Sarah Suzanne Rea

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, sister, aunt and dear friend Sarah Suzanne Rea. Suzanne passed away peacefully in the early hours of November 29, 2019, at the age of 69. She was surrounded in her final days by the ones who loved her most, reminded continually that she made a profound impact on their lives. Suzanne is survived by her son Jacob and sister Janice Stewart. She was proceeded in death by her brother Jerry Deener.

Suzanne was born to Harold and Sarah Deener on April 22, 1950, near her hometown of Marshall, Indiana, a town of about 300 people. She described her childhood as “our Mayberry”. She grew up surrounded by several aunts, uncles, and cousins. She graduated from Turkey Run High School near Marshall, and then received her Bachelors in Education at Indiana State University where she met her future husband, Michael Rea. Her teaching career began in Bloomingdale, Indiana and soon moved to Muenster, Germany where she taught the children of American military families. There she birthed her son Jacob, before moving to San Antonio.

Suzanne had a love for early childhood education, a field in which she taught for over 42 years as a first grade teacher, and later as a Reading Specialist. She spent her life believing that the path toward opportunity for young children began with a strong foundation of literacy, and in the process had an immeasurable influence on the lives of hundreds of children across multiple generations. Her legacy as an educator at Woodridge Elementary in Alamo Heights made an impression on students, parents and her fellow teachers, and will live on far past her time there.

A memorial service for Suzanne will be held at Sunset Memorial Park and Funeral Home in San Antonio on Wednesday, December 4th from 5-7pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a charity that supports Suzanne’s vision for literacy opportunities for young children, Born to Read by the San Antonio Public Library Foundation (https://www.saplf.org/programs-initiatives/programs/born-to-read/).