Dear Dick, Maggie and Michael,
My heart and thoughts are with all of you and of course with Susan, who will live on in my heart always. Her courage, caring, compassion, humor and humanity, love, goodness and the way she lived her life always will inspire me. She was the best Be a Kind Human ever. I plan to wear my Be a Kind Human t-shirt I got because of her to the service tomorrow. When I do some kindness, it will be in loving memory of Susan Toby Hessel! 💗 With much love and affection always, Margie,
And with love from her old Girl Scout leader, who also loves her and is very sad.
As testified by so many here, Sue had a real knack at making whomever she spoke with feel as if they were the one person she wanted to talk with at that time. I will miss playing Quiddler with her--she loved words. And she could be very competitive but so sweetly concilatory. I will miss her sometimes insane humor and her ability to put it out there with confidence. Simply put, I will miss her. Dick, Maggie and family, and Michael...my condolences.
Dick, Maggie, and Michael we have been so fortunate to have your wife and mother in our lives. She was a champion of goodness bringing joy and love to all who were lucky enough to know her. I admired her for so many reasons, but will always remember her for the gracious, proud, and loving woman she was to us all. May the wonderful memories you shared bring you comfort and peace.
I had the pleasure of knowing Sue in high school and always enjoyed seeing her when she visited St. Louis for our Ladue Class of '70 High School reunions. Sue was truly "a Woman of Valor" who lived life with grace and dignity, not to mention her wonderful sense of humor and her ability to express herself so well through her writing. Her love for her family and friends and her commitment to making this world a better place will be cherished by all who knew and loved her. My condolences to her family and many friends. Although Sue will truly be missed, her memory will be a blessing ❤️
I am so sorry that you have lost your wonderful mother, grandmother, wife. The world will miss Sue. She was my ally when I had breast cancer, a wicked WWF opponent, and a brave warrior who defied the power of cancer with her irreverent sense of humor. As much as cancer took away from her, I suspect it also had much to do with her being the wise and compassionate person she was. She did not miss an opportunity to learn from life. There is a poem of Mary Oliver's that makes me think of Sue and how she lived with cancer--her son's and her own---
"Someone I loved once gave me
a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift."