Suzanne Haselkorn

Suzanne Lauraine Pelletier Haselkorn, 69, of Florence passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 16th. Born in Ludlow on July 9, 1954, she was the daughter of the late Albert Paul Pelletier and Denise Pinsonnault Harvey. She is survived by her husband of 44 years, Mark Haselkorn; her mother, Denise Pinsonnault Harvey; two sons, Scott Mark Haselkorn (Megan) and Adam Charles Haselkorn (Erin); two daughters, Dena Melnick (David) and Rachael Wood (Allan); two sisters, Diane Gosselin (Robert) and Paulette Rainha (William); eight Grandchildren, Joshua, Bryan, Hannah, Annaliese, Ari, Keely, Evan, Katherine, and Margaret; two nephews and two nieces, Greg, Danielle, Nathan, & Sarah. She is predeceased by her stepfather, Charles Harvey. Born the middle child to French-Canadian parents, Suzanne spent her formative years in the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts where French was spoken as her first language. Her fondest memories of childhood were visiting the family farm in Quebec as a little girl. Her first and favorite job out of school was medical assisting at Springfield Medical Associates where she earned the nickname “radar” for her skills at drawing blood. She brilliantly managed her husband’s dental practice for several decades. Though she did not have her husband’s fancy degrees, she was the brains of the operation. She was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, and loyal friend. She was beautiful, she would be embarrassed, but you should see the glamor shots from the 70’s. She was considerate of others. With a moral center that was unflappable, she was a model of determination and hard work. She was exacting in her attention to detail (much to her kid’s dismay, family photos were an exercise in patiently getting that perfect shot) and a great problem solver. She had a terrific sense of humor and was fiercely competitive (not even little children could avoid her will to win). She regularly found new hobbies to pour herself into including tennis, hiking, and she also became decorated in horseback riding in her late 50’s. She loved her two dogs, Lucy & Coco, and her horse, Fancy. In her late fifties, she started noticing changes to her balance, handwriting, and speech. She was soon diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a rare neurodegenerative disorder. Though there is no cure for MSA, Suzanne demonstrated her capacity for stubbornness and determination through her unwillingness to give up without a fight. She was smiling until the end.
THE FAMILY WILL RECEIVE FRIENDS ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2023 AT THE AHEARN FUNERAL HOME, 783 BRIDGE RD., NORTHAMPTON FROM 10:30 TO 12:00 P.M. A SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE FOR SUZANNE WILL BE HELD AT THE FUNERAL HOME AT 12:00 P.M. FOLLOWED BY BURIAL AT THE MASSACHUSETTS VETERANS MEMORIAL CEMETERY, 1390 MAIN ST., AGAWAM AT 2:00 P.M. Donations & Memorials in Suzanne’s memory to Multiple System Atrophy Coalition, 1660 International Drive, Suite 600, McLean, VA 22102 (multiplesystematrophy.org) or Transitions Through Motion, 168 Shea Ave, Belchertown, MA, 01007 (transitionsthroughmotion.org).