished sister, daughter, aunt, and cousin. Even in retirement, her appetite for life and learning was undiminished, as she delved into an astonishingly large array of the languages taught on DuoLingo, including Ukrainian! So it´s not surprising that in late 2018 she wrote to me, "Charley and I are enjoying retirement. We are never bored and there are not enough hours in the day." Much as I am saddened by her death, I am comforted to know how happy and meaningful her life continued to be well into this final year. May we all find solace in remembering just how much love, support, and warmth Susie naturally drew to herself throughout her life!

Paul Levi

January 4, 2023

The world was a much better place with Susie in it. She had more moxie, resilience, drive, energy, and good humor than almost anyone I know, as well as fearsome upper-body strength.

I'm so sorry that we have lost her, but glad that her sufferings are over.

Seth

January 3, 2023

Susan was smart, funny, and truthful. Besides being family, it felt like an honor and a privilege to be her friend. I remember going to dozens of movies with her in the 90s - enjoying her dialogue every bit as much as the movies´. Susan, you are missed and loved!

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