Suzanne also loved beautiful decorative things, like antique linens, fine silver, and lovely old furniture. She took a keen interest in porcelain dishware, becoming a member of at least two local porcelain clubs, and acquiring samples from many porcelain factories. Another particular area of interest was antique dolls, mostly French, which she also collected. She was very generous in sharing these interests. I have several lovely pieces of china which were gifts from Suzanne, and a wonderful collection of Quimper French pottery which I enjoy every day. From Suzanne I received linen sheets, engraved silverware, fine jewelry, and antique Teddy Bears. I had never been interested in such things before I met her, but enjoyed her enthusiasm and caught some of it.
Suzanne was a fan of Charles Dickens and Winnie the Pooh, and we still have the inscribed copy Good Night, Moon which she gave to baby Paul. She herself was a great story teller, providing entertaining oral histories of her family, especially her aunts, with whom she spent many of her childhood summers.
She was talented in crafts and interior design, astounding me by her ability to make tiny intricate Christmas stockings for her dolls, to see how the pieces of an old marble fireplace strewn across an auction floor would turn into the focal point of our living room, and how to set a beautiful dinner table.
As the years went by, illness and age replaced most of these passions, and life became restricted and sad. It's good to think of the earlier Suzanne, who got excited when Easter came around again, who eagerly showed off what she had won with the leading bid at Sloan's, and who was so generous to me and all my family. It's that passionate Sue who I'm thinking of as we prepare for the weekend ahead, gathering with her family and friends to lay her to rest.
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