Renee Wasserman Obituary

Renee Wasserman - 1932-2025 - was a Hall of Fame mother.

She is survived by her sister, Jan; her three children, Harley, Suzanne (her favorite child… wink wink), and Stephanie; her daughter in-law, Lorna; her two son in-laws, Damon and Richard; and her five grandchildren, Kendall, Carson, Jarrett, Taylor, and Tyler.

She grew up a Buckeye, living in Columbus, Dayton, and Cleveland Ohio. She earned her degree from Ohio University and began a long teaching career in her mother’s nursery school. Renee loved teaching, settling into kindergarten and first grade, first in Richmond Heights, Ohio, and then Verona, New Jersey, all in all teaching 37 years.  How good a teacher was she? Renee taught in Verona long enough that her students grew up, got married, had children of their own, and when they found out she was still teaching, requested her for their children!

As her children, we learned:

That grandmothers were supposed to be a part of our lives, and so hanging out with our Nanna while she told stories and played the piano seemed normal, as it seemed normal for our children to hang out with their Grammie.  That you were supposed to work hard. Somehow, she taught all day, made sure we had three good meals, did our homework, got us to swim practice, and still left us with plenty of time to simply play.  How she managed to raise us on a teacher’s salary we’ll never know. She overcame medical challenges, and she was strong enough to outlast three hip replacements And through it all, like a duck, all we saw was the placid surface, not the furious paddling beneath the surface.

In 1981, she found the happiness she deserved when she married the love of her life, Milt Wasserman. He made her laugh, he made her cry, he made her become a sports fan.

Renee retired from teaching in 1994. Not content with sitting around, she became a real estate agent. Quickly, she was one of the top earners, attaining the NJAR Circle of Excellence from 1998-2007. After retiring from her second career she went on to her third, belonging to many book clubs in NJ and SC and bringing people together playing Mah-Jongg and Canasta up until shortly before her death.

Renee’s lasting legacy is her cookies. She made dozens of different kinds of cookies, but they all had one thing in common - they were delicious! She collected her recipes and made books for her three granddaughters, and now they are carrying on the tradition.  Renee was a model for what a good mother should be: loving, smart, patient, generous, unselfish, unfazed by hurdles, Yankees fan, and always there when her children needed her.

In the Hall of Fame for mothers, Renee is Mariano Rivera. She will be greatly missed by all who she loved and all who loved her.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Parkinson's Foundation.

A memorial message may be sent to the family by visiting our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.