Susan Andrea Weiner

We are heartbroken to share that our mom, Susan Andrea Weiner, passed away peacefully in her sleep at 84 years old, due to complications of dementia and pneumonia.

Susan will be greatly missed by her husband of 61 years, Howard, daughter Robin (David Gusick), son Doug (Jocelyn), brother Ed Fink (Deb), and her six beloved grandchildren: Sam, Sydney, Cooper, Jonah, Ethan and Margo, along with many close friends and relatives. Susan was extremely close and shared many happy times with her sister-in-law Varda and nieces Elana and Rebecca.

Susan was born in the Bronx to Beatrice and Leo Fink, went to Taft High School, studied at Hunter College and went on to get her masters degree in teaching. She taught Spanish and English as a Second Language for 30 years at a Bronx middle school (with many students returning years later thanking her for being strict and saying she changed their lives), before retiring close to when her first grandchild, Sam, was born. The role that Susan was most excited to take on was "Nana" and to say that she treasured her grandchildren is a massive understatement - they were truly everything to her and they all adored her.

Susan met Howard while teaching in the same school, married him when she was 23, and started out living briefly in the Bronx, before moving to an apartment building in Flushing, Queens. It was there that she started a family at age 26, and made lifelong friends in the same phase of life. Together, they chatted while pushing their kids on the playground swings, running out to the ice cream truck and raising their families together. Susan especially loved having her friend Sandi on the 17th floor, only two floors up from her, and they remained very best friends, like sisters, the rest of her life.

Susan absolutely loved the ocean, so in their early 30's, she and Howard decided to get a weekend house in Hampton Bays, NY. The Hamptons were a big part of Susan's life. She loved her morning walks with friends, tai chi classes, and their bright-colored light blue and yellow kitchen with lots of space to cook. Everyone enjoyed her meals cooked in that kitchen, including matzoh ball soup, brisket and "nana's pancakes" which were from a mix, but somehow her grandkids liked "only Nana's pancakes" with perfectly crisp edges. She took great joy in making those pancakes and watching her grandkids enjoy every bite. Her grandkids fondly remember her stocking the fridge with their favorites, including lime ice pops, cheddar cheese (had the cheese store guy drive it over for Sydney once) and always a nice supply of avocados for Margo.

Some of her favorite Hamptons things were swimming laps in the bay, walking in Westhampton or Southampton or at the ocean, getting a black and white cookie at Beach Bakery Cafe or a black and white ice cream soda at the local Carvel, having the people at the oceanfront fish store pick out the freshest piece of fish for her, or the people at the local farm pick out the freshest fruit and vegetables, wine tasting and listening to music at the North Fork wineries, picking up the "best apple pie in the world" at Briemere farms, dancing to 50's music at local outdoor concerts, finding the perfect lobster roll and french fries (usually taking others' French fries and then caving and ordering them herself, savoring each one and discussing her love of anything potato), having friends over, making guacamole or chicken parm (still the best version ever), and hosting barbecues on their backyard deck and holidays like Thanksgiving. Susan was proud to be by far the slowest eater at any table, always declaring that it was healthier to eat slowly.

After 14 years of apartment living in Flushing, Susan and Howard moved to a house in Sunnyside Gardens, Queens. They loved their neighbors, having their own outdoor garden space and being a quick subway ride to Manhattan. They were members of Lincoln Center Theater, the NY Philharmonic and the Joyce Theater, and took in every Broadway, off Broadway and off-off Broadway show, classical concert, dance show and foreign film they could fit in, sometimes multiple shows in a day, squeezing in a meal with friends in between. Susan loved taking her grandkids to shows, and always spent a good portion of the time watching their reactions to the performance. If not at a live show, Susan could often be found watching Law and Order or any good murder mystery show.

One of Susan's greatest loves was her Manhattan book club - she developed many close friendships, and enjoyed countless books and meals with that group. She also loved visiting her grandchildren in Chicago and Connecticut, and taking in their games or shows, always their #1 fan.

Susan and Howard moved full-time to Hampton Bays a couple of years ago, while spending a few months in Florida each year. Having then decided about a year ago that the cold was not for them (snow and ice were not happy words to Susan), combined with health and mobility issues, they decided to move to Florida full-time. It was an extremely challenging last year (in sudden, stark contrast to her vibrant, active life, always on the move, always doing something). However, even with declining cognition and growing confusion, Susan never lost the ability to recognize her treasured family. Her last words to her children Doug and Robin were "I love you" and we are forever grateful for that.

In lieu of flowers, if you are inclined to make a donation in Susan's name, a cause that was near and dear to her heart is https://keshet.org/ a life-changing, extraordinarily caring organization which continues to be a tremendous help to her grandson, Jonah.

Thank you to all of her loyal, true blue friends (special thanks to Sandi, Sheila, Linda and Lorrie over the past year) and family for their love for Susan over the years. Our lives will not be the same without her feisty personality and her above-and-beyond devotion to everyone she loved. We will do our best to honor her memory by putting family and friends first, taking many ocean walks and slowly enjoying lots of french fries.

With all our love,

Susan's children

Robin Gusick & Doug Weiner