Susan Stowell Till, of Maple Valley, Washington, passed away peacefully at home on January 28, 2024. She was 77 years of age and succumbed to vascular dementia.
Suzie was born with identical twin sister, Sally, on December 20, 1946 in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Mary Isabelle Woodruff and John Delos Stowell. The fourth of six children, Suzie grew up in Mahtomedi, spending summers sailing and water skiing, and winters ice skating on White Bear Lake. After her father’s passing when Suzie was 15, her mother took Suzie, Sally, and youngest brother, Tom, to Palma de Mallorca, Spain for a year.
Suzie graduated high school from the Visitation Convent in Mendota Heights with a group of close friends that have remained connected throughout their lives.
In 1967 Suzie moved to the Seattle area working for Northwest Airlines. She leased a furnished apartment, but the bed size was wrong for the sheets she had brought. The landlord told her to trade her neighbor for the right-sized bed. She knocked on the door and a young Boeing engineer answered. To his surprise a beautiful young woman stood before him asking for his bed. Suzie thus met Raymond Till, establishing an immediate life-defining romance. They were engaged within two weeks and married within three months.
Suzie and Ray bought their first and only home at Spring Lake in 1972 and joined a close knit community of friends and families where they raised their children, Andrew, Sarah, and Richard. Suzie poured her energy into raising her children, volunteering at their schools and sports teams.
Once the children were older, Suzie returned to work outside the home, spending her best career years at IKEA Seattle. She worked in customer service where she developed close friendships with coworkers and ensured customers received a personal touch. Suzie retired in 2006 to provide childcare for her grandchildren, Bergen, Neville, and Felix. Suzie and Ray were fixtures at their grandchildren’s sporting and school events and Suzie returned to volunteer at her grandchildren’s elementary schools.
Suzie and Ray enjoyed travel and loved visiting Kaua’i, Hawaii the most, making annual trips for more than 20 years. Suzie remained close with her siblings, nieces, and nephews, enjoying family reunions and vacations.
A devoted Catholic, Suzie attended church at both St. Barbara Catholic Church in Black Diamond and St. Stephen the Martyr Church in Renton.
Suzie was known as a gentle soul with abundant kindness. She connected with people everywhere, making friends in restaurants and grocery store lines. She displayed effervescent joy in seeing the success and life achievements of her family and friends and also helped many people through difficult times. Suzie had a quick wit, a playful spirit, and an inability to complete a joke without laughing before the punchline. Suzie brought happiness to her many friends and family and will be dearly missed.
Suzie is survived by her husband Raymond, children Andrew (Dawn), Sarah (Chris), and Richard (Katherine), grandchildren Bergen, Neville and Felix, and siblings Jane, Bill (Judy), Elizabeth (Allen), and Sally (Lee). She was predeceased by her parents John and Mary Stowell and her brother Thomas.
In lieu of flowers, which she would have loved, Suzie would want her loved ones to share their love and benevolence with others.
Events
Funeral Mass – March 15, at 10 a.m. at St. Barbara Catholic Church, 32416 6th Ave., Black Diamond, WA 98010
Reception and Celebration of Life – March 15, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00pm., Maplewood Greens at Maplewood Golf Course, 4050 Maple Valley Hwy., Renton, WA 98058
