Suzanne Yates

GENEVA - Suzanne Morabito Yates of Geneva, N.Y. passed away peacefully on January 2, 2026 at the DeMay Living Center in Newark, N.Y.

A mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Stephen's Catholic Church on Saturday January 10, 2026, at 12 p.m. Burial will follow in section 20 at Glenwood Cemetery.

Suzanne was born February 7, 1935 in Geneva, N.Y. to the late Rocco and Sarah (Massa) Morabito. As one of 12 children, Suzanne loved being part of a large extended family and she never forgot the big house on Genesee Street, all the wonderful family gatherings, the names of her family members, or stories from her childhood and youth even up until her final months.

She attended Geneva High School, graduating in the class of 1954. After graduation, she worked at the Geneva Forge in the accounting department, and then at the medical practice of Drs. Deuel, Teichner, and Carty as an office manager. Sue moved to Syracuse and worked at Upstate Medical Center. She married Richard Yates on June 20, 1964, and they welcomed children Jon and Karen.

Suzanne and her family moved back home to Geneva in 1974 and were the very first owners in the newly developed White Springs Drive neighborhood where they formed lifelong friendships with the other families on the street. She would be the last of the original home owners, residing there for almost 50 years.

In the late 70's, Sue joined Hobart and William Smith Colleges as a faculty secretary working in various academic departments, then later as administrative assistant to the Vice President for Development. During her career at the colleges, she also assisted with publishing The Seneca Review, an internationally distributed literary magazine. She retired from the Colleges after almost 20 years, leaving behind co-workers who had become dear friends.

Suzanne enjoyed keeping in touch with her High School classmates and worked hard to keep gatherings going for many years. She was proud of her volunteering efforts which included the PTA at West Street School, the Boosters Club at Geneva High School, the Geneva General Hospital Women's Auxiliary, the Capital Campaign for the preservation of the Smith Opera House, numerous political campaigns, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of the Geneva Scholarship Association for two terms.

An avid reader and researcher, and a woman of many interests, Sue had a true love of the arts. She enjoyed watercolor painting and had a deep appreciation for creativity, beauty and artistic expression whether that be through music, art or literature. When a topic interested her, she would research it at the library through books and magazines and documentaries – this made her a great partner for playing Trivial Pursuit and for watching Jeopardy. She loved to travel, especially trips to small New England towns to explore their historic sites and to frequently visit friends in California and Lake Tahoe, NV. She loved visiting museums, especially in later years with her grandson.

Suzanne is survived by her son Jon (Amy) Yates of Marblehead, MA; daughter Karen (Noel) Anderson; and Grandson Nathan of Aldie, VA. Her sister Betty Le Roy of Phelps, N.Y.; and sister-in-Law Gail McCarthy Morabito of North Carolina, many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Suzanne was predeceased by her parents, Rocco and Sarah (Massa) Morabito; her husband Richard Yates; her sisters and their spouses Dee and Sam Priano, Carmela and Donald Greco, Grace and Joseph Martin, Phyllis and Edward McLaughlin, Rose and Orville Tyrell, Josephine and Joseph Kubarek; and brothers and their spouses Luigi and Jean Morabito, Carl and Beverly Morabito, Salvatore (Sam) Morabito and Rocco Morabito; brother-in-Law Gordon Le Roy; nephews Henry Decker, Samuel Priano, Jr., Joseph Martin, Gary McLaughlin and Carl Morabito, Jr.; and niece Donna Venuti.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Suzanne's memory to the Historic Geneva Memorial Gift Fund at 543 South Main Street Geneva, N.Y. 14456 (HistoricGeneva.org) or to Our Lady of Peace Parish at 130 Exchange Street, Geneva, N.Y. 14456. (OurLadyofPeaceGeneva.org)