Four individuals remembered for their resilience and dedication have passed away in recent months, leaving lasting impacts in their communities through education, activism, the arts, and personal kindness.
Pauline (Roush) Liss, who died June 24 in Ashburn, Virginia, at age 98, was a lifelong education advocate and editor. Known for her spirited outlook, she frequently responded to inquiries about her well-being with the phrase “I’m cute and dandy,” even in her late 90s while enduring pain in the hospital. Liss faced adversity early in life, including anti-Semitic harassment in 1930s North Carolina and the loss of three sisters to breast cancer. Over five decades, she championed STEM and career programs in Virginia schools, often volunteering her time. At 94, she continued activism by writing to the White House, urging leaders to take action. Her great-nephew helped preserve her legacy by emblazoning the word “dandy” on buttons, keeping her cheerful spirit alive among family and friends.
Tom Daniel Badal, 71, passed away July 4 in West Covina, California. An actor, writer, filmmaker, and acting teacher, Badal was known for his warmth and humor even while battling serious illnesses including Merkel cell carcinoma and a rare form of leukemia. Despite medical challenges that required ventilation and dialysis, he maintained an upbeat mindset. During radiation therapy, Badal transformed the clinical environment into a space of laughter and dance, inspiring medical staff and easing the burden of treatment. He often emphasized the value of kindness and celebration, encouraging others to find joy through life’s highs and lows.
Edith Arrick Rothenberg, 101, died July 31 in Wellington, Florida. The daughter of immigrants and a young widow, she supported her family by working as a bookkeeper while raising two children as a single mother. Even in advanced age and with declining mobility, Rothenberg found solace in the library’s talking books. After losing her daughter Amy to cancer the previous year, she bore the grief with a combination of realism and optimism. Throughout her long life, Rothenberg imparted a message of self-reliance and survival, often reminding loved ones that happiness and strength come from within.
Shaukat Sultan, 83, passed away June 8 in Houston. Born in Pakistan, Sultan arrived in the United States in his mid-20s aspiring to teach, but financial realities led him to a career in sales and small business ownership. Married for 53 years through an arranged marriage, he raised six children while nurturing a belief in self-confidence. Deeply moved by the Challenger space shuttle disaster, where teacher Christa McAuliffe was among the lost crew, Sultan later fulfilled his dream by becoming a full-time substitute teacher in an underserved school district during his seventies. His students affectionately called him “Abuelo.” His family recalls that ten days before his passing, his eldest granddaughter completed her first year as a high school teacher, symbolizing his lasting influence.
Together, these four lives illustrate enduring commitments to education, kindness, and resilience across generations and communities.