Susan T. Jarosz – 09/09/2024

Susan T. Jarosz, 83, of Liverpool, NY passed away on Monday, September 9th, grateful for her long life and the enrichment brought to it by her loving parents, husband, son, grandchildren and special friends.

Born June 13, 1941, in Albany, NY, daughter of the late Charles Henry and Ruth (Tilton) Thierolf, Susan Elizabeth grew up in New Hartford, NY.   As an only child, much of her early entertainment stemmed from pretend friends’ reading and signing out books from her play bedroom library.  Once in school, she learned to love music, especially piano, and, of all instruments, the French horn, and remained pretty loyal to both through college.  Each focus became a strong predictor of Susan’s life interests.

Upon graduation from New Hartford High School in 1959, she attended the University of Rochester that did wonders to broaden Susan’s world through its educational offerings, its practice teaching stint at West Irondequoit High School and her active involvement in the Women’s Student government, the University Marching Band, and Gamma Phi Sorority.  Receipt of the school’s Golden R Award and membership in D’Lions were the final coup before her AB degree in English in 1963.  Additional study came from a summer course in 18th century literature in Edinburgh, Scotland and from a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Brown University in 1965 where she met her future husband, Theodore Francis Jarosz.  They married in Utica on August 12, 1967.

Susan was then prepared to realize her childhood, make-believe classroom as she began a near-thirty-year career teaching secondary school English in Greece, NY; Snyder, NY; and Liverpool, NY, an “assignment” she truly enjoyed and reluctantly left, especially after receiving the honor of one of Liverpool High School teachers of the year.  While at Liverpool, she also was elected to the international education honorary Phi Delta Kappa.   As a retiree, she worked with Literacy Volunteers and was an active member of the English-Speaking Union’s Syracuse Branch where she served as secretary and, for ten years, as co-chair of its Shakespeare Committee which organized the Branch’s annual Shakespeare Competition for area high school students.

Susan’s life was truly enhanced by her husband’s love of travel.  Being there suddenly enlarged the teacher’s usual book experiences. And the places for Susan were amazing; she traveled widely in Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.

Susan is very much a product of her church, Tabernacle Baptist Church of Utica. Her father drove her regularly to Sunday school and the two of them were baptized together when she was twelve.  In that same church she and Ted were married and their only child Benjamin was dedicated. The three of them became members of Liverpool’s The United Church of Christ.  Ben attended their Sunday school classes and went to their nursery school.  Susan served on the boards of this school and that of the neighboring public grade school.  

Grateful for her marriage of 57 years, Ted and she continued Susan’s and her parents’ love of the dachshund and an almost yearly trip to Cape Cod and were blessed that their son Benjamin Charles, his wife Kristine Hinesley, and our incredibly wonderful grandchildren, Rebecca Elizabeth and Benjamin Chase, from Houston, shared our enthusiasm.

Friends are invited to a viewing on Friday, September 13, 2024 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Maurer Funeral Home, Inc. 300 Second Street, Liverpool, NY 13088, followed by a brief service at 6:00 pm.

Interment will take place on Saturday, September 14, 2024 at 10:30 am in Crown Hill Memorial Park, Clinton, NY.

Original Obituary: https://www.maurerfuneralhome.com/obituary/susan-jarosz