Bernice "Bunny" (Stern) Wallace

Bernice “Bunny” (Stern) Wallace, age 96, of Dedham MA, formerly of Newton, died peacefully on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, from COVID-19. Bunny’s strength, optimism, and resilience defined her life. Daughter of David and Minnie (Aarons) Stern, she was born on a kitchen table in Boston’s West End, a difficult delivery that seriously damaged her right arm. She never let that disability limit her in any way, always meeting new challenges with courage, enthusiasm, and joy.

She grew up in Brookline, MA, and loved summers on the beach in Marblehead. After graduating from Girls’ Latin School, now Boston Latin Academy, where she won the Latin Prize, she continued her education at Radcliffe College. As a 17-year-old Biology major, she met the love of her life: 19-year-old Harvard premed, Joseph S. Wallace, who always said he was smitten by her hot pink sweater. They married two years later, immediately after her graduation in 1943, and were inseparably “Bunny and Joe” for 63 years until his death in June 2006.

While Joe attended Boston University School of Medicine and spent two years in the Army as a medical officer, Bunny worked for D. C. Heath and Company as an editor of science textbooks. Following his residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, the couple returned to the Boston area, where Joe became a renowned obstetrician and gynecologist at Beth Israel Hospital, now Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Their daughter Barbara Ruth was born in 1948 and Ellen Beth in 1953.

As Joe’s medical career flourished, Bunny devoted herself to parenting. She was happily involved in her daughters’ activities from leading their Brownie troops to running the library at their elementary school. At the same time, she struggled with an autoimmune heart disorder that remained elusive until advances in medical technology made an accurate diagnosis possible. She subsequently underwent two open-heart surgeries, bouncing back from each one with characteristic optimism and energy. Even though the first procedure left her completely dependent on a pacemaker, she persevered, earning the nickname “Energizer Bunny.” She survived subsequent medical crises, surprising everyone with her tenacity, spirit, and indomitable will to live. She never complained, minimized her symptoms, and always did her best to focus on the many blessings that life has to offer.

She was an inspiration to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who adored their “Grammie Bunny.” She is survived by her devoted daughters and sons-in-law Barbara and Steven Grossman of Newton and Ellen Wallace and Steven Gould of Chicago; her cherished grandchildren David Grossman and Mary Jo Sisk, Benjamin and Rebecca Walker Grossman, Joshua Grossman and Rachel Liptz, Aaron Paushter and Jennifer Brown, Daniel Paushter and Tuesday Hagiwara, and Rebecca Paushter; and her beloved great-grandchildren William, Carina, Luke, Madeleine, Jack, and Michaela Grossman. She was a loving sister to her late brother Joseph and sister-in-law Evelyn (Salomon) Stern, as well as a caring aunt to her nieces and nephews.

Refined and cultured, she enjoyed going to museums and galleries, classical and jazz concerts, and theatre productions of all kinds. She loved searching for interesting antiques, adding to her treasured owl collection, doing the New York Times crossword puzzle with Joe on Sundays, playing and teaching bridge, and dining at favorite Boston haunts like DuBarry, Athens Olympia, Café Amalfi, and Joseph’s. She was a voracious reader and loved introducing her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to the joys of reading. Though colorblind, she always wore her signature red lipstick with colorful beaded necklaces and earrings. She had a wonderful sense of humor and looked forward to her daily taste of dark chocolate.

At NewBridge on the Charles, she was an exemplary resident of Assisted Living, participating happily in a variety of activities from exercise classes to playing King Ahasuerus in a recent Purim production. She was honored to be named an “Ambassador” and did her utmost to make new residents feel welcome and included in the community. She was gracious, generous, sweet, and compassionate with a beautiful smile and a loving, generous heart. She always saw the best in people and was a caring friend. To her, everyone was of value, deserving of kindness, dignity and respect. We loved her dearly and will miss her vibrancy, warmth, and wisdom.

Due to the current health crisis, funeral services and shiva are private. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Anti-Defamation League, 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 or Hebrew Senior Life, Development Office, 1200 Centre Street, Boston, MA 02131.