Obituary of Esther Hawley Paist

Esther Hawley Paist passed away on September 6th after a very brief illness. Esther was the daughter of Stanley Scott Paist, Jr. and Helen Flanders Sanderson and lived for the past 10 years at her homes in Newtown, Pennsylvania and Scottsdale, Arizona. She was born in Glenside, Pennsylvania and formerly lived and worked in Madison, Wisconsin. Ms. Paist graduated from Abington High School in Abington, PA in 1963 and from Hood College in Frederick, MD in 1967. She subsequently received a Master's Degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI. Esther worked editing renaissance music manuscripts at AR Editions and, later, as an administrator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before becoming Executive Vice President at Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, NJ. She retired from Thomas Edison in 2013. She continued to work as a freelance editor specializing in scholarly historical articles and books. Ms. Paist, divorced, was formerly married to William C. Braun of Fall River, WI. She is survived by two daughters, Helen Braun Maki and Amy Braun, and by her brother, S. Scott Paist, III, M. D. who lives in Lancaster, PA. Her daughter Helen lives in Scottsdale, AZ, and is married to Dan Maki, M. D. The Makis have two children, Anna and Joshua. Her daughter Amy lives in Gilbert, AZ, and is married to Michelle Bannister. Esther is also survived by her beloved dog, Cooper, who, along with the rest of us, is lost without her. Esther was a superb musician and writer. Her incredible sense of humor and intellect were well appreciated by all who knew her. She loved travel and photography. In addition, she was an avid hiker who was often on the trails around her Newtown and Scottsdale homes. Funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, September 14, 2016 at Helweg & Rowland Funeral Home, 1059 Old York Road, Abington, PA, where relatives and friends will be received from 10:00 AM until the time of the service. Interment will be in Whitemarsh Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions to McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, 1635 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 110, Scottsdale, AZ 85254 (http://www.mcdowellsonoran.org/) will be welcome on Esther's behalf.