WORCESTER - Eunice Mae Summer, 91, of Worcester, died on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at Holy Trinity Nursing and Rehabilitation Center with her son and daughter-in-law by her side. She was born in Pittsburgh, PA, daughter of Joseph and Minnie (Gold) Sheffler.  Eunice is survived by Joseph Summer, her eldest son and Lisa Summer, Joseph’s wife; Hannah Leatham, her stepdaughter by Vanty Paul, and Hannah’s son, Jelani; as well as many nieces and nephews. In addition, though estranged: (not by her choice) are her youngest son, Mitchell, a property developer; her granddaughter Eve; and Eve’s two sons: Henry and Ben.  She was predeceased by three brothers and three sisters.

Eunice Summer lived a life of joy and spectacle, with a disregard for the social mores of the times or the expectations of others. Born April 15, 1931, she grew up in Pittsburgh, the youngest child of seven. She danced, sang, performed comic routines on stage, sought and found the spotlight. She studied at the University of Pittsburgh when young and returned when she was in her forties to gain a master’s degree in Social Work. While a student she met her first husband, Herbert Summer, with whom she enjoyed the first five or six years of their thirteen-year marriage. She had two children with her first husband: first Joseph, in 1956; and then a second in 1958.  Her second son was a joy to her for many years, but estranged himself over the decades, his final contact being a phone message in 2016 or 17. 

In the fifties, Eunice painted and sculpted; she participated in two family businesses: the Gallery Bar, a tavern on Smithfield Street in downtown Pittsburgh; and the Gallery Clothes Bar, a fashionable men’s clothing store a few doors down from the tavern. She and her beloved brother, Bernie, created a boutique haberdashery, which attracted clients from Pittsburgh’s iconic 1960’s and 70’s sports teams. Following her first marriage, Eunice continued to paint and sculpt, while she cared for her two sons, and supported the three of them by working in the field of child welfare. Once her sons were both in college Eunice left Pittsburgh and moved to St Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. There she found a career in therapy and found love with Vanty Paul.  Vanty built Eunice a house on Mafolie Hill, where they lived together until his premature death.  The home on St Thomas was shared by the entire Summer clan on many occasions.  On St. Thomas, she worked as a therapist, first for the government, and subsequently in private practice with Lisa Summer, her daughter-in-law. The two shared a remarkably close personal and business relationship.

Eunice traveled the world, visiting numerous countries in Europe where she would joyfully attend concerts and spend days in art museums.  She was most happy by the ocean; and accompanied Joseph, Lisa, and her granddaughter on trips to Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Eunice remained in St Thomas until late 2017, when Hurricane Irma leveled her home, at which time she left the Virgin Islands to live in Worcester near Joseph, her beloved granddaughter Eve, and her great grandsons Henry and Ben. Eunice never ceased painting and sculpting.  Her last painting was completed in December 2021.  

A memorial service will be held in 2022, details forthcoming.  At her request, Joseph Summer has established The Eunice Trust, a private music endowment.  Rice Funeral Home, 300 Park Ave, is assisting the family with arrangements.