Suzanne Scheer

1948 - 2020

Suzanne Scheer

August 2, 1948 - December 15, 2019

It was that 7:00 AM phone call asking if you were awake yet that drove many of us crazy. None of us will get that call anymore and that is very sad.

Suzanne Nancy Scheer (Auntie Sue) died December 15, 2019 after an extremely short illness. She went to the doctor October 19 with stomach pains, was diagnosed with cancer October 31, went to her first chemo treatment December 9 and passed away in the hospital just 6 days later. It was absolutely devastating to her to even have cancer let alone have it progress so quickly.

Sue was born August 2, 1948 in Stockton, CA to Leo and Helen (Koons) Scheer. She was their second child after brother George. Soon came sister Nancy and then, after a move to Oakland, came sisters Anne and Janice. She attended Oakland Public schools, proudly graduating from Castlemont High. She attended Cal State Hayward for two years, then transferred to Humboldt State where she got her undergraduate degree in Speech Therapy and a graduate degree in Special Education. She was offered several jobs right out of college, but wisely took the offer from the Petaluma School District to teach speech and special education, something she did for over 33 years, ending her career there as an administrator. Retirement didn't last long, as Sue got a part-time job providing assistance to incarcerated youths in Sonoma County - kids, as she said, who were good kids, just ones who had made really bad decisions.

Sue loved to travel and was fortunate to have many friends and family who liked to join her, usually squirreling away a bottle of gin, olives and non-breakable martini glasses in their luggage. She always had artistic ability, but started to paint seriously when she joined the A-9 Group, a group of local women who met weekly to create, share ideas, visit galleries, and obviously, talk (but never about politics). She had great neighbors in Petaluma who would often be co-opted to work on projects at her cozy, comfortable, colorful house. She was fond of volunteering for the symphony, various art institutions, and local events. She also was fond of volunteering others to do work, as she liked to "share" her family and friends' talents and homes. She doted on her niece and nephews and their children, and delighted in making matching "spinning dresses" for the two grand-nieces and was only sorry that the two little grand-nephews weren't as fun to dress.

Suzanne is survived by her sisters Nancy and Anne (Jeff), Anne's children Alison (Nate) and Ryland (Tianna), and Jeff's children James (Molly) and Robert. Her four favorite little people were Viva and Theo and Mae and Wes, and she never tired of boring everyone with their photos and the newest funny story. She also leaves behind her eight recently reunited "Scheer" cousins and a huge passel of friends including Donna, Paula, Carolyn, Monica, Pat, Chris, Jeanne, Darren, Maureen, Anne R., Carolyn, Marvel, Jay, Cheryl, Georgia, Valerie, and too many others to name.

Sue didn't want a memorial, but I'd be willing to bet she wouldn't mind giving you some pointed suggestions on how to honor her - support local arts and education, travel the world, have a martini or a gin and tonic, vote (and if you knew Sue, you know what that means), and just enjoy a long, happy life. We'll have to do that last one for her because we all know she was robbed.