Devoted mother and grandmother Suzanne Tauber of Sparta, N.J., passed away on May 13, 2020, after a long battle with COVID-19. She was 79 years old.

She was born on Oct. 6, 1940 in New Haven, Conn., to Mickey and Mildred Levine. She graduated from Tufts University and married Harold Tauber in 1961. The couple resided in Brooklyn, N.Y., before moving to Livingston, N.J., and finally settling in Sparta.

An avid book reader, her interests spanned multiple genres from classics to spy novels. With her husband, she also enjoyed traveling, exploring the world and discovering new cuisines. Thanksgiving and Passover were her favorite holidays. She enjoyed entertaining guests and spending time with those close to her, according to a local New Jersey obituary. She had a warm heart and could always be relied upon for emotional support and advice.

“Sue’s life’s focus was her family and friends, who were the center of her world,” her daughter Stacy Meisel told JTA. “Becoming a grammy was one of her greatest joys.”

Her grandchildren were the “light of her life,” as Meisel put it. “She was just always there: smiling, cheering and always ready for a hug.” She celebrated every milestone with them and hosted them for frequent sleepovers.

A decades-long smoker, upon hearing the news in 1993 that she was going to be a grandmother, she decided to permanently give up the habit. “She put out her cigarette right there and then,” recalled Meisel. “The significance of that was that she had tried to quit smoking before, but couldn’t. This news and the health of her grandchild was all she needed.”

Tauber worked as a paralegal and a receptionist at Saint Barnabas Hospital in New Jersey while raising her two children. Meisel remembers her mother always being supportive, typing up her college essays and taking her shopping for school clothes.

She is survived by her husband, Harold “Jonesy” Tauber; daughters Marcie Schembre of Sparta, N.J.; and Stacy Meisel and her husband, Ken, of Meisel of Springfield, Ill.; and three grandchildren: Shayna, Michael and Breea. She is also survived by her brother, Larry Levine, and his wife, Leslie, of Old Bridge, N.J.; and their children, Marc Levine and Aimee Levine-Everhard.

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