Sue Ellen Riordan

Sue Ellen Riordan, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother passed away peacefully on August 4, 2022.

Sue was born to Irv and Evelyn Johnson on February 27th, 1944 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She and her siblings, Karen (Fenton) and David (Johnson), were raised in Winthrop Harbor, Illinois and Albany, New York. Sue met her beloved husband, DJ, at Michigan State University. After transferring and graduating from Northern Michigan University, Sue and DJ taught in Rudyard, Michigan for several years.

With the birth of their first child, Michael, Sue devoted her life to her children. Following the birth of their second child, John, Sue and DJ moved their family to Jacksonville, Florida, and later made stops in Waukesha, Wisconsin; Davenport, Iowa; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Kenosha, Wisconsin. Along the way, Sue and DJ welcomed their third and fourth children, Daniel and Laura, and not to be forgotten, a spirited, miniature schnauzer, Irish.

Through many of these years, Sue fought alongside her son, Michael, in a heroic battle with childhood cancer. Michael sadly passed in 1988 at the age of 21, but he remained forever a part of Sue's life.

Sue was a truly kind-hearted woman with a real joie de vivre; a loving wife and mother who delighted in spoiling her grandchildren. Ethan, Clark, Henry and Sam will miss her chocolate chip cookies and endless supply of M&M's.

She enriched the lives of so many with a spectacular, charismatic energy. Never afraid to break into song and dance, Sue was known to whistle Beatles tunes with glorious abandon. She had many friends and was a well-loved member of the Kenosha community, the Chicago bicycle community as an owner of Johnny Sprockets, the sun loving community in Punta Gorda, Florida and by the canine community everywhere as the source of infinite treats.

We invite you to make a donation to Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer (MACC Fund) in her honor, in place of flowers. A memorial service will be held in the fall 2022.