HANNAH HESS

HESS--Hannah. Hannah Hess, age 88, died May 17, 2022, in Manhattan, surrounded by family who loved her. She is survived by her husband of nearly 67 years, Walter Hess; children Kathy Hess Tallering and husband Kenneth, Maggie Hess Brier and husband Dean, and Samuel Hess and wife Paula; and grandchildren Stephanie, Allison and Jenny Tallering and Zoe and Max Brier. Born in Hanover, Germany, in 1934, she fled the Nazis as a child with her mother Ruth Spier and sister Liz in 1939, first to Ecuador and then to New York City, where they settled in Washington Heights. After graduating from Hunter College and earning a master's degree from UCLA, she had a career as an English teacher, assistant principal and principal in New York City public schools, and also authored several books. She raised her family on the Upper West Side and was a force of nature in the community as an advocate for quality public school education and affordable housing.