Suzanne Yvonne Bradbury

Suzanne—known lovingly as Sue or Suzie—was born on February 2, 1951, to her devoted parents, Richard and Sylvia Benes. An only child, she grew up in Stickney, Illinois, and attended Morton West High School in Berwyn. Her childhood home was always filled with holiday decorations lovingly made by her father, along with a rotating cast of Siamese cats and Pekingese dogs that began her lifelong love of animals.

Suzanne attended Morton College and Elmhurst College, earning her associate and bachelors in nursing degrees. She dedicated more than 50 years of service to MacNeal Hospital, retiring in 2022. Much of her career was spent working nights on the inpatient psychiatry unit, a role she found both challenging and deeply meaningful. Her family remembers many mornings waiting to pick her up as she stayed well beyond the end of her shift, determined to ensure every patient and task was cared for.

Sue married Arthur J. Bradbury on December 27, 1986, in the holiday-themed wedding of her dreams. In the early years of their marriage, Sue and Art enjoyed many adventures with friends, frequent trips to the Double J Horse Ranch in Michigan,and cherished time with family in Wisconsin. They were a lot of fun as an aunt and uncle and lovingly cared for their aging parents. After many years of struggling with infertility, Sue’s dreams came true in 1997 with the birth of triplets—Faith, Hope, and Charlie. The family traveled often to triplet conventions, enjoying the unique bond of connecting with other triplet families. In 1999, they moved to Darien, Illinois, where they built a full and busy life raising their children.

Suzie maintained many lifelong close friendships and was always reaching out with phone calls, cards, and thoughtful notes. She loved to travel —from annual trips to Hawaii with her girlfriends in her younger years, to visits to Branson, Missouri to see her beloved Andy Williams, to magical Disney vacations. She had a soft spot for animals and shared her life with many beloved pets over the years; she couldn’t even watch movies where animals were harmed—cartoons included. Sue also loved to shop (perhaps a little too much) and could happily spend hours wandering craft fairs or shopping centers, always finding thoughtful gifts for those she loved. While she could be bit stubborn, she was a dedicated caregiver to husband Art when his health began to decline and she wanted to see her children happy and successful. She was thrilled at the recent engagements of her daughters and loved getting to know her soon-to-be son-in-laws. Spending time with her grandson was the highlight of the past three years.

Suzanne is survived by her children Faith (Tim Lange) Bradbury, Hope (Trevor Matney) Bradbury, and Charles (Angela) Bradbury, and beloved grandson Arthur (“Artie”) Bradbury. She is also survived by sister-in-law and brother-in-law Kenneth and Patricia (née Bradbury) Belt, niece Dawn Belt Davis, nephews Corey (Lara) and Kevin Belt, and great-nieces/nephews Xavier, Zoe and Tristan Davis and Aluna Belt. Sue is also survived by many close friends, including Margaret Baumrucker, Janine Kaiser, Chris Dedowicz, Pamela Standley-Liesz, and Janie Deibler.

She was preceded in death by her parents Richard and Sylvia Benes, her loving husband Arthur J. Bradbury, aunts and uncles, and cousin Dean Pollack.

“Wherever you’re going, I’m going your way.”

- Moon River, Andy Williams

A private service will be held at this time with plans for a celebration of life memorial in the spring.

Cards, donations or gifts can be sent c/o Tim Lange and Faith Bradbury, 432 Wisconsin Street, Apt. 3, Oshkosh, WI 54901