Deceased Classmate: 63 Suzie Bowman Lee
Obituary Link: http://obits.lehighvalleylive.com/obituaries/etpa/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=191454931
Date Of Birth: 09-30-1945
Date Deceased: 02-02-2019
Age at Death: 73
Cause of Death: lung and bone cancer
Classmate City: Easton
Classmate State: PA
Classmate Country: USA
Was a Veteran: No
Survived By: Jim Lee husband and 8 children and 12 grandchildren

I am giving you the enclosed card as a token of my sincere love and appreciation. I call it Mooma’s Prayer Card. It is so special to me because she created it for her nightly bedtime ritual with our grandchildren. Our granddaughters Morgan and Lia turned the table on Mooma by leading that bedtime ritual for Mooma as she went in peace to the Lord. It was the last thing Mooma heard. I pray that it will bring you the same peace it brings me knowing that she went out her way into her next life. May God’s Love and Peace always be with you and your family. Love, Jim Funeral Homily For: Florence “Suzie” Lee Priests and Deacons present : Msgr. Radocha, Msgr. McCann, Fr. Marty Kern, Fr. Pat Lamb and Deacon John Hanni, and Dec. Bill “Tex” Urbine. Suzie is the type of person that you feel blessed to have known. I am sure that you and your family are exhausted after these past few days. I want to say this, and I hope that I am not misinterpreted. I went to the viewing at 2 pm thinking- the line will be short. (Surprise – long line). But there was joy in that room. Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I am not denying the sadness, the tears, the feeling of loss or emptiness. But what I witnessed is the effect of a life on the whole community. People were sharing their memories of Suzie: “I met Suzie on a parish retreat,” “I worked with Suzie Lee through the Diocesan Marriage Preparation.” “I knew Suzie through Cursillo.” Suzie’s life touched so many people – directly and indirectly. I was privileged to be with her in her last couple of weeks and moments and it gave me an opportunity to reflect - the word “Holy Communion” kept coming to mind. This word is much more than just receiving the consecrated host at Sunday Mass. What I mean by Holy Communion is a sacred bond, a holy linking, an infusion of the divine within the ordinary. At the viewing, there was a Holy Communion. People sharing, remembering, laughing, crying, supporting one another, encouraging one another. And I loved the pictures all around – especially the clothes, the glasses and the hairstyles When Suzie was Baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, God established this first Holy Communion- this sacred bond. We believe that at that moment, the Holy Spirit descended into the little soul of Suzie. She became a precious daughter of our heavenly Father and a member of the Body of Christ. The life of Christ grew in her over the years. She was taught the meaning of being a Christian – a strong woman with a generous heart. About 54 years ago, she met a handsome young man named – Jim. They fell in love and got married. They formed another Holy Communion. This bond of love was tested and stretched but has been a source of strength for each other. God was their foundation. From this Holy Communion, they were blessed with a child, Carl, and another, Richard, and another, Jeffery, and another, Thomas, and another, Nathan, and another Maria, and another, Michael and another Carmella. They took that “be fruitful and multiply literally.” 😊 We have all been blessed by them. The clan of Lee’s has forever changed the Easton area and beyond…. Suzie and Jim and their children formed another Holy Communion. A group of individuals joined and bonded, rooted in love and the presence of God alive in that family. Do not misinterpret what I am saying. There were challenges. There were difficult moments. There may have been days where Suzie wanted to run away. Yet, her generous heart continued to give – to her husband, to her children and to her community. Her involvement with the Diocese teaching Marriage Preparation and Natural Family Planning. Her involvement with the Soup Kitchen, the Choir, the parish retreat, Cursillo, Catholic Daughters. This is not an exhaustive list. She was generous with her time. She gave of herself in so many ways. A great joy in her life were her grandchildren – all 12 of them- Suzie became “Mooma.” In so many ways, she imitated the life of Jesus: teaching, caring, praying, encouraging and generously loving others. When she received her diagnosis of cancer, she entered into her own “way of the cross.” She experienced her own Passion. This is also a mysterious Holy Communion. Like Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, she prayed fiercely, “Father, take this cup away from me.” She asked for prayers, for a miraculous healing. She subjected herself to various cutting-edge treatments. She carried her cross. She experienced excruciating pain and discomfort. This was her own crown of thorns. Like Jesus who fell three times and got up. Suzie felt like staying down but she continued, she persevered. Jesus was stripped of his clothes, Suzie lost her hair and lost her appetite. In her final trip to the hospital, she continued to pray. But she made a difficult decision to go to hospice. Like Jesus she prayed, “Take this cup away from me. But not my will but yours be done.” She didn’t give up. I believe that she surrendered everything into the hands of God. She made a profound act of faith. Jesus, I trust in you! She came home and was made comfortable. Her family and friends came to her bed, a modern day Calvary. Words were shared, Hugs and Kisses and expressions of love were exchanged among smiles and tears. As members of the family were sharing stories and talking together, like Jesus, she echoed in her heart, “Into your hands, Father, I commend my spirit.” And Suzie breathed her last breath. The family gathered around her filled with sadness and tears. I share this with you because Suzie’s last months shared elements of Jesus’ passion and death. She was in a Holy Communion with Jesus. But as I was reflecting, Suzies’ entire life reflected the life of Jesus. There were Joyful moments, there were Sorrowful moments and today we believe that she is entering into the Glorious moments. Our faith reminds us – the cross, and death is not the final word. We heard Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and every one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Suzie was a believer. She modeled her life as a servant of Christ. She strove to love God and to love her neighbor. While we bury her body, in anticipation of the resurrection of her body at the end of time. We heard the first reading tell us, “the souls of the just are in the hand of God and no torment shall touch them.” Suzie shares in Jesus’ victory. Just as Jesus cried at the death of his friend Lazarus, our hearts are broken. We are saddened by the absence of Suzie in our life. Death is painful. We will grieve this loss. But St. Augustine beautifully tells us, “I weep with you because I am human, but I rejoice with you because I am Christian.” We celebrate today, not the life of Suzie. We celebrate Jesus’ triumph over sin and death. Jesus is victorious. We celebrate a Holy Communion. Suzie was united with Jesus in her life and in her dying. We pray that the Lord opens wide the gates of heaven. We pray also for a strengthening of our faith in Jesus’ promise. We believe that we too must stay close with Jesus in a Holy Communion. That is what we celebrate today. This mass is a reminder that we are united in Christ. Suzie gave us an example of that in her life. May her life inspire us to live our faith in the daily events of our life. May her life be an example of the beauty of generous love to all she met. I’ll close with a familiar story to remind us that God is with us always as we continue to walk the walk of faith. READ THE FOOTPRINTS STORY. As we continue the celebration of this mass, I leave you with the image of our Lord carrying Suzie home to her eternal reward and hearing the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your master’s joy.” The Footprints Prayer One night I had a dream… I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord, and Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; One belonged to me, and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of my life flashed before us, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that many times along the path of my life, There was only one set of footprints. I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life This really bothered me, and I questioned the Lord about it. “Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, You would walk with me all the way; But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, There is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why in times when I needed you the most, you should leave me. The Lord replied, “My precious, precious child. I love you, and I would never, never leave you during your times of trial and suffering. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.

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