Suzanne C. Tompkins

June 13, 1935 - June 13, 2023 Suzanne Colbert Tompkins of Santa Monica died peacefully at home on June 13, 2023. She is survived by her three children, Greg, Teri and Geoff; her six grandchildren, Sarah, Will, Karin, Mark, Lyell and Mason, and her granddaughter, Lucy Suzanne; as well as her sister, Carolyn, and brother, Phil. She will be well missed by her family and friends who remember her for her charm, story-telling, kindness, compassion, hospitality and humor.

Suzie was born in Glouster, Ohio in 1935, to Lawrence and Sarah Colbert. She was raised in Glouster and graduated from Glouster High School before attending Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. On graduating from OU, she married Ronald Tompkins, her beau of 6 years, and they moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where she taught 1st grade English (Parkville, MD) and Ron attended Johns Hopkins Medical School. While in Baltimore, Suzie gave birth to their son Greg and daughter Teri.

Following Ron's graduation from Johns Hopkins, he enlisted in the US Air Force. He and Suzie began a peregrination which included stops in Columbus, Ohio, San Antonio, TX, Rome NY (where she bore their third child, Geoff), and finally a return to Columbus when Ron exited the USAF and took a surgical teaching position at Ohio State University. Suzie began teaching history to the junior high school classes in Upper Arlington.

In 1969, Suzie and Ron moved to Santa Monica, California, where Suzie began working with the UCLA Medical Auxiliary and Medical Faculty Wives groups, eventually becoming President of the latter.

A lifelong appreciation of art led Suzie to volunteer as a docent at the LA County Museum of Art, where she served for 29 years, ultimately becoming a Master Docent. She and Ron travelled extensively, touching in their lifetimes every continent but Antarctica. She also loved gardening and was a longstanding member of the Garden Rakes.

However, if you asked Suzie what her greatest life achievement was, she would have replied, "My children." Her children were the pride, joy, focus and fretwork of her life, as well as their children and her great-grandchild. She happily welcomed new additions to the family and took delight in bringing family together for big birthdays, graduations and other special occasions.

She will be greatly missed, but we are delighted she has reunited with Ron, who left us two years ago. In lieu of flowers or other condolences, Suzie has requested donations to the Lawrence Gregory & Sarah Colbert Memorial Scholarship account (52.765354) at Ohio University.