Obituary of Susan Ellen Beattie
Susan Ellen Beattie (Wheeler), affectionately called Sue by family and friends, passed away peacefully on March 24, 2024, at Birchmount Hospital in the arms of her devoted and beloved husband, Al. She was 77 years old. Predeceased by her parents Wilford and Patricia Wheeler (Treleaven) and her youngest sister Beth Hudgin. Sister to Jane Havens and brother Charles Wheeler. Beloved wife to Allan and cherished mother to Karen and Mark. Proud and treasured grandmother to Jacob, Lucas and Leah. Susan will be dearly missed by her son-in-law, Sean, and former daughter-in-law, Cara, along with many other family, friends and neighbours.
Susan was born on October 17, 1946 and lived her entire life in Toronto. Her passion for music and talent for singing led her to find her soulmate and best friend, Allan, while singing with the North York Youth Choir in grades 12 and 13. Sue and Al sang in two operas with Lloyd Bradshaw where they both had leading roles. She also sang at Downsview United Church, St. Wilfred’s Anglican Church and St. Timothy’s Anglican Church, from 1972 - 1990, where she often was a soloist. Sue and Al were founding members of the Toronto Concert Singers under the direction of Clive Dunstan. Sue was a member of the North York Cabaret Singers in the 90’s and with her husband Al enjoyed this new style of musical theatre until her retirement.
Sue was a loving and devoted wife for 55 years of marriage filled with joy, laughter, some tears and countless memories that will now be cherished by her husband Allan forever. She moved into her home in Agincourt in 1972 and lived there until her passing. Sue loved her garden and spending time around the pool and, together with Al, organized one of the earliest front yard gardens on her street, winning a Trillium Award.
After retiring from full-time duties in the TDSB (North York Board of Education) in 2000, where she had been a dedicated office administrator, Sue and Al spent many of the next 8 years travelling Ontario, Quebec and the Eastern Provinces in their van, often camping for weeks at a time. Sue especially enjoyed her two trips to the East Coast with both lasting a month. She enjoyed camping until her last trip to the East Coast in 2008 when it rained for 25 of the 30 days. That was her last camping trip. Now it was time to spend more time enjoying her garden and the pool during the Summer months.
The next eight years provided Sue and Al a chance to travel to Florida for 2 months each year where she made new friends and enjoyed wonderful times at the beach and eating out almost every night. She loved to cook but also enjoyed sampling new foods at so many restaurants. During that time of travel, Sue and Al travelled to many places across Europe including England, Scotland, Italy, France and Greece. They also had two wonderful river cruises on the Danube and Rhine and a Caribbean Cruise in 2016 that ended Sue’s travelling years.
Sue was a voracious reader, usually reading a book a week along with the newspaper and various magazines. She was a terrific cook who enjoyed making meals for family and friends, as well as Allan’s local teacher’s federation and the local Liberal association. Sue loved musicals and shared her love of musicals with Al along with her grandson Jacob who together enjoyed 9 years of musical shows together. Sue had a captivating, beautiful and memorable smile that lit up the room. She leaves a legacy behind of kindness and empathy for all who knew her.
A celebration of Susan’s life will be held on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at the Ogden Funeral Home from 2 - 4 pm. Flowers or donations may be given in her honour to the Canadian Cancer Society or a charity of your choice.
