Liv O. Pertzoff

Haydenville-Liv O. Pertzoff, 85, passed away on December 8, 2023, after a brief illness. She was born in Portland, Oregon, to Ethel and Loren Olson on July 2, 1938. As a child she moved back and forth between Portland and Fairbanks, Alaska due to her father’s work on the pipeline.

As an adolescent, she moved to Philadelphia where she finished high school and began work in the advertising industry. In her mid-twenties, she moved to San Francisco where she found a love for acting, even founding a theatre troupe.

Another adventure landed her in Boston where she met Alexander Pertzoff. They married in 1967 and welcomed their only child, a daughter, the following year. Soon after, the family moved to Gloucester where she discovered a talent for sculptural and functional ceramics and opened an artisan’s shop.

In 1974, Liv came to western Massachusetts to continue her education. She completed her undergraduate degree and earned her Masters’ in Social Work from Smith College. For over thirty years, she worked in various local agencies, including Children’s Aid and Family Services as well as maintaining a private practice.

For many years, Liv participated in a local writing group, and with Gallery of Readers she published stories and memoir pieces.. She was a voracious reader all through her life, especially of long form nonfiction.

In her retirement, she moved to Haydenville, where she enjoyed keeping a watchful eye over her ash tree. She lived in a little nature sanctuary on a brook which was a haven to all kinds of wildlife; she kept binoculars by her side to be at the ready. Liv loved having her dear friends visit her there.

She was known for her insightful approaches to caring for her clients, her brilliant intellect, her style and her wonderfully great wit.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her older sister, Marilyn. She leaves behind many friends, colleagues, cousins, and her sister Victoria (Harry) of NJ, her nephew Brent (Mary Beth) of Philadelphia, nephews Karl (June), Kent, and niece Kimberley (Christopher) all of Oregon, her step-daughter Tatiana (Greg) of PA, her step-son Constantine (Tanya) of HI, her son-in-law Jeremy Reil (she would want you to know she hand-picked him herself) and her daughter Anna, of Florence.

Liv hated winter, the cold and dark, but she made her peace with it when she realized the trees were taking a well-deserved nap. We look forward to gathering to celebrate her life when the trees wake up this spring.