Susan Esther Littell (nee Somers)

Susan Esther Littell (nee Somers), 83, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, passed away on November 26th, 2024 due to a progressing illness. Susan was born August 13th, 1941, in Columbus, OH, the daughter of Emory and Irene Somers. She spent many summers with her grandparents, Louis and Harriet Schmidt, in West Point, IA. It was here, at the age of 13, that her grandfather taught Susan to drive. He was a veterinarian who made house calls to farms and brought Susan along for the ride. She had a lead foot ever since! Susan had fond memories of those days in West Point, including enjoying a cold Pepsi and some Sturzings's Potato Chips at the American Legion Hall, with her friends, Donnie Brune, Jane Brune-Devinger and Judy Brune-Kaltefleiter. A few years later, the family moved to Coldwater, Michigan. Susan attended Bronson High School near Coldwater, for a time. A further move to Grand Rapids, MI had Susan attending and graduating from Catholic Central High School in 1959. She then went on to Aquinas College, where she started dating Tim Littell. Susan married Tim Littell on July 24,1965 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. In 1970, they moved from their apartment on Lexington Ave. to the house on Fulton St. where they raised four children and a few pets over the years. Susan worked as a customer service representative in the business department at Michigan Bell Telephone Company (Ma’ Bell) for many years and developed many lifelong friendships with coworkers. If pressed to name a hobby of hers, making friends would be it! Susan knew and loved so many people. She was a warm and caring person who was easy to talk to while providing quality advice. A dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, Susan was a woman of many strong convictions and her adherence to those convictions was to be admired. Susan and her group of friends formed a card game playing group and rotated the event amongst friends' homes several times each year. However, Susan hosted many of them and even achieved a perfect attendance award. That was Susan! As the years went by, the card games themselves were mostly forgotten, and "Cards Night" was simply a chance to connect and share stories and experiences with close friends. The snacks were plentiful too! Susan was a huge fan of John Denver. She, her sisters and a few friends would go to his concerts whenever he was near Grand Rapids. After some time, Susan (of course!) and her group developed a friendship with John, and he would wave to them in the audience when he saw them. One special time had Susan and her group eating pizza with John and the band after a performance. They also attended a softball game the next day to watch John, and the band play a few innings. Susan, a devote Catholic, was a member of the Basilica of St. Adalbert, The Catholic Information Center and later the Cathedral of St Andrew in Grand Rapids, MI. She was also a eucharistic minister for the latter two. Remaining to honor Susan's memory are spouse, Tim Littell; children, Matthew (Laura) Littell, Bradley Littell, Kristi Littell and Kerri (BJ) Worst; grandchildren, Joshua McCarty, Caitlin McCarty and Alex Worst, Emmanuel Zamarripa, Emalie Worst; siblings, James Somers, Jane Somers-Harris, Harriet (Larry) Roelofs and Daniel Somers; nieces and nephews, Christina Deal, John and Christopher Balardo, Megan (Chris) Bennett and Michael Roelofs; special friends Bonnie Braman, Judy McClain, Margaret Novakoski, and Sue Sacha. A special thank you to Laura Littell for the extra care she gave to Susan. Preceding Susan in death are grand-parents, Louis and Harriet Schmidt; parents, Emory and Irene Somers; good friends, Kay Clark and Joanne Tomaszek. Visitation will be held Sunday, December 8th from 3:00pm to 5:00pm at the Arsulowicz Brothers Remembrance Mortuary, 3525 Remembrance Road NW, Grand Rapids, MI. Funeral/Memorial services will be held Tuesday, December 10th at 10:00am at the Cathedral of St. Andrew, with Fr. Joachim Lally officiating. Memorial donations in Susan’s memory may be directed to Kids’ Food Basket and the Humane Society of West Michigan.

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Susan Esther Littell (nee Somers)

August 13, 1941 - November 26, 2024