Susan J Siciliano's Obituary
Susan J. Siciliano 73, a resident of Fort Myers, FL since 2008, formerly of Virginia Beach, VA passed away Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Susan was born May 22, 1947 in Pittsburgh, PA to the late Eugene and Lillian Siciliano. Her ashes will be released in a private family ceremony later this year at “camp” where her father’s ashes were also spread.
Susan is preceded in death by her brother, Bruce Siciliano. She is survived by her two loving children, Kimberly Stairs (Matthew) of Virginia Beach, VA and Tom Roucek II (Lisa) of Suffolk VA, her five glorious grandchildren, Autumn, McKenzie, Taylor, Kiley and Riley, her sister, Janis Toner (William) and her brother, Robert E. Heim, both of Fort Myers, FL; as well as many extended family members and friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association in Susan’s name via their website at www.diabetes.org
Eulogy:
To know Susan was to know a beautiful, joyful spirit and a woman who was a fighter, a lover of life, and a devout mother, sister, grandmother and friend. Life did not give her many breaks, but she never let that stop her from rejoicing and being in the company of family and friends every chance she had. She loved playing cards, going to the beach, reading books, and donating to various animal charities including her favorite animals, Murphy and Lily.
To be her friend meant you were family, as is the Italian way, and she took no love for granted. Every life and relationship was precious to her. She was always there to celebrate successes and wipe away tears if life dealt anyone else a bad hand. She was generous beyond words with her love and her heart, even if she was suffering. When her body was failing, she fought like a warrior to get back to living every single time. Miraculously, with God’s grace and the help of family and close friends she was able to bring herself back to being an independent woman after suffering a severe stroke and battling cancer. Her career as a much-loved elementary school teacher gave her the ability, the tenacity, and the patience with herself to rebuild her independence as best she could. Her huge heart drew a community around her that wanted to support her and love her, no matter how many handbags and necklaces she bought at craft fairs, or how many card games she won.
In writing about a person like Susan it is impossible to not dwell on the fun, the laughing, the ability to laugh at herself, and help you through your difficult moments. She had a unique way of communicating that just filled the air with fun, with joy, and always with love.
As a beloved teacher, and in life, Susan celebrated every child she saw as if she was seeing the face of God in each and every baby, the Lord’s creations come alive, and her excitement was always contagious. She would squeal with delight at a stranger’s baby, and never missed an opportunity to welcome them into the world. Yet her own babies, now adults, were here pride and joy, her trusted friends and confidants, and her loving support system. They along with her loving grandchildren, who she adored, were the recipients of her endless reservoir of generous and abundant love. It is apparent her strength lives in them, but they also feel the time was cut too short. Having her grandchildren, “Hi puppies!”, made her life sweeter and complete as she rejoiced in them every day, spoke of them endlessly, and created beautiful photos of each of them to decorate every room of her home.
It was that love of life, the total celebration of all of God’s children, the strong and beautiful love and support her sister Jan gave her along with her family and friends, that brought her through her illnesses so many times. She fought through more in this lifetime to heal her body than many of us will ever see, but you would never know her pain, because she smiled right through it. And when it seemed that those joys would be taken from her, strength kicked in again and with God’s hand she fought for her joy and independence.
Her children describe her as someone who wasn’t just a mother but a friend, and always just a phone call away. She was her children’s best friend, and she fought to make sure those relationships were filled with love, even when understanding eluded everyone involved. She made sure she kept her heart open to learn how to accept and adapt to life, and she always did it with an outward smile. If something in the family was wrong, she expected everyone to be tough, but she was always there with a million hugs and love and to listen and cry with, or to just hold a hand. Everyone who knew and loved her knew her generosity and love knew no bounds. Even in difficult times she would show up as a mother, a sister, Nana, or friend, and was only ever a phone call away.
Her sweet nature nurtured two beautiful adult children that created their own families, and gave them memories that will last a life time. Nana Susan created fun sleepovers for each of her grand babies, and with her own children held onto them tightly, showering them with love and telling them, assuring them she would never, ever let go of them, either physically or in spirit. She was the best of moms, the sweetest person, the best of friends, and gave such unconditional and deep love to her family it is impossible imagining life without her. She was too quickly taken, and was looking forward to more of those special moments with her beloved grandchildren.
As she clung to each special relationship in her life, and made a home for each person in her heart, she also made a special, safe place for each of us to go when life was great and when life was not. She was the sweetest person, who would do anything she could for even a stranger and she held onto her family and never let go. As a family, we will never forget the best cuddles, the best hugs and longest squeezes, nor the lessons she taught us by just always being happy to be with those she loved. We will carry her in our hearts and minds forever.
And to all this, she would say; “bada, bada, bada”!
We find comfort in the fact that she is in heaven and we will be reunited with her one day soon. Please join us in reading a scripture in her honor.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 Our friends, we want you to know the truth about those who have died, so that you will not be sad, as are those who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will take back with Jesus those who have died believing in him.
15 What we are teaching you now is the Lord's teaching: we who are alive on the day the Lord comes will not go ahead of those who have died. 16 There will be the shout of command, the archangel's voice, the sound of God's trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; 17 then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 18 So then, encourage one another with these words.
What’s your fondest memory of Susan?
What’s a lesson you learned from Susan?
Share a story where Susan's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Susan you’ll never forget.
How did Susan make you smile?