Susan K. Schwartz (Wells), 67, of Olney, IL, passed away on May 11, 2024, in Evansville, Indiana from natural causes. She was supported by family and a hospice team who kept her sedated and comfortable as she passed peacefully.

Susan was born on January 28, 1957 to Jim and June Wells. She had one sibling, an older brother, Tony Wells. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother and grandparents, Elbert and Eva VanBlaricum and Bob and Gertrude Wells.

She is survived by her children, Derek Schwartz, Danielle Schwartz, Dana Sutton, Dara Schwartz, Carlee Schwartz, Alec Schwartz and grandchildren Sophie Schwartz, Matthew Solano,
Brennen Sutton, Riley Sutton, Elias Subel, Ezra Subel, Madison Russell, Remi Wiegel, Eyvi Wiegel and Siobhan Schwartz.

Susan spent the majority of her adulthood living in Chicago, IL and the southern suburbs of Chicago, Olympia Fields, IL and Homewood, IL. She was an active member in the community and established many personal and professional relationships.

Susan was creative, kind, loving, caring, compassionate and generous. She enjoyed music, vintage cars, art and philanthropy. She was naturally gifted as an artist, designer and digital photo creator.

She embarked on fun, creative projects and entrepreneurship, partnering with a friend to launch a gift basket business called Basket Craze. She always had creative energy flowing and was very successful in the community.

Susan loved creating pop art and often featured photos of her children, grandchildren and her dogs in her designs. Her love for dogs ran deep! She was a dog mama and cared for them like they were her children.

Susan possessed a curious mind and pursued lifelong learning independently, as well as in the college classroom. She studied at the Illinois Institute of Design and Technology to further pursue her artistic talent. She was an avid learner and often registered for classes or programs that interested her, like interior design. She naturally sought to help others and also earned her degree in nursing later in life. Prior to that and in her younger adult years, Susan was a dental assistant.

Susan cherished her roles as a mother and grandmother. She prioritized family above everything and she nurtured the relationships with her children and grandchildren. She loved nature, the outdoors, gardening, and spending summers at the lake house in Olney and at the beach in Michigan with family and friends.

Susan eventually returned to Olney, IL in 2011 to reside with and care for her mom before she passed away in February, 2015.

Susan will be remembered as "Sus" to many of her lifelong childhood friends. She was active in her friend group, which became known as the "YaYas". They shared many adventures and celebrated their friendship by planning girls trips in Chicago among other destinations. Susan had friends near and far and she cared deeply for the people in her life.

Susan led her life with independence, kindness, optimism and commitment to family. Her greatest legacy is instilling these virtues in her children and grandchildren.

The family is planning a private memorial to honor and celebrate her life at a later date in Chicago, IL. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to causes and charities Susan cared about and supported:

https://whitesquirrelinstitute.org/
https://alzfdn.org/
https://www.humanesociety.org/
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
https://holisticlifefoundation.org/
https://www.americansforthearts.org/
https://kindness.org/

Private family interment of ashes at Freedom Cemetery, Noble, IL will occur at a later date.

May Susan's memory be a blessing to all who knew her. She was loved so much and is truly missed.

Published by Legacy Remembers on Jun. 3, 2024.