Yetta Lippman Meisel, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday amidst her cherished and loving family and friends, passed away on January 8, 2020, in Amherst, MA. Yetta was born in Rochester, NY, on October 15, 1919. As she was growing up, the Great Depression of the late 1930s choked many families’ ability to make ends meet, and Yetta left high school for work that contributed to her family’s income. A standout among Yetta’s many life-time accomplishments was achieving her high school G.E.D. at age 50.

Yetta and her beloved late husband, Isadore (Sud), were married in Rochester in 1942 and, over the next 70-plus years of marriage, wherever they lived, their doors were open to family and friends eager to engage their vibrant, fun personalities. To spend time with Yetta and Sud was to be in the presence of welcoming and interested wit and good humor. At various times, Yetta and Sud lived in Rochester, Honeoye Falls, Fairport, and Victor, NY, until 2001 when they moved to Amherst to be close to family.

For several years when she lived in Honeoye Falls, Yetta was the owner of a shoe store. But her career passion and longevity lay in breeding boxers and showing them in confirmation competition. Yetta was nationally respected for her knowledge of dog breeding and for her boxer champions. She also taught classes and competed in dog obedience. After more than three decades of concentrating on boxers, she turned to breeding smooth-coated fox terriers, the smaller dogs causing less physical wear and tear on her petite person.

Yetta is survived by her devoted daughter Lynda, by son-in-law Brian McColgan; and by grandchildren Matthew (Shay Secundo) Stoffolano of Sierra Vista, AZ; Adam (Melissa) Stoffolano of Greenfield, MA; Arielle (Jesse) Henson of Hatfield, MA; Tessa (Eben) Hill of St. Albans, VT; Molly McColgan (Ted Barragy) of Houston, TX; and Carrie McColgan (David Branson) of New Castle, ME. She leaves also her deeply loved great-grandchildren Mara, Bridget, Maxwell, Luciano, Noah, Lydia, Josephine and Lucas. Yetta’s loving family includes nieces Judy Goldberg, Barbara Astman, Carol Chrisler, Bonnie Steltzer, Susan Meisel, and Jacqueline Bodner, and nephews Robert Meisel and George Bodner. Yetta was predeceased by her sisters, Bessie Bodner and Ethel Steltzer.

A self-affirmed dog person, Yetta nevertheless had as her inseparable companion over the past few years in her Amherst condo a tuxedo cat named Hawthorne.

To honor Yetta, in lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice.