Susan Peardon

Susana Ochoa Rodriguez Peardon (Susie), beautiful wife and cherished mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to many and friend to all, peacefully entered into the arms of the Lord on the wings of Angels on Saturday, May 30, 2015. Susie had recently suffered a stroke resulting in more rapid deterioration of her fragile physical condition. She was 96 years young. Susie was born to Santiago and Maria Susana Ochoa Rodriguez on January 10, 1919 in the very small village of Tutuaca, Mexico located about 3 hours outside of Chihuahua, Chihuahua Mexico. She was the last surviving sibling, the sixth of eight brothers and sisters in her family. From oldest to youngest there was Adam, David, Anita, Josephina, Manuela, Santiago and the baby of the family, Jovita, who wound up having eight children of her own. As a young girl working the chores of "el rancho" and completing her grade school education in Tutuaca, Susie developed an interest in sewing and uncovered an extreme aptitude and talent for dressmaking. She was recognized as the top student in her class because of the fine quality of her work and her work ethic. The school rewarded "Susana" with her own personal sewing office. Susana handled the high-level "special projects" because of her abilities. As her brothers and sisters scattered and grew their families around the city of Chihuahua area, Susie spent time experiencing life in the big city as well as living and helping out at with the many chores at home on "el rancho". Around 1946 Susie and her sister Manuela (who the family called "Auntie Mable") moved to El Paso, Texas to work and seek out their life opportunities in the United States. Supposedly this is where it startedâ€¦in El Pasoâ€¦ at, of all places, a funeral home. Susie met Ritchie. Richard Peardon was his name and this slightly older guy must have swept Susie off her feet. He liked to call her "Chana" which became her affectionate nickname from friends. Chana, you could tell, was cute and shy, and was the apple of Ritchie's eye. They married in 1947 in El Paso. He was 46. Chana was 28. He was fluent in Spanish and English. She spoke very little English. Susie and Ritchie moved to the west side in Detroit, Michigan on the house on Robson right after their marriage because of the growing employment opportunities in the BIG city. Ritchie wound up working at Detroit City Ice and Fuel. Susie became the dutiful wife, cook ,dishwasher, launderer, housekeeper, gardener, seamstress, and on and on. Ritchie liked to show off his bride to his friends by bragging how he taught her how to speak English. He would ask, "What are you doing, Chana?" Her reply to his questions was usually "washing the dishes" which was all the English she knew at the time. And then she became, which was to become her best and greatest role, a MOTHER. Their first child, a son John, was born in November 1948. Then along came Richard Jr. in 1950, Socorro (oh how she hated that name but now she loves it) in 1952, Mary in 1955, and Susan (Sudie) in 1960. Sadly, Sudie never knew her dad in person. Ritchie, who constantly worked very long hours in the physically demanding job at the ice plant, suffered a massive stroke and passed on that same day in November 1959 at the age of 58. Life for Susie and her family completely changed that day. The miracle of Susie's life and legacy then began to really take hold and grow. At 40 years of age, this pretty little Mexican lady, so dependent on her husband for the things a husband and father does for the family, bravely decided to raise her five children on her own. She assured her kids she would not move them to Mexico or get married again to be raised by someone else. Susie did whatever it took to protect, feed, and lead her children down the right path. She took lessons from a local high school to better understand, read and speak the English language. She enrolled in driver's training and learned how to drive a car for the first time. She worked countless and long hours doing sewing jobs for many people to support her family. Susie's word-of-mouth reputation for making the most beautiful wedding dresses around became widespread. Susie's dresses were made from scratch. Customers lined up for her services who received the added bonus of being charged a mere fraction of what they would pay anywhere else for much lesser quality. She could easily have asked and received many times more than the $25 she charged for making a dress! But she went about her business of helping others without complaint and with love in her heart. She was the people's servant. Susie's totally unselfish life consisted of serving her family and others first. While still sewing on the side, Susie worked at several other jobs throughout her life to support her family including working at American Motors in the cafeteria and custodial services at St. Alphonsus High School. Susie's children never felt different or wanting or deprived growing up. She was a terrific cook and baker, made delicious meals out of nothing, with her specialties being pollo, arroz, and frijoles (CRB - chicken, rice, beans). Her Mexican meals were out of this world and they were almost daily staples. She made sure that her kids were clean, well-fed, healthy, safe, but most of all loved. Susie was a Den Mother for her sons' Cub Scout pack, helped with her daughters' Brownies group, helped deliver the Detroit News with her son when he needed the help, took her kids on picnics, bowling, and visiting relatives and friends and definitely made sure they were always ready for church. She did anything and everything necessary for her family well-being and growth. But her greatest source of strength came from her faith in God. She constantly prayed throughout the day, praying to St. Jude and Father Solanus, and always saying the rosary at night. Every night. Without fail. For others and for her family. Her life was one of total and complete commitment, fierce determination, perseverance, resolve, hard work and LOVE. And when the going got real tough at times, she relied on the Lord for help, always. Susie's legacy is based on pure love, on how she positively affected everyone she knew in life, and in the success and happiness of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Susie is survived by her two sons, John (Stacy) and Richard, three daughters, Socorro Warmack, Mary Aja, and Susan (Greg) Hudas, 16 grandchildren, Lesli, Lyndsay, Skip, Megan, Sarah, Alyssa, Amy, Andrea, Luke, Blake, Ashley, Michael, Alexandra, Brenton, Trevor, 10 great-grandchildren, Austin, Gracyn, Gabrielle, Dylan, Ariel, Brianna, Connor, Saylor, Laine, and Jersey. She was pre-deceased by granddaughter Julie. The family will receive friends on Monday, June 1, 2015 from 2-9 pm at Wm. Sullivan and Son Funeral Home, 705 W. 11 Mile Road, Royal Oak, Michigan (between Woodward and Main), 248-541-7000 with a Rosary at 7 pm. The Funeral Mass is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 10 am at Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, 2100 12 Mile Road, Royal Oak Michigan (on the Northwest corner of 12 Mile Road and Woodward). Visitation at church begins at 9:30 am. Please send any donations to either of Susie's two favorite charities, St. Jude Children's Hospital or The Father Solanus Guild.

Susan Peardon

January 10, 1919 - May 30, 2015