Suzanne Dinnella

Suzanne Flahive Dinnella

Suzanne Flahive Dinnella, 77, passed away unexpectedly on December 9, 2024 in Mesa, Arizona. Suzanne was a long time resident of Hebron, Connecticut. She was born January 26, 1947, to the late Gloria and John Flahive in Waterbury, Connecticut. She is also predeceased by her twin sister Gloria Brown.

Suzanne's father was in the U.S. Army and much of her childhood was spent in other countries and states. She graduated from Ft. Knox High School in Kentucky and spent her first year of college in Munich, Germany. Suzanne returned to the states and completed her degrees at the University of Connecticut.

Suzanne was a renowned and beloved elementary school teacher in Colchester, Connecticut. Throughout her 36 years in Colchester, she not only taught countless students the love of learning, but she also shared the gift of her knowledge with her student teachers who still carry on her legacy. She retired in 2004 but continued to volunteer in her daughter's classroom and in the classrooms of her grandchildren.

Suzanne was a pillar of kindness and generosity. She put her heart and soul into everything she did, including her membership in Alpha Delta Kappa, an altruistic sorority of teachers to which she served as the Connecticut State president in the 1990s.

Family was everything to Suzanne. She traveled multiple times a year to spend time with her daughter and grandchildren in Arizona and cherished the time that they came East. She was always organizing family gatherings and excursions. Suzanne was a master at planning and bringing everyone together.

Suzanne loved adventure. She made multiple trips to Ireland with her partner Tom over the years. They spent many summers enjoying horse racing in Saratoga. Their travels took them from Bermuda to Alaska and everywhere in between.

Mom, Gramma, Suzanne, Suzy, Sue, Aunt Suzy, Grandma Suzy, Mrs. Dinnella...Suzanne was known and loved by many. She leaves a legacy of love and kindness to all who were blessed to know her.

Suzanne is survived by her loving daughter, Tracy Whittaker, and her three grandchildren, Logan, Tyler, and Maggie of Arizona. She leaves her soulmate Tom Griffin of Old Lyme, CT, her sister Kathleen Flahive and sister-in-law Julie of Maryland, her brother John D. Flahive and sister-in-law Maryann of Florida, her cherished nephew John J. Flahive of Hebron, CT who was like a son to her, as well as her nieces Allison Struyk of Massachusetts and Jessica Sabatini of New York, and her nephew Michael Brown of Connecticut.

A celebration of life will be held Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 11:00 AM at the Church of the Holy Family in Hebron, Connecticut. The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation to their favorite charity in Suzanne's name.