Suzanne DeHaan

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Suzanne (Misuraca) DeHaan on April 24, 2025. Suzanne passed at home in St. Charles with her family present.
Suzanne was born in Rockford, Illinois, on April 6, 1956. She attended school in Rockford and graduated from Rockford High School in 1974. She and her classmates celebrated their 50th class reunion this past summer. She attended Illinois State from 1974 to 1975 and then transferred to Lakeland College and graduated with a Dental Hygiene degree in 1977. She received her Bachelor of Science from Eastern Illinois University in 1979.
Suzanne met Bill DeHaan in Charleston, Illinois, in 1977. They were engaged in 1979, married on December 15, 1979, and recently celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. Bill and Suzanne lived in Wisconsin Rapids for two years while Suzanne worked as a dental hygienist. They moved to Peoria in 1981 and bought their first house. Suzanne decorated it and helped fix it up while continuing work as a dental hygienist. Their daughter, Lisa (DeHaan) Everett, was born in 1983 and their son, Peter DeHaan, was born in 1986. Suzanne juggled the roles of wife, mother, and dental hygienist with great skill. Her legacy as a mother is reflected in the two wonderful children she raised.
The family moved to Carol Stream in 1988 as Bill took a new job. Suzanne concentrated on homemaking and rehabbing the house. In 1992 she was heavily involved in construction of a new house in Elburn that the family moved into in 1993.
Suzanne was officially diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia (FA) in 1996. This is a progressive neurological disease that has a wide array of negative effects on a person. (Learn more here.) When told she would be disabled and have a shorter life span, Suzanne went to work to fight the disease and resolved to get as much out of life as possible.
In 2000, she was very involved in designing a new accessible house in St. Charles. This is the home she passed away in.
Suzanne has always enjoyed traveling and over the years she traveled throughout the U.S. and world, including trips to England, France, Italy and New Zealand. Though FA made traveling challenging, Suzanne never let it stop her. Her last trip abroad was summer of 2024 to Switzerland.
Suzanne's other hobbies included sewing and quilting. She enjoyed her quilting bee and spending time in her sewing room.
In 2013, Lisa married Bill Everett in St. Charles. In 2014, Peter married Bradley (Covington) DeHaan in Charleston, South Carolina. Between 2016 and 2021 Suzanne welcomed six grandchildren: Walker, Will, Happy, Lucy, Lottie and Ben. Known as Nanna to the grandkids, she excelled with them as she did with her children. They will miss her greatly.
In 2004, Suzanne helped design and build a lake house on Lake Wisconsin. It became the family and friend anchor of the summer holidays. The Saturday night dinners were the highlight. In 2024 she hosted a shrimp boil which will continue in her honor.
Though the disease was progressive, Suzanne was always resisting and fighting. She made her health a priority from working out to staying up to date with the latest advances in research and medicine to combat FA. She was very excited in 2023 when the first FDA drug for FA-SkyClarys-was approved. Over time, she needed additional help from caregivers. They are the true heroes in her life and enabled her to have a much higher quality of life. She was very grateful to all of them.
It's never easy to sum up a life in some short paragraphs. Suzanne should be remembered for Lisa and Pete and her six grandchildren; they are her legacy.
She never gave up and always fought to be the best she could be. Everyone she touched knew that.
In lieu of flowers please consider sending a gift to support the Friedreich's Ataxia Research Association.
Services for Suzanne will be Thursday, May 22, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Baker United Methodist Memorial Church in St. Charles, with a reception to follow. All are invited to celebrate her life.