Obituary: Susan Sachs Schlansky

Susan Sachs Schlansky, 79 years old, passed away on Sept. 5, 2023. She is survived by Stuart, her loving husband of 53 years, her daughters Debra Siegel (Philip) and Rachel Katz (Benjamin), and grandchildren Zoe Siegel, Zack Siegel, and Jacob Katz. Susan possessed a deep and abiding love of her Jewish faith. Her passion for Judaism influenced and informed her lifelong career as an educator, her commitment to the Atlanta Jewish community, and most of all to loving and caring for her family.

Susan was born in Braddock, Penn. A first generation American, and the only daughter of B. Louis (Z”L) and Ethel Sachs (Z”L), Susan’s parents fled Lithuania in the 1930s with her older brothers Hillel (Z”L) and Murray Sachs (Z”L). Surrounded by many cousins, aunts, and uncles, Susan was raised in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Penn., where she was embraced by and flourished in that thriving Jewish community.

Susan graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School and attended the Ohio State University. Returning to Pittsburgh following college, she obtained a master’s degree in education from the University of Pittsburgh and embarked on her career as a teacher. Susan first taught in the Pittsburgh public schools. As opportunities brought Susan’s family to Detroit, she then taught in the public schools there. But it was in Atlanta where Susan and Stuart ultimately settled. There, Susan would spend the rest of her career as an educator, serving as a kindergarten teacher at the Atlanta JCC, an elementary education teacher at The Davis Academy, and a religious school instructor at Congregation Etz Chaim. Throughout, Susan found a calling in shaping the minds of generations of young Atlantans and inspiring them in their Jewish faith and identity.

Susan also found great purpose in dedicating her time to volunteer in support of causes on behalf of the Atlanta Jewish Community. An active congregant of Ahavath Achim synagogue, Susan took much pleasure from attending services and served for many years as the head of the synagogue’s usher committee. In addition, Susan was a lifetime member of Hadassah Atlanta, serving a term as that organization’s president. Moreover, Susan was a survivor of breast cancer. Believing strongly in the preventive value of education, Susan frequently spoke to groups of young Jewish women regarding the importance of early detection and her own personal experience in combating and overcoming cancer.

Susan’s love of learning extended not only to teaching others; she embraced a lifelong desire to add to her own knowledge. Susan possessed an insatiable curiosity about the world around her, and greatly enjoyed traveling to new countries, exposing herself to the history, culture, and sights of exotic locales. She and Stuart shared this passion for travel, and together they devoted their retirement years to exploring the world.

Of all her accomplishments and pursuits, nothing gave Susan greater pleasure than loving and being loved by her family. Susan reveled in being “Bubbe” to Zoe, Zack, and Jacob. Every Friday, Susan would greet the entire family with wishes of “Shabbat Shalom.” Susan cherished moments of catching up with every family member, speaking by telephone, inquiring about their comings and goings, and supporting everyone with words of love and encouragement through all of life’s trials. Susan, a true matriarch of her family, will be sorely missed, but there is great comfort in knowing that she lives on through the lives she touched and through the loving example she set for her daughters and grandchildren.

A graveside service was held Sept. 8 at Arlington Memorial Park. Arrangements were made by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to organizations and causes that were close to Susan’s heart: Ahavath Achim Synagogue; The Davis Academy; The Epstein School; Hadassah Atlanta; Atlanta Hope Lodge; and Camouflage.

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