Susan M. Manion

11/11/43 to 01/12/24

Susan M. Manion, 80 years old, of Mesa, AZ, passed away peacefully on January 12th, 2024.

She was born in Rochester, NY on November 11th, 1943 to George Manion and Beatrice (Farnan) Manion. Susan was the second born of the four Irish sisters. (Carole, Susan, Virginia and Patricia) Susan is survived by her sister Patricia Thompson and brother-in-law Gary Thompson, her three daughters and two sons, Jacqueline (Jacqui) Kehoe and husband Michael Kehoe, and the twins Dawn Marcey and Wendy Johnson and her husband Michael Johnson. Susan is survived by her five grandchildren, of whom she was extremely proud, Michael McKenna (Mac), Emily (Emmy), Taylor, Seraphim (Sera), and Cassandra (Cassie). Susan had a special place in her heart for her one great grandchild, Ava. While there are too many to name, Susan always took the time for her nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews, whom she loved dearly and had a special relationship with each and every one of them.

Susan grew up in Rochester, NY, but traveled extensively and lived in many places including, but not limited to: Iceland, Florida, Virginia, California, and Arizona. She went to college after years of service and received her Master of Science in Family and Human Development at Arizona State University. Susan enjoyed working in the fields of Insurance, education, as well as social work and administration. Her resume was impressive, working for places like The Gilbert and Chandler Senior Centers, helped in building Five Ring Financial, as well as the state of Arizona, just to name a few. For over 60 years Susan helped to build not only companies and the industry she was working in, but also people. She had wisdom that helped propel anything or anyone she came in contact with. She enjoyed being a life-long learner and sharing that education with the world.

A personal note about Susan. She enhanced every situation she was in. She enjoyed road trips, especially to see her favorite music bands and musicals, going to all sorts of sporting events, watching movies, Hallmark Christmas movies, and traveling to see the people she loved. Susan loved being witness to an onion truck overturned and the contents cleaned up by snow plows. On that same trip, she added she was having lunch with family in a 50’s diner, then watched as the restaurant was robbed at gunpoint, and yet she didn’t even get a free lousy t-shirt. She watched Hugh Jackman greet crowds, as security shouted at her to get out from in front of his car. She became friends with Richard Simmons in the middle of Barney’s NYC. Susan terrorized Bingo Halls. Never commandeer a chair for your feet, when there is nowhere to sit. When there was injustice witnessed, she spoke out. Susan loved to invite gorgeous firefighters over for BBQ’s and have them throw a propane tank into the swimming pool. When it rained, Susan strongly encouraged her children, to their dismay, to wear plastic bags on their heads when Grandma Bea would remove neatly folded, plastic squares, from her purse to offer her grandchildren head cover. Susan had a knack for smashing her face into sliding glass doors, in front of numerous witnesses, and on each occasion would leave a faceprint. (Yes, there was more than one incident.) She would say, one of her favorite emotions was laughter through tears. There were so many, many things she was, to so many people, that it would take a book to begin to touch on everything. She was a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, friend, teacher, rocker, card shark, comedian, wise woman, Earth angel, but most of all, a Goddess.

Susan’s Celebration of Life will be on:

Saturday, 01/27/24 at 2:00pm

The location:

1618 W Western Star Blvd.

Phoenix, AZ. 85041

Please contact Dawn or Wendy for the Gate code