Obituary of Dorothea Susan Badenhausen

BRASHER FALLS – Dorothea Susan Badenhausen, M.D., 10 Church Street South, passed away Sunday, September 23, 2018, at home, surrounded by friends and family. She had been ill for several years.

Arrangements are entrusted to Hammill Funeral Home in Winthrop where calling hours will be held Thursday September 27^th, from 2 – 4 PM and 6 – 8 PM. A Community Tribute in Honor of Dr. Susan will be Celebrated on Friday September 28^th at 11:00 AM at the Badenhausen Library, located at 4 Main Street in Brasher Falls. Burial will take place at the convenience of her family at New Dorp Moravian Cemetery in Staten Island.

“Dr Susan,” as she was known to her many patients and friends, was born on May 19, 1935, on Staten Island, New York, to Dorothea and Walter E. Badenhausen.

Dr. Badenhausen attended Staten Island Academy and graduated from Connecticut College, New London, Connecticut in 1957. She served as a research professional at Columbia University, at the Rockefeller Institute and Harvard University from 1957-1967. In 1971 she received her Doctor of Medicine from the Boston University School of Medicine. Her internships and residencies were served at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. She was the co-author of many articles in professional journals.

Dr. Badenhausen came to St. Lawrence County in 1975 where she established a Partnership in Health Care practice with her partner, Joann M. Spatafora. This medical partnership was unique in the region at that time and was affiliated with Canton-Potsdam Hospital where Dr. Badenhausen was a longtime physician. She received the Distinguished Service and Recognitions Awards from the hospital in 2007-2008.

In addition to their medical practice, Badenhausen and Spatafora formed an organic farm on 350 acres off the Hopson Road in the Town of Brasher, where through the years they enlisted the help of many agricultural interns from Cornell University. The farm was a vital part of a regional organic growing movement. Spatafora died in 2001 from complications of ALS.

Dr. Badenhausen was the Physician Director for the Potsdam Nursing Home and physician for the Sunmount Residential Center on Bayley Road, Massena. She was school physician for Parishville-Hopkinton Central School and public health officer for the towns of Brasher, Stockholm, Hopkinton and Lawrence. In addition, she served on the Board of Health for St. Lawrence County, a vital team for ensuring the public’s health and safety.

Dr. Badenhausen was an active member of the community. She was involved Triple J Bowling team and the Potsdam Community Chorus, where she sang with the altos.

Through the years she was vitally interested in the health and well-being of the community she served including access to culture and education. Through her generous funding, doors opened in 2014 to the Badenhausen Branch of the Massena Public Library, Main Street, Brasher Falls, giving Tri-Town residents access to books, magazines, computers, and children’s activities.  

She was also a founding member of St. Regis Realty, a corporation dedicated to the redevelopment of Main Street, Brasher Falls. She was a major investor in forming the North Country Showcase, a new corporation dedicated to strengthening local crafters and artists.

She loved opera, Chinese food, and the movies. Since her early years, she was also an avid Yankees fan. In 2017 Dr. Badenhausen, along with her friends, had a front row seat at Yankee Stadium when Aaron Judge broke Babe Ruth’s home run record, hitting his 52^nd homer of the season.

“Dr. Susan” was well known for her tenderness and care concerning her patients during her 30-plus years of service; she remained one of the few physicians anywhere who still made house calls, even in the middle of a North Country winter. Her black leather medical bag remains packed and ready in her home in Brasher Falls.

Dr. Badenhausen is survived by two brothers, Dr. Walter E. (Gerri) Badenhausen, Jr., of Louisville, Kentucky, and Otto Peter (LaThoriel) Badenhausen, St. Charles, Illinois; a niece, Traci Badenhausen, Louisville; cousins Emilia Garcia Carlson, New Jersey; Mignon Gunther Kolb, Rhode Island; Edmund Garcia, Connecticut, and their families. She was predeceased by a younger brother Michael D.  Badenhausen, California, and one nephew, Walter E. (Jay) Badenhausen, III, Louisville.

In addition to her immediate family, acquaintances and caregivers, Dr. Susan is survived by her longtime friends Karen St. Hilaire and Patricia McKeown, Massena; and William and Sheila Alguire, also Massena, plus many others she considered family.

Memorial contributions may be made in Dr. Susan’s honor to: Hospice and Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley, 6805 US HWY 11 Potsdam, NY 13676; Tri-Town Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 238 Brasher Falls, NY 13613 or to CurePSP 1206 York Road, Suite L-4 Lutherville, MD 21093, https://www.psp.org.

Memories and condolences can be shared at www.hammillfh.com.