Lisa D. Kasser

On August 14, 2026, the last day of the camp season for Burn Brae Day Camp of Creative Arts, beloved mother, partner, daughter, community leader, and champion of children and the arts, Lisa D. Kasser, passed away, surrounded by love. For 45 years, Lisa was the owner and director of Burn Brae Day Camp of Creative Arts, a place she founded and built from the ground up.

Burn Brae was far more than a career to her. It was a community she devoted much of her life to creating. She believed deeply that every child deserved a place to belong, and she welcomed children who may not have found that acceptance elsewhere, including children with special needs. Through her creativity, compassion, and determination, she touched the lives of generations of campers and families.

Of all the roles she held throughout her life, none was more important than being a mother. She raised her daughter, Alexa, as a single mother for many years, including throughout much of Alexa’s childhood and formative years. She was an extraordinarily devoted and loving mother who would do anything for her daughter, and then somehow find a way to do even more. The bond they shared was profound, and her love, guidance, and devotion helped shape the person Alexa became.

She also shared her life with her beloved partner, Robert W. Freedman. Together, they shared a partnership built on love and devotion and the experience of walking through life side by side. Robert remained an important source of companionship and care, and the life and love they shared held a special place in her heart.

She had a vibrant and wonderfully individual spirit. She loved running, acting, and musical theater, and delighted in thrifting, garage sales, and discovering unusual little treasures. She had a particular fondness for pigs, frogs, and monkeys, and she deeply loved her beloved dog, Maggie, who passed away in 2021.

Lisa was predeceased by her father Norman Kasser.

She is survived by her daughter, Alexa Kasser; mother, Claire Kasser; sisters, Lori and Nina; nephews, Daniel, Matt, and Raphael; as well as her life partner, Robert W. Freedman.

Her legacy lives on not only through the camp she created and the countless lives she touched there, but most deeply through the people she loved. She will be remembered for her creativity, generosity, individuality, and fierce devotion to those she cared for, and for creating places, both at Burn Brae and within her own family, where people could know they belonged.

If you’d like to honor Lisa’s memory, please consider making a donation to Laurel House or the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.