Phoebe F. Liss

Phoebe Fox Liss passed away peacefully on January 13, in Vestal, NY. Although Alzheimer’s greatly diminished the quality of her life over the past 15 years, her death at 91, was due to Covid-19.

Phoebe was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY to parents Julius A. and Gertrude (Goldberg) Fox. The youngest of three siblings, she led an extraordinary life as a quiet feminist, graduating Skidmore College in 1949 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Music, completing her Master’s in psychology at NYU while working full time, after which she began her career as a school psychologist.

She married Sheldon C. Liss on Christmas Eve, 1950 at the Plaza Hotel – an elegant afternoon affair. She liked to say that she “married into” Middletown, NY and was a long-time resident of the area, raising three children, Michael of Black Mountain, NC, Andrew of Vestal, NY and Leslie of Hendersonville, NC.

At the age of 40, while raising three children, Phoebe earned her Ed.D in Learning Disabilities from Columbia University and started her own private practice.  She devoted her professional life to assisting parents and teachers diagnose and understand children with learning problems, advocating for them in the school system and helping children overcome their learning disabilities to thrive academically.

We will always remember her good cheer, kindness, devotion to the NY Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle (in ink, of course), love of family and unabashed optimism for life.

Such was the life of Phoebe Liss. She was predeceased by her husband Sheldon Liss and her sister, Shirley Greene.  She is survived by her older brother, Irwin “Sonny” Fox of Sherman Oaks, CA, her three children, Michael and Marcia Liss, Andrew and Christine Liss, Leslie Liss,  and five beautiful grandchildren, Aaron, Jonathan, Jeremy, Molly Personius (Matt) and Rachel. 

A private burial was held at the convenience of the family.  In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations in her name to alz.org. May her memory be a blessing.

  Arrangements have been entrusted to the Cornelius, Dodd & Connell Funeral Home, Middletown, NY.  

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