Obituary of Susan Pinn
Susan Linda (Straus) Pinn, 81, of Ft. Lee, New Jersey, passed away peacefully at her home on December 10, 2022 following a long battle with cancer.
A graveside service will be held at Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge, New Jersey, at 2:00 pm on December 13, 2022 with Rabbi Leana Moritt officiating.
Susan was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Evelyn (Schenkel) and David Straus. A natural in the classroom, she graduated from Jersey City State Teacher’s College and joyfully taught elementary school for many years. Later, intrigued by the world of finance, she decided to try her hand at banking and got her start by volunteering at a local branch in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Through hard work and ingenuity, Susan was promoted to a paid position in which she continued to excel during the week while attending business school on Saturdays at Fairleigh Dickinson University, ultimately graduating with an M.B.A. She then went through management training programs at Citicorp and at Bankers Trust, unfazed at the prospect of being a slightly older woman in a cohort of fresh college graduates.
Eventually, Susan merged her interest in banking with her love of teaching when she was hired by Valley National Bank ("Valley") to innovate and run that company’s first management training program. She built the rest of her career at Valley, retiring with the title of Senior Vice President. Over the years, she shared her affinity for networking with and was a trusted mentor to countless trainees as well as to her kids and their friends.
Susan is survived by her loving children, Nancy Pinn (Steve Kumins) of Somerville, MA, and Jonathan Pinn (Karen Seemen) of Hoboken, NJ; her dear brother, Robert Straus (Helene Gordon), of Brooklyn, New York; her beloved niece Robin (Raskin) Jenkins of Morristown, NJ; and her cherished grandchildren Ori, Ava, and Maggie. She also leaves behind a warm and wonderful band of cousins. Susan is preceded in death by her parents and by her precious sisters Shelly (Straus) Raskin and Ellen Straus. Of all of her escapades and accomplishments, Susan’s grandchildren were her greatest source of joy and she signed all her cards “Proudly Known as Grandma Sue.”
Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society at https://g.co/kgs/R6zc1w.
The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the Englewood Health Breast Center and to the Englewood VNA Hospice.
