Valerie J Suter

Kennett Square, - Valerie J. Suter (née Jackson) died on May 22, 2025 after suffering a bad fall.

Val was born on December 21, 1947 to Hugh W. and Evelyn M. Jackson (née Mercury) in Jersey Shore, PA. She skipped her senior year of high school to start college at the University of Pittsburgh as a Biology major. It was during a summer science experience in Bar Harbor, ME after their sophomore year that she and Bob Suter met. After 2 years of traveling back and forth between Swarthmore and Pittsburgh, they graduated from their respective colleges and married on June 22, 1968.

Val earned her master's degree in biology from the University of Michigan, where she discovered her love of teaching. She and Bob lived in Ann Arbor, MI, Denver, CO, Panama City, Panama where their son Nathan was born in 1973, and Bloomington, IN. They moved to Poughkeepsie, NY, in 1977 where they lived for the next 40+ years. Their daughter Katherine was born in 1978.

Val was deeply involved in her community in the Hudson Valley. She and Bob created and ran Exploring Science at Vassar Farm, a program bringing local elementary students into nature and introducing them to biology, natural history, and animal behavior. She was an elected Member and later President of the Arlington School Board. She taught Physics and Chemistry at Millbrook and Ketcham High Schools before settling at Arlington High School for the majority of her teaching career.

Students will remember her as a serious and caring instructor who enlivened classes with apt and entertaining demonstrations. They may also laud her for organizing the annual Physics Day trip to Great Adventure, and for her annual "Easter Bunny Meets the Vacuum Pump" demo. She gradually transitioned into administration, retiring from Arlington Central School District in 2008 as Curriculum Supervisor for Science and Engineering.

Val and Bob found Quakerism while living in Bloomington, and Val was an integral member of the Bulls Head-Oswego Friends Meeting while living in the Poughkeepsie area. After moving to Kennett Square, PA in 2017, Val found her spiritual home as a member of Birmingham Friends Meeting.

Val and Bob were fortunate to travel all over the world throughout their lives, ultimately visiting 6 of the 7 continents, often relishing and studying regional natural history. At Crosslands, their chosen community since 2017, Val remained active, giving her time to the website committee, the library, and political advocacy. She delighted in her four grandchildren, frequently visiting them in Montpelier, VT and Philadelphia, PA, sewing clothes and toys, attending school and sporting events, getting to know their peers, and being their friend.

Val was recently pre-deceased by her son Nathan, and is survived by her husband Bob, sister Melanie (Jackson) McLane, daughter Katherine (Suter) Fisher, Nathan's wife Morgan Lloyd and their children Amani and Asa, Katherine's husband Alex and their children Carter and Oliver, and many other loving relatives and friends.

A Memorial Service in the manner of Friends will begin at 11:00 AM on August 2, 2025 at Crosslands, 1660 E Street Rd, Kennett Square, PA 19348. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Kennett Area Community Service (KACS) or American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).