Susan Deborah Steele

Susan Deborah Steele of Mystic, CT passed away on July 20th. She was 69.

Susan was born July 30, 1953 in Kansas City, Missouri. She was the loving and devoted daughter of Richard and Martha Steele. As a child she collected antique dolls from around the world, and was a frequent-if-unhappy camper. Susan was a determined and inquisitive student, and received her BA from Northwestern University. Susan moved to the Washington, DC area to teach special needs children, where she met her first husband Stephen Kotzin. They married in 1977 and had two children, Allison and Justin. She cared for Stephen for ten years while he battled ALS, in addition to raising her children, running her own business, and being very active in her community and the local public schools. She made every school lunch and never missed a family dinner. After her children left home to attend college at Princeton University and the University of Virginia, she spent time living in Florida and South Dakota before returning to DC to work as a paralegal at NPR. She remained at NPR until retirement, a job she loved because of the friends she made and the tiny desk concerts. Susan recently moved to Mystic, CT to be closer to her children and five grandchildren.

She was a loving and proud mother and grandmother, though she could be reserved with her affection. She had a wry sense of humor, was quick to call out hypocrisy or stupidity, and preferred to avoid the spotlight. She was an avid dog lover, and was a caring dog mommy to several dogs over the years, from golden retriever puppies to Doberman and Daschund rescues. She was also a passionate tennis player until sidelined by injury, and was a magnetic personality on the ladies circuit. She was a keen self-taught painter and a proficient knitter. She was deeply invested in the values of education and hard work which she instilled in her kids. Known as Gigi to her grandchildren, she was a dedicated grandmother; she loved doing art projects with her grandkids, playing card games, and making them strawberry shortcake for their birthdays. Her Thanksgiving dinner was unrivaled, and her cornbread stuffing and cinnamon rolls will be sorely missed.

Susan died unexpectedly in New London, CT from complications from Parkinson's Disease. She will be greatly missed by her children, Allison Kotzin King and husband Jeremy King; Justin Kotzin and wife Christina Kotzin; and her five grandchildren, Gabrielle, Hudson, and Cooper King, Naomi and Teddy Kotzin.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Humane Rescue Alliance or The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.