| Date of Birth | October 10, 1944 |
| Passed Away | February 1, 2014 |
| Place of Residence | Hornell |
| Home State | NY |
| Service Time | Private Service |
| Service Location | Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc. |
| Interment Location | Mt. Hope Cemetery, Troupsburg |
HORNELL-Susan M. Plake, 69, of Charles St., passed away Saturday morning (Feb. 1, 2014) at St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell, surrounded by her family.
Born in Easton, Pa. on Oct. 10, 1944, she was a daughter of the late Andor and Catherine Trauch Wester. Besides her parents, she was also predeceased by her husband, Charles Plake, Jr.; her son, Ray Bradley and her stepson, Brandon Plake.
A former resident of Harmony, N.J., Sue spent her younger years with her grandmother and Aunt Nellie and received her high school education in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She also attended Kansas State University.
Sue was a homemaker, enjoyed time with her family and was also a well-known local artist.
She resided in Troupsburg before becoming a resident of Hornell in 1990.
An avid conversationalist, she also enjoyed gardening, camping and collecting “treasures.” Sue shared these same interests with her children.
Her loving family includes her eight children, Timothy Bradley (April Kepner) of Arkport, Jennifer (Alfred) Tomaschow of Dansville, Deborah (Jason) Edlen of Mt. Morris, Bonnie Button (Steve Kilmer) of Canisteo, her former son-in-law, Shannan Austin of Troupsburg, Cynthia (Jason) Oliver of Greenwood, Amanda (Kai) Chitaphong of Scottsville, Charles Plake III (Rose-Lynn) of Vancouver, B.C. and Morry Plake of Hornell; her 24 grandchildren, Nicole, Crystal, Amanda, Hannah, Emilie, Samuel, Nathan, Julia, Darian, Hannah, Autumn, Andrew, Aimee, Kendall, Kelsey, Abigail, Jackson, Benjamin, Kaleb, Ella, Khloe, Kai, London and Presley; her three great-grandchildren, Anabelle, Macie and Naomi; her brother, Andor Wester, Jr. of Harmony, N.J.; her four sisters, Peggy Hemp of California, Lucille Austin of Troupsburg, Alice Ponce of South Carolina and Cathy Brassaw of Harmony, N.J.; also her nieces, nephews and cousins; as well as her many friends, including her good friend, Richard.
Calling hours are from 4-6 p.m. Thursday at the Bishop & Johnson Funeral Home, Inc., 285 Main St., Hornell, where a private service of celebration of her life will be held at the convenience of her family, with the Rev. Douglas E. Jones officiating. Interment will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Troupsburg.
My dearest artist friend Susan, how I will miss you and the many laughs we have shared. Your thoughtful musings and amazing sense of humor have brought me so much joy I will always cherish those wonderful memories. Your beautiful spirit will live on in your artwork and from the warmth of the friendship we shared.
I enjoyed knowing Sue, and I loved her artistic talent. She was inspirational, at the least. She did such beautiful work with so little effort. She talked about her children quite a bit-loved them all so much. Can’t imagine bringing up 8 children!
What a lovely picture of your mom Susan, such a dear friend, whom I will always hold dear in my heart. She made me laugh, she made me cry, as we shared our personal stories of our lives while creating our art work. She expressed to me before she passed, how thankful she was for all of her children and family being around her, and that she received her dream of being able to work with a group of artists. I too was very blessed to have shared these experiences with Susan. I love her and will miss her dearly, yet, I still feel she is with me in many ways.
So to hear about Susan, know that she will be missed by all who love her, but happy to know that she had with her family and friends who care, and that she is now in the care of her creator who gave her life. John 3:16. A friend that cares.