Susan Spire Guenthner

Susan Spire Guenthner passed away on January 24, 2026 at the age of 81. Born on

June 23, 1944 in New York City, her father, William Spire, was one of the original "Mad

Men". Her mother, Dorothy Lowell, was the star of the radio serial "Our Gal Sunday" and

passed away shortly after giving birth to Sue. William later remarried Mary Spire, a

model from New York City. When Sue was a young teenager, William moved the family

to Miami, Florida, where he founded his own advertising agency. Sue graduated from

Coral Gables High School and later obtained a bachelor's degree in nursing from

Florida State University.

While Sue was visiting her sister, Valerie, in Wichita, Valerie arranged for Sue to have a

blind date with Robert Guenthner, a law school classmate of Valerie's husband. Six

months later, Sue married Bob in Miami, the beginning of a marriage lasting more than

57 years and that produced two children: David Guenthner (Jen) and Andrea Zunino

(Gio).

While Sue's husband and children were her top priority, she remained active

professionally as a Lamaze instructor and lactation consultant. She used her energy

and knowledge to change systems instead of just improving the lives of individual

families. Among her proudest achievements were her efforts to get dads admitted to the

delivery room and to include them in her newborn support classes.

She shared her Christian faith with several generations of children as a Sunday school

teacher at St. John's Episcopal Church in downtown Wichita. The Guenthner home was

a hub of activity for the children of her church and her neighborhood. A natural at

hospitality, she was a "Pinterest mom" before Pinterest existed.

Beyond her immediate family, Sue is survived by her grandchildren Alex Machado

(Ashley), Rylie Winn, Mac Sanmiguel, Asher Sanmiguel, and Matthew Sanmiguel; her

great-granddaughter Ava Machado; her sister Valerie Stallings; and her brothers Chris

Spire (Laurie Leslie), William Spire, Jr., and John Spire (Christine). She was greeted in

heaven by grandson Sage Sanmiguel.

In lieu of flowers, Sue's family requests memorial donations to the Kansas

Breastfeeding Coalition, 8101 College Blvd, Suite 100, Overland Park, KS, 66210 (or

online by clicking this link https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/MC5YD9X8NRL22 ) to

provide education and financial aid to the next generation of lactation specialists.

Her ashes will be inurned in the columbarium at St. John's, where a funeral will later be

held in spring 2026.