Susan Carol (Cohen) Heyman

Susan C. (Cohen) Heyman, 82, of Newton, died peacefully April 7th, of congestive heart failure with her beloved husband, Martin, and her son, Leigh, by her side, and her daughter online. In addition to her husband, she leaves her daughter Samantha Hicks and her husband Jeffrey, and granddaughters Amelia and Molly Hicks of Averill Park, NY; Samantha’s twin brother Leigh, his wife Ilisa, and granddaughter Evalyn of Brookline; her brother Howard Cohen and his wife Judith, of Atlanta, GA; and her many nieces and nephews. She was the eldest of Milton and Fay (Goldman) Cohen’s three children. Her younger brother Steven, of Clearwater, FL, passed away in 1997.

Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1937, she was raised variously in the Coney Island/Kings Highway section of Brooklyn, and Forest Hills in Queens. She spent her childhood and teenage years surrounded by aunts and uncles (her father was the youngest of eight), and her many cousins. She graduated from Forest Hills High School, where Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and Michael Landon were among her schoolmates. Years later, when her twins became teenagers she went back to school to earn a Certificate in Advanced Management from Radcliffe Seminars.

Susan began her career in the entertainment industry as a secretary at CBS, and soon became an assistant playwright agent at the William Morris Agency, where she arranged foreign productions of Broadway plays by Wm. Morris clients, such as “Hello Dolly” and “Mame” by Jerry Herman and “Who’s afraid of Virginia Wolfe” by Edward Albee. Martin was an actor and part-time engineer when they met in New York in 1959. They married in 1961 in Wappingers Falls, NY.

In addition to theatre, she was very active in local and national politics. In the early 1960s she belonged to the Village Independent Democrats with whom she helped unseat the last of the Tammany Hall bosses, Carmine DeSapio, while introducing future Mayor Ed Koch to New York voters for the first time. After moving to Boston in 1970, she became an active member in the Back Bay Association and Ward committee, and a fund raiser and volunteer for Barney Frank’s first campaign as a state representative in 1972 as well as his first run for U.S. Congress in 1980 (and many thereafter). In 1973 she and Martin moved to Newton Centre and she soon became Co-Chair of Newton’s Community Schools Council and was later elected a commissioner of the Newton Community Schools, where she received recognition from Mayor Theodore Mann for her role in developing Newton’s nationally acclaimed schools program. She remained engaged and active in local, state, and national democratic politics throughout her life and was a Massachusetts delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention in support of Barack Obama and Elizabeth Warren. In 1963 Susan participated in the March on Washington where she stood 20 feet from Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial during his “I Have a Dream” speech, and in her decades of political action and service, she always considered that moment the high point of her activist life.

She had a thirst for foreign adventure. Between 1964 and 1981 she and her husband explored over 35 countries. She left New York in 1966 to relocate with her husband to Bangkok, Thailand for several years where her husband provided engineering services to the U.S. Navy. While there they became expert Asian art collectors and have maintained a select collection ever since. She and her husband also spent several years in Israel in the late 1970s for engineering services related to the historic Camp David Accords establishing peace between Israel and Egypt. While living in Israel in 1980, Susan created a jewelry and fine crafts business which she owned and operated with her business partner until the late 1990s.

In 34 years as one of the top real estate agents at Coldwell Banker in Newton she won every award the company offered. Her track record, as attested by hundreds of satisfied and repeat clients, showed her good taste; ethical yet tough business sense; gentle determination; and above all - kindness. Many of her former clients became longtime friends, including former governor Deval Patrick.

Her friends and loved ones remember her for her inquisitiveness and boundless curiosity about the lives of friends and strangers alike. She had a gift for speaking the truth in the kindest of ways and never settled for incomplete answers— she could coax out specific responses without ever being unkind or antagonistic. She would often notice an unusual accent from a stranger nearby, and suddenly spend the next 20 minutes learning everything she could about that person’s culture and family. She is also remembered for the strength of her moral compass and her sense of right and wrong – whether it be injustice or changing lanes without a turn signal, she would make her feelings known—always pushing and nudging everyone she cared about to be the best versions of themselves she believed they could be. Her husband often speaks of how he was a Republican before he met her, but the strength of her beliefs in progressive social justice opened his eyes. So many of her children’s’ friends spoke of her as a “second mother” or aunt—someone they could always trust and rely on for sage life-advice, or just a ride to baseball practice—unsurprisingly many of them maintained friendships with her in adulthood. Most of all, people remember her boundless energy—at times frenetic (“mayhem” one friend called it), but always exciting and energizing to everyone around her. One long-time friend described her as “a grand and dauntless figure who brought an explosion of love and joy to every moment.” Her speed of thought, and pace of action was contagious to anyone near her, and suffused inspiration, grace, and authenticity. She lived her life to the fullest and accepted absolutely nothing less from those around her.

Though it was her kindness, curiosity, and energy that often stood out most, she possessed a deep well of insight and wisdom that she passed on to her children and friends with subtlety and care. We are lucky to carry these gifts with us throughout our lives.

Her courageous final words will be remembered forever. She said, “Here is what I want. I have lived a full and complete life. I’ve experienced more than I ever dreamed. I have an accomplished and loving family. I don’t want any heroic attempts at keeping me alive. I want you to let me go without pain.” We hugged and said our tearful goodbyes and she asked the nurse to turn off the drip so she could sleep.

In lieu of memorial services, a celebration of her life will take place when the virus clears. Gifts may be made in Susan’s name to EMILY’s list, to support the election of Democratic women, at: secure.emilyslist.org/page/contribute/in-memoriam