Paula Ivy Liss, a 24-year resident of East Hampton, died peacefully on June 10 in Douglaston, New York. She was 68.
She was born April 23, 1954, in the Bronx, the daughter of the late Harvey Liss and Ruth Lily Liss. She graduated from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1974 and received a master’s degree in library science from Columbia University in 1981.
Liss was head librarian at Southampton High School for 26 years, until her retirement in 2016. Prior to Southampton High School, she worked as a librarian and educator at several schools in the New York area. She was a member of the American Library Association, the American Association of School Librarians, the School Library System of Western Suffolk BOCES, and the New York State United Teachers Union and its local affiliate, the Southampton Teachers Association.
Liss was a wonderful educator and popular with her students, her family said, noting that she had a passion for reading and keenly appreciated the important role that public schools play in education.
She was a devoted aunt, who instilled in her niece and nephew a love of books and an appreciation of the Jewish culture. She loved to travel and was passionate about all things New York, including a love of the arts. In the latter stages of her mother’s life, she was a constant source of support.
She is survived by her brother Sam Liss and his wife Tanya Roy of Wellesley, Massachusetts; her niece, Anna Liss-Roy; and her nephew, Ethan Liss-Roy.
She was interred at Old Montefiore Cemetery in Springfield Gardens, New York.
Online condolences at jewishfunerals.com/services.