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August 1, 1943 ~ July 16, 2018 Pebble Beach Our beloved mother, wife and friend, Susie, passed away peacefully on July 16, at 74 years old, after a short battle with cancer. She was surrounded by family and close friends in her final days at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. She is survived by her husband of 18 years, Richard Mayer and her four children, from a previous marriage to William Morrison; Billy, Bobby, Amy and Michael. She also has four step-children; Alix, Taylor, Brooke and Cambell Mayer. Susie was known as 'Kozy' to her 13 beloved grandchildren whom she cherished deeply. She will be greatly missed by her countless friends from the North Shore of Chicago, Sun Valley and Pebble Beach. Susie was born on August 1, 1943 in Evanston, Illinois to her parents Robert and Dorothy Koll. She grew up with her older sister, Mary, and younger brother, David, in Park Ridge, IL where she attended Maine East High School. Susie went on to attend Denison University in Granville, Ohio. A highlight of hers at Denison was participating in an exchange program one summer where she lived in Sweden with a family outside of Stockholm. She brought home a love of travel and foreign countries, and a superb Swedish pancake recipe that her children and their friends relished. Susie was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and gained lifelong friends that she cherished. She graduated from Denison in 1965 with a BA in History. After graduation, Susie married Bill and was hired by United Airlines where she worked as a flight attendant and then as a supervisor. After the birth of her first child, Susie left her career to focus on her family and home. Over the years, as she raised her four children, she led a life full of active community engagement, adventure and travel. In her travels, she visited places all across the globe. Her passion for athletics and travel were combined in several trips over the years when she and her husband went on long- distance bike trips through parts of Europe while also enjoying local food and culture. She loved to visit the Caribbean with her family on holidays and even ventured as far as Africa, New Zealand and Australia on several occasions. Susie's love of a good challenge brought her to some crowning achievements and experiences in her lifetime. She reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in 1996 at the age of 53 with her sister Mary and niece Heidi. Immediately after that, she went on her second safari trip in Kenya, Africa – a place she adored for its beauty, animals and native people. In 2002 she and Rick trained extensively and made an ascent on Mt. Rainier in Seattle, WA. In her 50's and 60's Susie trained for and completed many triathlons, as well as several long-distance races in Chicago and San Francisco. She tied her love of charity into her love of sport when she ran for Alzheimers Research in memory of her late father and for Leukemia Lymphoma research in support of her daughter in-law. While at home, Susie lived an active and healthy life. Whether she was running with her dogs in the early morning, golfing with her husband, or participating in an exercise class, Susie would have a smile on her face and her spirit shining bright. Susie also treasured hiking and being in nature. It brought a smile to her face and a deep breath of gratitude to her mind, body and soul. Susie made annual trips, over 20 years, to Rancho La Puerta in Mexico where she used the healing setting and spiritual mountains as the backdrop for intimate & athletic time with daughter Amy and sister Mary. Despite her adventures and accomplishments, Susie was a people person. Everyone who encountered Susie always felt better and more loved when they left her. Her warm smile, contagious laugh, easy-going presence and genuine, kind spirit made every person feel special. She spent much of her later years in Pebble beach, CA and Sun Valley, ID where she was able to be closer to her children and her sister Mary in the places that made her feel most connected and happy. Susie was a devoted and loving grandmother, who relished holidays like Easter and Christmas, when the family would get together and the house would be filled with decorations, delicious food, laughter and love. Nothing made Susie shine brighter than quality time with Billy, Bobby, Amy, Mike, Lea & Mark - and her grandchildren Sammy (10), Henry (8), Ryan (7), Kate (5), and Georgi (3). She also very much enjoyed the simple times, like when the sky was blue, the birds were singing, the the air was crisp and she could go for a walk with her husband, Rick, and their dog, Wrigley, on the trails of the Pacific coast or Sun Valley. A memorial service for Susie will be held on Saturday, August 25th, 2018, at 1:00pm at Indian Hill Country Club, 1 Indian Hill Rd, Winnetka, IL, 60093. A reception from 2pm to 5pm will follow. 'Summer Casual' attire (no denim please) is appropriate. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to: Merkel Cell Carcinoma Research- https://www.merkelcell.org/join-the- fight/donate/ Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula - https://www.montagehealthfoundation.org/montage-health-foundation/ Condolences may be written to the family at www.bermudezfamilyfunerals.com
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Published in a Chicago Tribune Media Group Publication on Aug. 9, 2018
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