Suzanne "Sue" Flood

Suzanne “Sue” Flood passed away July 14, 2025, one month past the 67th anniversary of her marriage to Dennis. She was born May 7, 1940, to Charles and Irene Sheppard in Pittsburgh, PA, and was the oldest of three girls- Suzanne, Dianne, and Joanne. Her father joined the faculty at Michigan State University in 1946; the family settled in Haslett, Michigan in 1947, where Sue entered the same second grade class that Dennis already attended. They were married in the Haslett Community Church June 14, 1958. That next Fall they moved to Springfield, Ohio, where Dennis completed a degree in physics (Wittenberg University, 1962) as they started their family. Sue began her own higher education there by taking evening classes in history and literature, even while their family grew from two to five with the addition of Chuck (Charles Jack), Connie (Connie Sue), and Rick (Richard Dennis). She continued adding to her formal education at Michigan State, as their family grew to six with the addition of Den (Dennis Michael.) They moved to Ohio in February 1967 after Dennis completed his degree at MSU and began working at the NASA Center in Cleveland. The move into the house on Forest Street in Oberlin happened in early September 1970. Sue quickly turned that old, well-worn house into the home she always wanted, cleaning everything and fixing what she could. She dressed the windows with the white, sheer, tied-back curtains she liked so much and kept them that way until she died. Five generations of her family passed through that home over the next five decades: her parents, her four children and their spouses, seven grandchildren (some with spouses) and three great grandchildren. She also continued to take college classes during those first few years in Oberlin, eventually focusing on Early Childhood Education. In 1975 Sue began what would be a 40-year career teaching and managing the First Church Preschool. She taught, loved, guided, and gently corrected from time-to-time, over a thousand three- and four-year-old children from Oberlin and its surroundings. She was also fully engaged in the life of First Church for those same 5 decades, only slowing down as her health began to interfere.

Sixty-plus years ago her parents built a summer cottage on Lake Avalon, near Hillman, Michigan. It has been a cherished family gathering place for all the years since. A graveside service with family and close friends will take place August 16, 2025, at the Hillman-Rust Cemetery.

An event, open to all, to celebrate her life will be held in the Fellowship Hall at First Church in Oberlin, 106 N. Main Street, Oberlin Sunday, August 24, 2025 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. There will be a brief remembrance of Sue by her family at 3:15, followed by a time for conversation over light refreshments.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Oberlin Community Services, 500 East Lorain Street, Oberlin, OH 44074.

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