Barbara Kathy Giza

Barbara Kathy Giza, age 69, passed away on March 6th, 2020, at her home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, in the loving company of family and friends.

Barbara was born in Jamaica, New York, to Martha and Thaddeus Giza. Her family soon moved to New Canaan, Connecticut, where she grew up. Barbara attended Ithaca College as an undergraduate and received her master’s and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Department of Psychology at the University of Delaware. Barbara had a successful career in Neuroscience as both an author to over thirty scientific papers exploring the sensory neurophysiology of taste and a professor in the Psychology Departments of the University of Delaware and West Chester University. Teaching was a source of joy to Barbara. She derived great satisfaction from seeing her students succeed. She was honored to receive numerous teaching awards throughout her career and cherished the many letters that students sent describing the impact she made on their lives.

Barbara loved skiing in the winter and the shore in the summer. She enjoyed sharing her love of food with friends and family. She was a devoted mother to her children never missing a game, recital, or other activity. Barbara was the type of person who you wanted in your corner particularly through hard times, when her keen intellect, creativity, and unshakable faith were sure to guide all those around her. Her memory lasts as the epitome of unconditional love, generosity, and compassion for her fellow man and woman.

Barbara is survived by her husband of 36 years, David Sisson, and her four children, Brendan along with his wife Rachel, Olivia, Martha and Warren Giza-Sisson and two grandchildren, Brendan’s and Rachel’s son, Mason Giza-Sisson, and Martha’s daughter, Sofia Reyes.

You are invited to visit Barbara’s family and friends at Kuzo Funeral Home, 250 West State Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348 between 5pm and 6:30 pm on Saturday, March 14, 2020. A private memorial service will follow.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, in memory of Barbara.