Susan Rebecca Aronson

Obituary for Susan Rebecca Shane Aronson MD FAAAP

Susan Rebecca Shane Aronson MD FAAAP, a celebrated pediatrician, national advocate for children and families, and beloved wife of 62½ years died December 22 2025, following a long bout with Vascular Dementia. Her life's work-and her life's joy-was devoted to improving the health, safety, and well-being of children everywhere.

Susan Rebecca Shane Aronson was born July 25, 1941, in Chicago, IL to Robert S. Shane PhD and Jeanne Lazarus Shane MA, both graduates of the University of Chicago. Sue was the Granddaughter of Samuel M. Lazarus Esq. and Lucy Cogan Lazarus MA, graduates of University of London and Barnard College of Columbia University respectively. She attended The University of Rochester for undergraduate studies and Case Western Medical school in Cleveland, Ohio where she met and married Jerold Michael Aronson MD MPH. After internship and residency at Jacobi Hospital affiliated with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in NYC and a Fellowship in Ambulatory Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of the District of Columbia she settled in suburban Philadelphia where she was on the Pediatric Faculty of The Medical College of Pennsylvania, Hahnemann University, and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia of the University of Pennsylvania. In 2019 Sue and her husband retired to Stuart FL after almost 50 years of living in Philadelphia PA.

A distinguished pediatrician and former member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Board of Directors, Dr. Aronson built a remarkable career at the intersection of medicine, early education, and childcare. She believed deeply that the most meaningful way to improve children's lives was to meet them where they were. As she often said, "If you want to impact the lives of children and families, do your best work where children are-in childcare 8–12 hours a day."

Guided by that conviction, Dr. Aronson became a national voice for quality childcare. Through decades of lecturing, writing, and mentoring, she educated physicians, teachers, caregivers, and the public on health, safety, and nutrition. Her work helped shape standards that continue to influence how children are cared for today. She championed the idea that every child-regardless of background-deserves safe, nurturing, developmentally rich care.

Susan shared her life and her calling with her husband, Jerold Michael Aronson MD MPH FAAAP., also a pediatrician. Together, they honored the wise counsel of the rabbi who married them- "beware of the competition in your life"-by building complementary careers in child health. In their medical practice, generations of children affectionately knew them simply as "Dr. Sue and Dr. Jerry," a reflection of the trust, warmth, and accessibility they brought to their work.