Suzanne JENSEN

The Snook and Jensen families are deeply saddened to announce the sudden and unexpected passing of our beloved mother, sister, daughter and aunt, Suzanne Jensen (neé Snook), on Saturday, March 27, 2021 at home in St Catharines, Ontario. She was pre-deceased by her beloved sister Nancy many years ago. She is also mourned by the staff and employees of Photech Environmental Solutions and Loop Recycled Products in Niagara Falls where she was the much-loved administrative glue and guru that held the business partially owned by the family together. Suzanne was born in Montreal in the late 1950s to the late William S. Snook and Juene M. Snook, now retired in Savannah, Georgia. She is survived by her daughter Kirsten Jensen of St Catharines, son Taylor Jensen of Hamilton, brother Kevin and his wife Amy and nephew and niece Jonathon and Emily Snook of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The family has its origins and roots in the Truro and Annapolis regions of Nova Scotia and Suzanne spent childhood summers there visiting with many uncles, aunts and cousins and she loved the area. Suzanne criss-crossed the country at a young age following her father's career in the Royal Bank from Montreal to Vancouver and back, finally settling more permanently in Toronto where she finished high school at Thornlea Secondary School. She completed university studies at Waterloo and York University, earning a Bachelor Honours degree in Economics. To her father's pride, she became the third Snook generation to join the Royal Bank following both her parents and brother (briefly). The vagaries of a banking career saw her transferred to Niagara-on the-Lake and she became the branch accountant there and later the branch manager in Ridgeway. It was in Niagara-on-the-Lake that she met her future husband, Niels Jensen, and they were married in St Davids United Church in 1989 with the reception overseen and orchestrated by her father Bill at the Pillar & Post. Not wasting any time, Kirsten was soon delivered followed by Taylor two years later and Suzanne gave up a promising banking career to focus on raising her devoted children and becoming one of the initial wave of independent woman entrepreneurs in Niagara. She was an integral part of building Niagara's Crabtree Publishing with children's author, Bobby Kalman, which allowed her to continue her career and still keep an intimate and loving involvement with her children's early development. Moving to the Ancaster area, she became involved at the very initial stages of the newly created worldwide web and internet, building her own website development business and demonstrating a creative flair with some of the first e-commerce sites for large commercial organizations. She rekindled her love of horses there and owned and rode several for many years and lived on a farm for some time. Animals were always a prominent part of her life, and she took loving care of numerous dogs, cats and horses over the years. An interest in fitness and wellness led Suzanne to abruptly change her career direction and become a yoga and fitness instructor in her forties. She taught classes all over the Hamilton and Ancaster Region, challenging her younger students constantly to keep up with her. She instilled the importance of education in her children and oversaw their high school studies, successful university and post-secondary studies and the launching of their own careers. At the family's insistence, she abandoned a rural life in the Jerseyville and Copetown area and moved back to St Catharines, settling in the North End near Lake Ontario and immersed herself in the growing businesses of the Niagara Group, taking an active role in many aspects of administration and management which she maintained till the end. As a partner commented, "she is the fabric that holds the business together". Suzanne had a passion for sewing and her creativity shone again as she transformed thrifted clothing into stylish new outfits, while her love of foreign movies and tv shows inspired her to learn five different languages. She was a wonderful and beautiful person and her humour and laughter will be remembered and greatly missed by everyone she knew. Motherhood was a defining part of her life and her children are forever grateful and proud of the incredible role she played in their lives. She always put her children first and her selflessness and dependability will forever be appreciated. A small funeral service for the family is planned following cremation. A celebration of Suzanne's life is planned for later in the spring when more friends and well wishers can be accommodated in these difficult times. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate performing a random act of kindness towards someone who needs it. Many heartfelt thanks for the kind and considerate care of the Butler Funeral Home in St Catharines. Online condolences may be made at www.butlerniagara.ca