Suzanne V. Conrad

Suzanne V. Conrad

Suzanne Virginia Malloy Conrad, of Perrysburg, Ohio, age 90, passed away Aug 16, 2024, at Hospice of Northwest Ohio, Perrysburg. Sue was born on October 24, 1933, to John Harrington and Martha (Clark) Malloy and grew up in Sylvania with her sister Barbara and brothers Jack and Michael.

Sue loved Sylvania. As a 4-year-old, Sue helped her mother sell sheet music by singing while her mother played the piano at the local 5 & Dime store. She had the blond curly Shirley Temple look that couldn't help but draw attention. When she was able to ride a bike around 1930s Sylvania, she befriended the town doctor and became his little helper by delivering medications and other supplies from the office to the home bound patients. The family moved to Joffre St in west Toledo in her later school age years where she attended Nathan Hale School.

After graduating from Notre Dame Academy in 1951 and St. Vincent's Hospital Nursing program in 1954, she worked at St. Vincent's hospital as supervisor. She met Dr. Edward Conrad in the Emergency Department, and although she immediately admired his calmness, she decided he needed to get more organized and pick up the pace! Their first date was on a hot day when Ed suggested going swimming because he had overheard that she liked to swim. After Sue dove into the cool deep quarry water, she famously looked up to see Ed sitting on a rock and encouraged him to come in. He told her he didn't swim, but his trepidation did not stop the budding relationship.

Ed and Sue married in May of 1955. They lived in New Cumberland, PA, between 1956-1958 while he served as a Captain in the Army medical corps. When they returned to Toledo, they moved to Westmoreland on Parkside Boulevard where they raised 7 children. Gesu School PTA, Westmoreland Civic Association, Red Cross disaster volunteer, and her children's activities (swimming, football, softball, volleyball, swimming, basketball, track, musicals and of course more swimming) filled her life with joy and meaning. The annual family vacation to Farwell Lake in the Irish Hills of Michigan for a week of skiing, swimming, charades, and cards was the highlight of summer. The Bridge Club and the Lobster Club were sources of lifelong friendships for Sue and Ed as well as all the families involved.

With lessons learned from her father, John Malloy, Sue gave her children (and eventually her grandchildren) a tremendous sense of humor and optimism rooted in love and respect of others. She taught independence and, very importantly, how to play. She loved play of all kinds – cards, pool table tricks, chess, dancing in the kitchen, backgammon, scrabble, and music while doing chores!

Sue role modeled hospitality and inclusiveness daily by having frequent visitors at the family dinner table. She encouraged her children to build a neighborhood volleyball court on the boulevard where as many as 40 kids of all ages would play on summer nights. Sue was a perennial volunteer on the Red Cross Disaster team. She was well known for her lemon meringue pies made for the Gesu School Bake Sales that were often sold before the pies arrived at school! During COVID, she passed on the secrets of her Grandma Clark's recipe during a Zoom cooking lesson with grandchildren as they each made a pie in cities across the country.

As Sue's children grew older, she started working at Central Catholic High School and then St Francis de Sales High School, where she taught Christian Lifestyles to seniors. She taught this class for over 40 years which was lovingly referred to as "Sex with Sue." She helped develop the community service program which is now a curriculum requirement for all SFS students. Her passion for developing students and serving the community was recognized by being honored with the SFS Service, the NDA Hall of Fame, and the NDA Diamond Eagle Service awards. Over the years she has touched on the lives of over 6000 students. The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales have been a fixture in the Conrad family since the late 1960s.

Following the death of Ed after 53 years of marriage, Sue rekindled a relationship with her high school sweetheart, Don Twining, who had recently lost his wife of 50 years. Sue and Don married in 2009 and enjoyed almost 10 years of fun memories, companionship and laughter. The Conrads embraced Don for the happiness he brought to Sue (and the added player at the Bridge or Pinochle games).

Sue is survived by her children, James (Martha Baither) of Nashville, TN; Douglas (Angela Wang) of San Diego, CA; Cathleen (Bill Opperman) of Pickerington, OH; David of Roseboro, NC; Jennifer (Brian Swope) of Bowling Green, OH; son-in-law, Thomas Gabelman of Cincinnati OH; and grandchildren, Andrew (Lindsey Moffitt), Matthew (Sarah Cho) and Elizabeth (Matt Bach) Conrad; Kevin (Jahnvi Sharma), Megan (Jeanphilippe Charles) and Ryan (Sarah Schafran) Gabelman; Benjamin (Emily Freytag) and Tony (Audrey Kendra) Opperman; Madeleine and Emma Conrad, 13 great grandchildren (with another on the way) and countless Malloys, Clarks and Conrads near and far.

She was preceded in death by her husband Edward J. Conrad (2008); daughter, Carol Gabelman (2002); son, Michael Conrad (2003); second husband Don Twining (2018); her parents, John and Martha Malloy; and siblings, Michael and Jack, and Barbara (Lammers).

Diagnosed with renal failure in late December, on Christmas Day she was transitioned to supportive care in hospice. Sue repeatedly voiced appreciation for the compassion of the Hospice team who cared for her in these last months. During the remaining 8 months, a parade of family members and friends visited her in-person or spoke with her video-calls. This "wake while she was still living" was a testament to the lives that she meaningfully touched over her 90 years. Words spoken during those visits were: "unforgettable", "Just knew how to have fun and make fun for others", "Through all of you, I see God works His wonders in family", "enriched each person she met and left them feeling better about themselves and the world", "feel blessed to have her as our neighbor" and a "remarkable woman with a great Irish sense of humor."

Often admired for her bold, energetic, organized, faith-filled way of approaching challenges, Sue left a legacy -to her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, students, peers, friends - of work hard and play hard. She valued her family and friends, enjoying laughter whenever she could find it.

Visitation will be at Witzler-Shank-Walker Funeral Home, 222 E. South Boundary St., Perrysburg, on Friday, August 23, 2024, beginning at 3:00 p.m. and concluding with a scripture service at 7:00 p.m.

Visitation will continue at Gesu Catholic Church, 2049 Parkside Blvd., Toledo, on Saturday, August 24, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. until the time of Sue's funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. The Reverend Ronald Olszewski, OSFS, will officiate. A "wake" and luncheon at St. Francis De Sales High School, 2323 W. Bancroft St., will immediately follow Mass. Interment will be private at Calvary Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be in the form of contributions to either the Conrad Family Scholarship at St Francis de Sales High School or the Carol Conrad Gabelman Scholarship at Notre Dame Academy. These scholarships were established because Ed and Sue saw the value of education and how it changed the future lives of young people.

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