Susan Kay Willey

In her home, surrounded by her daughters and husband, Susan Willey breathed her last breath on August 11th at 3:17am after a very long and courageous battle with cancer. Susan was born in Flint on April 25, 1957 to Clarice (Ma) Dougherty. At the age of only 15 she married her husband (Jerry) of 50 years. Together they had three daughters, Gina (Mark) Silvers, Rachel (Eric) Chagnon, Sami (Greg) Fil. Five grandchildren, Steven (Christina) Silvers, James (Julie) Silvers, Brandon Silvers, Ava Fil, and Ashton Fil. And one great grandson, James Dean Silvers.

Susan became a member of the Charlotte Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 2008. She was the first woman at Charlanes to bowl a 700 series and a 300 game. Susan also really enjoyed golfing. She was a better than average golfer up until her accident in 2016. But that didn’t stop her from playing.

Susan was full of wit and imagination. She would make you laugh in the most serious of times, even in her final moments when she was cracking jokes. Her imagination had such creativity, from the games she would invent to the stories she would tell. She was an avid reader. Susan would read the same series as her grandkids to have something to talk about with them. That’s the kind of grandma she was. She enjoyed cribbage, euchre, and a good game of chess with her grandson.

Susan enjoyed singing karaoke, especially singing Leather and Lace with Jerry. And on cleaning day she would have her radio cranked up so loud people around the block could hear it. From making breakfast together on Saturday mornings and cuddling on lazy Sundays, Jerry and Susan always had their way of flirting.

Susan loved spending time with her family. She loved holidays and having everyone together, always making it special. Family was the most important thing in her life and in her final moments she said that her children and husband were the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Susan was a hero to her family. She didn’t let her accident or her cancer stop her. She would be on the golf course the day after treatment. Even after finding out it was all over her brain, she still played trivia, went golfing, and played cards with her friends. In her final two weeks, she was babysitting her great grandson, watching her granddaughter perform, walking down the aisle at her grandson's wedding, and trying to come up with a name for her grandson’s cake business. She took great pride and joy in her family.

Susan passed on many lessons, much wisdom, and different character traits to each of her daughters. Many of these things were individualized, but some were meant for all three, like how to not cross contaminate, not to stand under an oak tree in the fall, and how to laugh through pain. There are just too many things to list, but mostly, what she taught them was how to be a person of character. This was not through the words she spoke, but by the way she lived.

Susan is preceded in death by her mother, Ma; brother, Mike; sister, Debbie; and niece, Jessica. Surviving is her husband; daughters; grandchildren; sisters, Janice McCann and Teresa Patton; many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

A celebration of life is to take place at the Fraternal Order of Eagles, 116 Lansing St, Charlotte, MI 48813 on Saturday, October 14, 2023. A time will be announced at a later date.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.neptunesociety.com/location/grand-rapids-cremation for the Willey family.