Obituary of Susan Helene Pierce

Home: Lake Huntington, New York USA Place of Birth: Bronx, New York USA Susan Helene Pierce Lake Huntington, NY April 21, 1952 ~ September 5, 2015 Susan Helene Kriegsman Rappaport Pierce passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Saturday September 5, 2015 at Westchester Medical Center. She was born on April 21, 1952 to Pearl Kriegsman and Jerome Eugene Tartakow in the Bronx, NY and was adopted and raised by Rose and Isadore James Rappaport. Her natural and adoptive parents have predeceased her as well as an infant daughter, Susan Rachel Pierce and her niece, Jacqueline Rappaport. Susan leaves behind her husband of 38 years, Edward K. Pierce; her brother, Ronald (Marie) Rappaport; nephew, James Rappaport; her children, Danielle Geneva Pierce (Timothy), Carrie Rose Pierce (Tanlee), Amanda Sue Pierce ( Mel), Edward Morgan Pierce (Brandy) and James Isadore Pierce (Chillum) and her grandchildren, Akai Thompson, Noah, Evan, Nora and Eve Fitzpatrick, Shea, Jocelyn, Jenethier and Isaiah Richardson. She also leaves behind her beloved friends, Arthur Berger, Michael Kaplan, Frances Marlin, Judy Bernstein and Kitten and Kevin Warren. Our mother, Susan's, whole life was about her five children. There was never a mountain she would not climb for them. Family took priority in her life even over her own. She was the President of the PTA in Narrowsburg Central School; president of the La La Chea League and a member of the 4-H group in Lava, NY. She single handedly saved the life of her second oldest child, Carrie Rose, who fell ill with brain cancer in 1989 and when her son Edward Morgan was born in 1983 with Cerebral Palsy and she was told he would have a slim chance of surviving, she fought for his life as well and made sure he survived. Susan was the most talented and creative woman who owned and operated her own bakery "Vintage Renaissance" for many years. People would come for miles to sample her old world style breads and pastries, the likes of which will be sorely missed across the state. To know Susan was a blessing in itself for she was such a kind-hearted, generous soul - she would give up her last slice of bread if she could help a person with it. Susan never sat down for a moment of her life. She was always working to improve her life and her children's lives as well. There wasn't time for all she took on in her life, but she took it on and never slowed down. She couldn't - it was not in her nature. This world will not be the same without her. The sun has just dimmed in the sky. She was the light. She was our mother. Susan's Letters to Her Children To My Favorite Child, Danielle: I love you the most. You introduced me to the joy of motherhood and made us a family. You were the sweetest, most beautiful baby in the world. I fell in love from the moment I saw you, although from that time on I never again slept through the night. My creative, sensitive idealist - strong and independent. Hesitant to let people get to know you, protective and genuinely unselfish of those you love. Oh, how I danced on the night you were born! And as you grew, you chose me for your dance partner. You have made me proud to be your mother. You are my absolute favorite. To My Favorite Child, Carrie: I love you the most. You were born with the most exquisite fine skin, a button nose and long tapered fingers and toes. You are my red with a sprinkling of freckles and a mischievous laugh. I love your vivid imagination and flair for the dark side. Always color coordinated, always stylish. I treasure your letters and carefully chosen cards and gifts. You are compassionate and nurturing to all animals and humans alike. Above all, I admire your strength and skills at adapting to life's uncertainties. Oh, how I danced on the night you were born and held you so close in my arms! I sometimes think I need you more than you need me. You make me proud to be your mother. You are my absolute favorite. To My Favorite Child, Amanda: I love you the most. At the moment of your birth you exploded into the world. You arrived with personality and whimsy, a pixyish changeling, a child secretly exchanged for another. From where did you come? A gift of life. All friends were your friends, all parents coveted you. You never stopped spinning, always talking, the center of attention, and the center of our lives. The middle child. You grew up to be godmother to all the lost children. At precisely 4:00 AM on the night you were born, bells rang and we danced. Oh, how I held you so tightly in my arms, oh how I held you so close! You made me so proud to be your mother. You are my absolute favorite. To My Favorite Child, Edward: I love you the most. My first son. A boy to carry on the name of his father. Your entry into the world was a tenuous one. You survived against all expectations. An old soul, as they say. A shadow child, hidden among the older sisters. Shy, quiet, introspective. More interested in the past than the present. The future an unknown. You rarely cried or showed any emotion. We barely knew you were there, truth be told. But you grew and grew and grew. Hello, Ed, glad to meet you. "If you're reading this ..Congratulations! You're alive! If that's not something to smile about, then I don't know what is." Yes, Ed, I do love you and when I was able to dance after you were excised from my womb, I danced with the angels who watched over you. I am proud to be your mother. You are my absolute favorite. To My Favorite Child, James: I love you the most. My second son, my last baby, my eye apple. The last to nurse at my breast, the last to tug on my apron. You're an amazing human being. You have humbled me with your intelligence and character. You have chosen to follow an unknown path, to behave in a different way, to believe in your own thoughts. You were the most difficult child to raise. I could not bend you. I could not lead you. In loving you I had to let you go. I could not hold you. *Not all who wander are lost.* J.R.R. Tolkien - On the night you were born, I danced the last dance with you. I held you tight in my arms. Oh, how I loved you so! For experiencing a great loss, yet greeting the world with a handshake and a smile. I love you the most. You have made me proud to be your mother. You are my absolute favorite. Visiting hours will be on Thursday September 10, 2015 from 2 - 4 and 7 - 9 PM at Ramsay's Funeral Home, 3534 Route 55, Kauneonga Lake, NY. Funeral services will be held on Friday September 11 at the funeral home at 11 AM. Rabbi Marvin Goldman will officiate. Burial will follow the services at Laurel Cemetery, Cochecton Center, NY. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Danielle Pierce, PO Box 453, Mongaup Valley, NY. 12762