Grace Catherine Suft

Our Amazing Grace passed away peacefully on February 7th and was welcomed into the kingdom of Heaven after 101 years of blessed life. From her birth in Chicago, IL in May 1914, to her passing on Sunday, Grace nourished people around her with love, faith and kindness.

Grace was born to the late Jim and Bess Philips and is preceded in death by her first husband Rudolf Gnatt, and her husband Walter C. Suft as well as her sister, Marjorie Brignall. Grace is survived by her daughter Judy Gnatt Shupe (Jim); her son James Walter Suft (JoAnne); her grandchildren, Dena, Cristi, Jimmy (Katrina), Amanda, Nicholas, Andrew (Lea), and Molly (Humberto); and her ten great-grandchildren. Her sister Jean P. Bradford of Garrison, NY also survives her.

Grace spent the past 64 years in Phoenix and touched lives wherever she went. She was devoted to All Saints Episcopal Church and could often be seen working in the church garden with one or more of her young grandchildren as well as teaching Sunday school. Grace loved to travel and was always up for an adventure, whether it be a hot air balloon ride over the Valley, flying in a glider plane over Santa Ynez or getting her private pilot’s license while teaching at Stephen’s College. She had an interest in nearly everything and made lasting impressions on everyone she met.

As a dear friend of Grace’s said, “She was a woman of elegance, strength, beauty and wit and had the kind of honesty that was irresistible. This was accompanied by curiosity and enthusiasm.”

Grace was the matriarch of our family. We will always remember her wonderful home cooked meals, especially her special granola and coffee cake, and how her home was always so welcoming and cozy. She had a strength within her that was unmatched. Her sunny disposition was contagious. She was supportive and encouraging, non-judgmental and her keen sense of humor and gentle touch will never be forgotten.

The family would like to thank her caregivers for their extraordinary love and care which they provided over the past four years and her most loving neighbors of 45 years, the Tom Zimmerman family.

A memorial service will be held at All Saints Episcopal Church, 6300 N. Central Ave. on Saturday, February 27th at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and All Saints Episcopal Church.