Debbie Wanderman, longtime occupational therapist for Jericho school district, dies at 72

A passion for helping others led Debbie Wanderman to become an occupational therapist, her family said. She first worked in an adult rehab facility before moving in 1993 to the Jericho school district, where she worked for 33 years.

"As a pediatric occupational therapist, she ... made it so that no kid ever felt like they were in therapy," said her daughter Rebeca Rubin, of Syosset. "It was never a job; it was a calling."

The Jericho resident died of cardiac arrest on July 17. She was 72.

"My mother was incredible. She was the most loving, generous, vibrant, energetic person I knew," said her son, Scott Wanderman, of Sea Cliff. "She seemed to intuitively know when people needed help, reassurance or simply someone to tell them they were doing OK."

"As a mom, she was selfless and always put her kids’ needs ahead of her own. She was our greatest advocate," Rubin said.

In 2018, Wanderman opened OT Skills 4 Life, a private practice in Greenvale, where she continued to teach children to "live without limitations and to be strong in the face of adversity," her son said, adding that Wanderman "brought him back to life" after a terrible car accident.

"I had just come out of a coma and was feeling angry, helpless and sorry for myself. In that moment, she held my hand and said, ‘Scott, we are not going to feel sorry for ourselves. We’re going to get up. We’re going to be strong and get through this,’ " he said. "That was my mom: strong, determined and completely focused on helping the people she loved get through whatever life put in front of them."

Debra Bader was born in Jersey City on April 22, 1954.

She met her husband, Harold Wanderman, in 1979 at Gurney's Inn in Montauk. They married a year later, on Nov. 29, 1980, and moved to Jericho, where they raised three children: Scott, Rebeca and Nicole. According to Rebeca, Wanderman loved being a grandmother and looked forward to "Grammy day" every Friday night.

"All four of her grandkids were obsessed with her. They would all sleep over at my parents' house every Friday night. She loved the chaos," Rubin said. "She dropped everything to be with the kids."

Wanderman was very much a part of the Jericho community and loved playing canasta, going for walks and to the theater, traveling and being a part of her local book club. But most important, she loved being there for others.

"That is my mother’s legacy. She touched countless lives — not only through her work, but through her ability to see people, understand what they needed and lift them up," her son said. "She gave children confidence and independence, she gave parents the strength to keep going, and she loved us every single minute of every single day."

In addition to her daughter and son, Wanderman is survived by her husband, Harold; daughter Nicole Wanderman, of New York City; and four grandchildren. Services were held on July 21 at Gutterman's in Woodbury, followed by burial in Riverside Cemetery in Saddle Brook, New Jersey.