Suzanne Kathleen McCune LeCrone

Suzanne Kathleen McCune LeCrone sadly passed away at 85 years young from kidney disease on January 15, 2025. She was laid to rest in March 2025, next to her beloved husband Armand, at the Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg, FL.

Born on October 20, 1939 in Aurora, IL, little did she know at that time that she would learn to love Art, live in a variety of different places, marry a US Marine, and become an amazing mother and grandmother. Throughout her life she was also a devout Catholic, attending church, volunteering, and even making a trip to Medjugorje, Bosnia with her best friend Jean.

In Sue’s early years, she spent time at Radio Grove Farm, owned by her grandparents, in Westmont, IL.  Here she collected chicken eggs and played endless games of hide and seek with her cousins. She lived in a few different places during her childhood, including NY and CA, because her father Tom was in the Navy Postal Service.  Eventually, she ended up back in IL and spent most of her young adult life there, attending Illinois State University and University of Chicago, earning various degrees. One of those was an Art Degree, which led her to teach at Hinsdale South High School, where she met her husband Armand, a fellow Industrial Arts teacher.  They were married on June 15, 1968.

Sue’s love of art came from her mother Leona.  She always enjoyed watching Leona draw, create figures with clay, and paint.  These experiences led Sue to the world of art, and to this day all of her children and grandchildren have various pieces of her beautiful work.  She worked with pottery, weaving, painting, charcoal drawing, poetry writing, and sketching. She was also an adventurous cook and traveler!  In her adult life she managed to live in IL, WI, AZ, CA, and TX, embracing each experience with a chin up and smile on her face.  After her teaching days in IL, she worked as an Activities Director at King Bruwaert Retirement Home in Hinsdale, creating entertainment and activities for the residents, which she loved.  Everywhere she lived she joined the local Catholic Church, and when she retired to AZ, she joined the PEO (Philanthropic Educational Org). She also often administered Communion to a local Woman's Shelter.  She joined the local Art Club in Wickenburg, AZ and continued her passion with artwork, participating in art contests and seasonal shows.  Her three children, Armand, Suzanne and Andrew, all learned to cook and appreciate food because of their parents, but sadly did not inherit her art skills!  Often times, the dinner table was set with her beautiful hand woven placemats.  As a family, whether it was camping, driving to remote parks in suburban Chicago to pick wild asparagus, or picking blueberries in the Wisconsin hills, they always loved adventure and food, and setting the table for it all!  Sue always had a smile on her face, even when her three kids would sarcastically tease her about her music choice, clothing or food preferences.  She somehow managed to chip in and get in the last word, which made them laugh even harder.

A favorite family memory stems from St. Patricks Day. Sue always made the traditional corn beef and cabbage, all while playing her Irish albums and pulling off the most authentic Irish accent she could.  Her music preferences included Neal Diamond, Don Williams or Lucian Pavorotti, all of which her children now listen to, ironically.  In her later years, she spent time at two different boutique retirement homes, first in CA and then in TX.  CA provided winery tastings and beach visits; TX provided a lot of BBQ and family cookouts.  Sunday dinners were always at her daughter’s home, where she often stood at the stove watching and commenting, or eyeing the grill to see what her son in law was cooking.  These Sunday afternoons were filled with conversations, memories, family laughs and delicious food, all served at a beautifully set table.  Often times her granddaughter would make a delicious dessert, and her grandson would play her favorite music album.  Usually Neal Diamond was a guest on Sundays! So in honor of Sue, our cherished Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, Cousin, and Friend, we’d all like to say- may her beautiful memory and smile be here, with all of us, Forever in Blue Jeans, Babe!