look! my photo of suzan was published in the palm beach news and they quoted me, (or mis-quoted me. i wrote suzan wore handmade burlap and 15 inch platform shoes. somehow that became " velvet gowns and 5 inch platforms"- sic
‘Witch of Wellington,’
known for her black dress and hat, dies at 86
known for her black dress and hat, dies at 86
Posted: 1:55 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016
Everyone in Wellington saw her walking around town, but hardly anyone really knew her.
The iconic “Witch of Wellington,” known for her curious and conspicuous attire of a black dress and black pointed cap, passed away Sept. 1 from heart disease. Ray Suzan Strauss, 86, was always soft-spoken and friendly, according to accounts of multiple people who interacted with her.
But other than that, her life was a mystery to Wellington residents who were intrigued, but always respected her privacy.
Lisa Goldman, a 22-year Wellington resident, said he would see Strauss walking around everywhere, always donning her familiar black garb “whether it was 100 degrees out or 50 degrees.”
“She had a way of walking pin straight, very slow and very deliberate,” Goldman said, who posted the news on Facebook, getting more than 1,500 shares and dozens of comments.
Goldman and her children always called her “the lady in black” because she didn’t think of Strauss as a witch — a word that sometimes has a negative connotation.
Some believe she embraced the witch title, but like much else about her life, people don’t know for sure.
Photographer Matt Dean took a trip to her house in 2006 to talk to her and take a portrait photo.
The biggest thing Dean remembers is she didn’t have air conditioning and the house was sweltering, the now-Brooklyn, N.Y. resident said. Like everyone else, he remembers her as being nice and a little shy. Her home was as eccentric as her personality with bright-colored walls, a blue-velvet couch and interesting decor.
“She was just very soft and gentle and quiet and shy,” she said.
What is known — Strauss had two children, and the family is Orthodox Jewish, according to a representative of Boulevard-Riverside-Hewlett Chapel, of Hewlett, N.Y., which handled the services. Strauss’ children declined comment through the chapel. Her body was taken to New Jersey, where they held a graveside service at King Solomon Cemetery.
Before she was known to hang around stores like Wal-Mart and Goodwill in Royal Palm Beach and walk around Wellington, Strauss was known by a different moniker on the other side of the country.
The last time anyone saw Strauss was in late August, but her children became suspicious when they were unable to reach her for more than a week, according to the medical examiner’s report. When a PBSO deputy went to check on things, her body was found on the kitchen floor. No foul play is suspected, according to the report, which estimated the body had been dead for 3-5 days.
She lived in Los Angeles for years, where she was known as the “Lava Lady,” among the locals. Lifelong Los Angeles resident Rick Castro first saw her in the ’80s and immediately became enamored with her style.
Much like the Wellington residents here, Castro said everyone in the Hollywood, Calif., area saw her and had similar stories and interest. He likes to think he got to know her a bit, but admitted she was a “solitary soul” and “preferred privacy,” Castro said.
Castro said she would walk the streets in Hollywood in long, velvet gowns, 5-inch platform shoes and her hair wrapped straight up.
(i actually wrote- " pantsuit & shawls handmade from burlap and 15 inch platform shoes"- RC)
“Suzan Strauss was an original person,” he said, “a one-of-a-kind free spirit that made Los Angeles magical.”
(i actually wrote- " pantsuit & shawls handmade from burlap and 15 inch platform shoes"- RC)
“Suzan Strauss was an original person,” he said, “a one-of-a-kind free spirit that made Los Angeles magical.”
Her Los Angeles home is now on the market for $1.7 million, and it’s full of references to the Lava Lady.
She will live on in Los Angeles lore, as much as Wellington. Goldman said she is wishing the best for the family and wants Strauss to be remembered for the kind person she was.
“I just think that she was a unique lady, and she was always so sweet and kind,” Goldman said. “She was an icon around here.”
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