Susan Brody Hasazi, 72, of South Burlington and Duxbury, Vt., passed away on May 14, 2019. Her death was the result of a degenerative brain disease with which she lived and coped with dignity and grace for many years. Even as the disease took its toll on her memory and other abilities, she retained her love for family and friends until her last breath. Susan was a beloved mother, wife, cousin and niece who counted many friends and colleagues as family. One of her defining characteristics was loyalty — to be loved by Susan was to be loved by someone who could be unconditionally relied on for love, support and the best advice. Susan grew up in Toronto, Canada, and Miami Beach, Fla., where she met her soulmate, Joe. Together they moved in 1970 to Vermont, where they raised their daughter, Sarah. From their home base in Burlington, Susan, Joe and Sarah traveled the globe, including living and working in Portugal and Italy on multiple occasions. Susan’s worldliness was reflected in her elegant style and love of art, music and fashion. An incredible intellect and leader in her field, Susan also loved to read fiction and poetry and was a gourmet cook. One of her many joys was bringing family and friends together for meals, occasions known for wonderful conversation and company. For more than 25 years, she was a member of the “WG”— a women’s group of eight friends who met weekly to love and support each other through life’s many joys and occasional crises. With her best friend, Chrysanne Chotas, she held weekly Sunday Night Dinners, where their children became sisters and Chrysanne and Susan moms to them all. These traditions and others like them exemplify why she will be so deeply missed. Susan was a woman of great professional accomplishments, many more than can be easily summarized here. An internationally known scholar in the field of special education, she began her career as a special education classroom teacher, an experience that shaped the rest of her professional life. While gentle in manner and petite in stature, Susan was a fierce and powerful ally for people with disabilities — whether she was working with individual families or national policy makers, she advocated relentlessly throughout her life for services and policies on their behalf. She was instrumental in the movement to integrate special education students into mainstream…
Susan Brody Hasazi, 72, of South Burlington and Duxbury, Vt., passed away on May 14, 2019. Her death was the result of a degenerative brain disease with which she lived and coped with dignity and grace for many years. Even as the disease took its toll on her memory and other abilities, she retained her love for family and friends until her last breath. Susan was a beloved mother, wife, cousin and niece who counted many friends and colleagues as family. One of her defining characteristics was loyalty — to be loved by Susan was to be loved by someone who could be unconditionally relied on for love, support and the best advice. Susan grew up in Toronto, Canada, and Miami Beach, Fla., where she met her soulmate, Joe. Together they moved in 1970 to Vermont, where they raised their daughter, Sarah. From their home base in Burlington, Susan, Joe and Sarah traveled the globe, including living and working in Portugal and Italy on multiple occasions. Susan’s worldliness was reflected in her elegant style and love of art, music and fashion. An incredible intellect and leader in her field, Susan also loved to read fiction and poetry and was a gourmet cook. One of her many joys was bringing family and friends together for meals, occasions known for wonderful conversation and company. For more than 25 years, she was a member of the “WG”— a women’s group of eight friends who met weekly to love and support each other through life’s many joys and occasional crises. With her best friend, Chrysanne Chotas, she held weekly Sunday Night Dinners, where their children became sisters and Chrysanne and Susan moms to them all. These traditions and others like them exemplify why she will be so deeply missed. Susan was a woman of great professional accomplishments, many more than can be easily summarized here. An internationally known scholar in the field of special education, she began her career as a special education classroom teacher, an experience that shaped the rest of her professional life. While gentle in manner and petite in stature, Susan was a fierce and powerful ally for people with disabilities — whether she was working with individual families or national policy makers, she advocated relentlessly throughout her life for services and policies on their behalf. She was instrumental in the movement to integrate special education students into mainstream…