Susan Ann Dalton

1964 - 2025

Napa's Susan Ann "Susie" Dalton gained her angel wings on November 26, 2025, at the age of 61, while surrounded by loved ones and holding her mama's hand.

She was born on June 9, 1964, to Joy and Al Dalton. She was a perfect and sweet little baby who was born with Down Syndrome and an imperfect heart, but that never stopped Susie. Doctors didn't think she would live a long life, but she proved them wrong and was a bright light to many.

Her open heart surgeries and procedures ranged from infant pulmonary banding to an 87-day hospital stay for a hole in her heart resulting in her first pacemaker, an artificial valve surgery, and too many pacemaker changes to count. She was a trooper!

Though born in Richmond, California, her home of 56 years was in Napa's Springwood community, where she lived with her mom.

When looking for houses, her parents had discovered a school for children with special needs in Napa, and Susie promptly started school on the Monday following their move.

Susie spent many happy years attending Wintun Special Education School from the age of 5 until she aged out of the system at 22. She graduated in June of 1986, just one day apart from her younger brother, Michael, who was graduating from Vintage High School.

She was then blessed to attend Napa Valley Support Services for individuals with disabilities for 39 years. Her days there included working as an assembly worker and learning new skills, but her primary focus was socializing and interacting with "cute boys". When she'd find a new boyfriend, she'd instantly change her last name, consider the new man her husband, and would let everyone who would listen know she was engaged (again).

Susie had many husbands through the years, which, in fact, brings to mind one of our favorite stories. When her mom, Joy, was still working in Comp at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, she once received a call from a local Napa bridal shop. The owner reached out to let Joy know that Susie had called the day before to "order" a wedding dress that she had seen in a newspaper ad. They shared a good laugh over it and agreed to pause the order.

When she was young, Susie participated in Special Olympics track meets as an athlete, cheerleader, and torch holder. She also bowled for a few years, but most of her happy times were related to doing things with her family.

Susie loved hosting "family gatherings" of any kind and tended to be a bit of a control freak during the planning stages. (Her sister is known to be that way, too.) But her favorite parties were the milestone birthday parties held in her honor, with her most recent one being her 60th. For Susie, every "day after" a birthday would begin with her saying, "Next year I will be (fill in the blank)".

She was a dedicated artist who used Pentel ballpoint pens and Frozen-themed color books to create mosaic-like masterpieces for family and friends. And she was a self-proclaimed "Coke-a-holic" (she loved her Coca Cola), which originated because Coca Cola was used to help her get undesirable-tasting medicine down as a young heart patient.

She was a loving, yet firm, auntie to her nieces and nephew, a sweet neighbor who blew a kiss to next-door neighbors Jim and Karen's house every morning as she got in the van to head to NVSS, and a GREAT friend to many.

Mom, Joy, has always expressed her heartfelt appreciation for the love Susie's siblings' friends showed Susie. The childhood kids, the "pom pom girls", work friends, class reunion planning committees, and even Kim and Mike's Facebook friends always welcomed Susie with a smile. Whenever a new Facebook post included Susie, the comments were always off the charts, and she loved having them read to her. For many "kids", Susie was their first introduction to someone "special". May her memory stay in their hearts always.

Susie had many nicknames, but her favorite was "Mama's Girl". She and her mama were more than mother and daughter; they were seen more like a well-known, longtime married couple in Napa. They grocery shopped together, relaxed together, and took care of each other, with Joy taking care of Susie's needs, and Susie preparing each day by turning the page in their TV Guide, setting up fresh glasses for their Cokes, changing the candles in their living room, and emptying the dishwasher. It is Joy who will feel the most significant void from Susie's passing.

Though our sweet angel now resides in Heaven, how blessed we were by the long and beautiful life she spent here on Earth. Her bright light will be with us forever.

Susie is survived by her mom, Joy O'Gara, sister, Kim Dalton Funk (Dave), brother, Michael Dalton, nieces and nephew, Destiny Funk Harris (Brian), Tyler Funk, and Hailea and Breanne Dalton, a brand new great nephew, Beau Harris, cousins, Andrew and Pamela Jensen, her stepmom, Kathy Dalton, and former sister-in-law, Kim Helfrich Dalton. She was predeceased by her father, Allyn Dalton; grandparents Vern and Viola Jensen, and Bertram and Loraine Dalton, and the uncle who deemed her his "favorite niece", Robert Jensen, brother to Joy.

Special thanks: Children's Hospital of Oakland saved her life, and Napa Valley Cardiology's Drs. James Srebro and Sergio Manubens provided thoughtful and loving care to Susie for the last several decades. We are forever grateful for them, and for their loving staff members who cried with us as Susie entered Hospice.

In memory of Susie, we would love donations to be made to the wonderful team at Napa Valley Support Services. Financial support helps their programs continue for other special people like Susie. https://www.napavalleysupportservices.org/

No services will be held at this time.