Susan May Sullivan Ware

Susan May Sullivan Ware, 65, loving wife, mother, friend, and child of God, passed away peacefully at home with her family at her side on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. Her enduring will to live and her personal inner strength, redoubled by her unfailing Faith in God, formed her primary stronghold during her long battle with ovarian cancer. The loving and constant support of her husband, family and friends, and her medical team were her essential partners in her fight. Her daily struggle let her give her light to the world for 14 additional years. She inspired us all with her upbeat confidence, her humor, and her selfless nature during illness just as she had in every day of her life. Susan was a master of genuine compassion. Her kindness seemed effortless. It flowed from her as naturally as light from the sky. She truly cared for others, and she actively gave of herself to help others. If one knew anything of Susan, it was of this rare quality of selfless and true kindness. She was born on June 22, 1944, in Terre Haute, to Leo and May Sullivan. She grew up in St. Mary-of-the-Woods, and graduated from Indiana State University with a bachelor's degree in education. She was a teacher of speech and drama prior to devoting herself to marriage and motherhood. As motherhood was the natural vocation for Susan, she joyfully started a family with her loving husband, Douglas. They brought a son, Eric and then a daughter, Nicole, into the world. Susan saw her children as gifts from God. It is impossible to imagine one more gracefully adept than Susan, in the art of motherhood. She was gifted with the ideal talents to care for her children, raising them into well grounded, productive adults. As a mother, she was a virtuoso. Her children see her as a gift from God. With her family, she lived in Glenview, Ill., then in Walnut Creek, Calif., and moving to Winter Park, Fla., in 1989. She enjoyed travel, and was able to do so extensively, visiting over 17 countries and five continents.Survivors include her husband of 40 years, Douglas Ware of Winter Park; her son, Eric Ware of California; her daughter, Nicole Ware of Orlando; the families of her brothers, Joseph and Jiang Sullivan of Frisco, Texas, and Michael and Jan Sullivan of Houston; the families of her sisters, Mary Ann Reid of Flint, Mich., Margaret and Simon Maher of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Jeanne and Tony Bonanno of Farmington Hills, Mich., and Clare Sullivan of Indianapolis; and her sister-in-law, Susan Alice Ware of North Hollywood, Calif.In lieu of flowers, send donations to Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Florida, 1855 West SR 434, Suite 282, Longwood, FL 32750. Visitation was Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009, at Collison Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, 3806 Howell Branch Road, Winter Park. Funeral mass was Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 526 N. Park Ave., Winter Park.