Suzanne Suda

Suzanne Suda, an elementary school teacher who loved her dogs and birds, died May 21, 2024, at the Spring Valley home where she lived since the 1960s, a home she made into a beacon of warmth and hospitality for her children, extended family and many friends. She was 89.

She enjoyed entertaining and everyone gathered at her place for Christmas, Thanksgiving and other holidays. Suzanne was very proud of her Irish heritage. She always had the gift of gab and never hesitated to tell anyone to “mind your Ps and Qs.”

Suzanne enjoyed being a teacher so much that she didn’t retire from Hill Creek Elementary School until she was 75. She always wore carefully coordinated outfits and never went out without putting on her magenta-colored lipstick.

A bird enthusiast, she had a pet parrot named Peely Kia. Suzanne looked forward to greeting the hummingbirds that flocked to her feeders. She was devoted to her rescue dogs, Teddy and Coco and others.

Suzanne Marie Tilley was born on September 1, 1934 in Oxnard, California, to Dr. Charles Ray and Genevieve (Doud) Tilley, the second of the couple’s three children. Suzanne was close to her older brother, Charles Ray Jr., and her younger sister, Joanne.

She grew up in Oxnard and attended high school at the Academy of St Catherine in Ventura. After her 1953 graduation she enrolled at the University of San Diego, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education.

While she was in college, she met Paul Joseph Suda. They soon married and the couple settled in Spring Valley. They welcomed five children in quick succession— Joanne, John, David, Stephen and Paul.

Suzanne stayed at home to take care her large family. She loved being a mom and ran the household with ease. Her home was a gathering spot for her children and their friends. Suzanne always greeted them with her vibrant smile.

After she became a single parent in the mid-1970s, Suzanne started teaching at Hill Creek Elementary School in the Santee School District. She instantly connected with the students, who adored her. She chose to be a substitute teacher so she had the flexibility to pursue her hobbies, including travel.

Her brother, Charles, had friends in the entertainment industry and he and Suzanne went to Hawaii numerous times to visit a ranch with Jim Nabors, Carol Burnett, Florence Henderson and

other stars. She enjoyed touring Europe, especially Ireland, and even explored Africa and the Philippines, where her sister once lived.

Suzanne had a core group of close friends, including Karen Gurneck, Joanne Derr, Patty Woods and Sharon Bourland. The ladies got together often to dine out, celebrate birthdays and other special occasions. She was also close to a group of teacher friends, including Stephanie Pannasch, Gisela Ornelas and Patty Wilbur.

Suzanne cherished her long friendship with Roger Fogelman.

Suzanne was devoted to her Catholic faith and was a longtime parishioner at Santa Sophia Catholic Church in Spring Valley. Her family will gather there at 10 am on June 29, 2024, to celebrate a Mass of Christian burial in her memory.

Interment will follow at the Holy Cross Cemetery & Mausoleum in San Diego.

Suzanne is survived by fours sons, David of Oceanside, John, Stephen and his wife, Shelly, and Paul, all of Spring Valley and five grandchildren, Aaron Willoughby, Summer Suda, Gladys Suda

Chandler Suda and Damon Suda and great-grandson, Luke.

She is also survived by her sister, Joanne Murphy of Port Townsend, Washington. She was very close to her niece, Kathleen Murphy, and her nephew, Kevin Murphy, and his daughters, Olivia, Fiona, and Eliza. Suzanne will be missed by all of her cousins, aunts, uncles, and extended family in the Oxnard area and beyond.

Suzanne’s daughter, Joanne Marie Suda Willoughby, and her brother, Charles Ray Tilley Jr, died before her.