Suzanne Pasch

Suzanne Pasch passed away on Saturday, October 22, 2022, due to complications from dementia. Suzanne was born in 1943 and welcomed into a loving family by parents Rose and Nathan Pasch. After a time in Gary, Indiana during World War II, her family returned to Milwaukee, WI, where she was surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Suzie, as she was known then, corralled her sister Barby, friends, and family into imaginary adventures, wrote stories and poetry, and dreamed big. As a high-school student, she and her friends led a successful charge to enable young women to wear pants to Whitefish Bay High School.

She attended college at the Universities of Michigan and then Wisconsin, where she transferred after meeting James Wiviott, who would become her first husband in 1964. They had two children, Lori and Stephen, and settled in their hometown of Milwaukee. Suzanne earned a PhD in Educational Psychology in 1970, one of very few women to do so in that era. She took the Badger Bus to Madison, baby Lori in tow, to finish her degree.

Suzanne went on to have a distinguished academic career, rising to full professor of Educational Psychology at UW-Milwaukee. As a working mother in the 1970's she always reminded her children that they could be anything they wanted. She was founding director of UWM's Centers for Women's Studies and for Teaching and Learning. There, she met colleague, Michael Waller, who became her beloved second husband. In the 90's, she moved to Princeton, NJ, as Dean of the School of Education at the College of New Jersey and later to Boston as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Wheelock College. Her career passions were to improve the lives of young children through education and by supporting the professional development of teachers. She and her dear friend and colleague, Michael Wolfe, wrote The Lifecycle of the Career Teacher, published in 1999.

She was passionate about learning in all forms - she had an adult bat mitzvah at the age of 70, cheered on by her grandchildren. Suzanne loved to travel, visiting 6 continents during her lifetime for work and pleasure; she read voraciously. She always managed to make friends, find treasures, and had an amazing stamina for museums. Cuba, South Africa, and Israel were among her favorites. Her grandchildren were her greatest joy of the past 20 years - she played actively with them from Legos to Sorry!, took them to Hibachi, and created cousin time.

More than anything, Suzanne made connections. A close friend said, "you were only her friend for about ten minutes, then you were family." And she truly loved her family. Her parents, Nathan and Rose Pasch, predeceased her as did her husbands. She leaves her sister and brother-in-law, Barbara and Jim Hilb, Daughter and son-in-law, Lori and Jordan Tishler, son and daughter-in-law Stephen Wiviott and Caroline Fox. Dear in-laws, Sigi and the late Peter Tishler, Gloria and Irving Fox. She was beloved Grammy to Jack, Ellie, Sam, and Lucy; Aunt Suzie, to Carrie Melam and Jennifer Kahn. She leaves many close cousins, colleagues, and dear friends.

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, at Temple Beth Elohim, 10 Bethel Road, WELLESLEY, MA, with interment immediately following at Beit Olam East Cemetery, 42 Concord Road, WAYLAND, MA.

Shiva will be observed following services on Tuesday until 5:30 pm, at the home of Stephen Wiviott and Caroline Fox.

In lieu of flowers, please take a chance on something meaningful to you and consider a donation in Suzanne's memory to a preschool program that provides a good start to children who need it.

Arrangements under the direction of Stanetsky Memorial Chapels, www.stanetskybrookline.com.