Suzanne Warner Straebel (Sue)
Suzanne Warner Straebel was born on Jan. 24, 1934, in Saginaw. She was the daughter of Helen Anderson and Joseph Warner and the sister of Robert Anderson Warner, all of whom predeceased her.
She married John Richard Straebel on Sept. 13, 1958, at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Saginaw. Together, John and Sue raised three children. They were the best of parents, providing a stable, humble home full of laughter, kindness and adventure.
Saginaw was Sue and John’s home until retirement when they moved permanently to a home on Torch Lake where they spent many precious days on the tennis courts in Alden, playing Bridge and fly-fishing in the streams of northern Michigan. John and Sue were a great team, tolerating each other’s tangled fish lines, double faults and trumped Aces. John predeceased her in 2005.
Sue was a member of the Junior League of Saginaw, an organization of women volunteers, for 50 years and was the office secretary for eleven of those years. Until her retirement, she was employed in the Office of Admissions at Saginaw Valley State University where she made lasting friendships with students and employees and attended evening classes, especially enjoying history studies.
In her retirement years Sue found a new avocation in watercolor painting. It gave her great joy to paint the beauty of northern Michigan and share her work with friends. She donated many of her paintings to charitable causes.
All who knew her would describe Sue as sweet and kind but she was also a woman of conviction, intellect and curiosity. She traveled extensively to destinations such as Prague, Munich, Paris, Ireland and Mexico. A voracious reader and deeply spiritual person, she challenged conventional beliefs, supported liberal causes and loved lively discussions about current events. She could take and tell a joke or two and embraced her Irish heritage with her keen wit, bright essence and devotion to family. She was proud of her children and would say they embody a bit of the Irish spirit she so loved.
May the road rise to meet you, Suzanne Warner Straebel!
Sue is survived by her children,
Elizabeth Anne Straebel; and her husband, Philip Wilson; Molly Susan Straebel, all of Traverse City; and Robert John and Rose Conway Straebel of St. Michaels, Maryland.
We are grateful to Dr. Kristian Koller and his team at the Cowell Family Cancer Center as well as Munson Hospice Care for their compassionate treatment and support.
(Photo: Mother’s Day, 2020, Innisfree Farm daffodils, Old Mission Point Lighthouse)
No service is planned at this time. A celebration of Sue’s life will be held at a later date.
Donations may be made to Cherryland Humane Society or a charity of one’s choice.
Published on April 9, 2022
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