Suzanne Harmony Menuhah Peters May 22, 1956 - October 24, 2025

How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?...Known throughout her life as Suzanne, Harmony and Menuhah Peters, this consummate educator, spiritual leader, and devoted daughter, sister, niece, cousin, and friend passed away on October 24, 2025, at the age of 69 following a courageous battle with cancer.

Born May 22, 1956, Suzanne was the youngest child of Lt. Col. Lester “Pete” McCormick Peters and Vera Jenny Bozanic Peters, both deceased. She is survived by her oldest brother, William “Pete” Craig Peters (Debbie). Her middle brother, James Clark Peters (Grace), predeceased her.

Suzanne was born in Glen Burnie, Maryland, and raised in Springfield, Virginia, where she was adored by her father. Always spiritually inclined, she recalled knowing from childhood that she had a relationship with a higher power—a belief that would become a defining thread in the tapestry of her life.

After graduating from West Springfield High School in 1974, Suzanne attended college in Colorado, studying theater and civil engineering. However, upon hearing of her father’s passing, Suzanne immediately hitch-hiked home. True to her independent spirit, she then moved overseas, living in London and Paris, where she served as an artist’s model and muse, while deepening her love and knowledge of music, literature, film and art. Her mother’s home was filled with drawings, paintings, and sculptures capturing Harmony, as she was now known, in ink, paint, and clay. Other adventures—including managing a bike shop—fueled her curiosity and set her on a path of lifelong exploration.

In 1996, Suzanne—now known as Menuhah—found her true home in the classroom. For more than 25 years, she shared her curiosity, passion for learning, and deep compassion for the natural world with hundreds of children. She taught at Adas Israel, Tikvat Israel Congregation, and Gesher Jewish Day School, as well as leading weekly Tot Shabbat services at her synagogue. Her classrooms were filled with memorabilia from her travels, and she regularly greeted students in multiple languages to remind them that the world is filled with diverse people who communicate in many ways.

Over the years, Menuhah received multiple awards for teaching excellence, including The Susan Tenenbaum Memorial Early Childhood Israel Education Award, presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington in December 2014. A lifelong learner herself, she completed her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education at Trinity Washington University in 2024.

Suzanne/Harmony/Menuhah traveled to 35 countries and extensively throughout the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Among her most treasured trips were those spent visiting family and accompanying her beloved mother, Vera, to class reunions in Worcester, New York. Her Facebook posts—bright, thoughtful, and often humorous—brought the world to her many friends and followers. Her memorial page continues to offer thousands of photographs documenting her journeys.

In retirement, her travels continued, though her most cherished outings became regular trips to IHOP and pedicure dates with her mother. Following the death of her brother James in 2024, she found renewed solace in the Catholic church of her youth, especially through singing in the choir. She was so moved by her experience, she officially came into the Catholic Church on Easter 2025, choosing St. Hildegard of Bingen as her Confirmation Saint. A fitting choice, as Hildegard is the patron saint of musicians, creativity, and ecology; also famous for her divine visions and for being one of only four women named a Doctor of the Church.

Suzanne’s final weeks were marked by remarkable grace: from her bed, she taught a lesson on the Jewish High Holidays, sang sacred songs from multiple faith traditions, and prayed the rosary with her many friends and neighbors. Her legacy lives on through the countless people—family, friends, students, and colleagues—who see the world differently because they once saw it, however briefly, through her eyes.

Throughout her life, she remained deeply committed to family, especially her beloved mother, Vera. Tragically, Vera Jenny Bozanic Peters passed away peacefully on November 6, 2025, less than two weeks after her daughter.

Suzanne is survived by her brother Craig Peters; her aunts Janet Boxill and Emily Lilly; her uncle Larry Bozanic; and many Peters and Bozanic cousins, including her mother’s namesake, Vera Boxill Ruth. The family is deeply grateful to the friends, neighbors, and caregivers who supported Suzanne and her mother during her illness.

Multiple remembrances will be held in her honor. Monday, November 24, 2025, St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Springfield, Virginia, will honor both Suzanne and her mother, beginning with rosary at 9:30 and mass at 10:30 am, then followed by a brief reception hosted by the St. Bernadette bereavement committee. A memorial will take place in Summer of 2026, when her remains will be interred with the Bozanic family, in Worcester, New York.

In lieu of flowers, we invite you to share in a tradition Menuhah practiced with her students. She regularly reviewed donation requests from worthy organizations and asked her class to vote where to send their tzedakah coins. We can suggest the Tot Shabbat fund organized in her honor at Adas Israel; So Others Might Eat, the sponsor of the Turkey Trot Menuhah regularly participated in; and the St Bernadette Capital Campaign Fund, as the church was so central to her final years. She also helped to set up The Bozanic Alumni Award, which annually supports a deserving graduate of Worcester Central School, the alma mater of her mother and the other eleven Bozanic siblings.

Checks may be made payable to: WCS Alumni Association (for The Bozanic Alumni Award)

Mail to: WCS Alumni Association c/o Sydney Chase P.O. Box 502 Worcester, NY 12197