Suzanne Turner Dooley passed away on Dec. 18, 2021, owing to complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Suzanne is survived by her husband, Francis (Frank) of 64 years, her daughters, Helen Anthony (husband Douglas) of Providence, R.I., Anne Hall (husband Ned) of Wellesley, Mass., Sarah Corrigan (husband Tim) of Longmeadow, Mass., and Martha Mullins of Norfolk. Suzanne is also survived by her 10 grandchildren, Kevin, Christopher and Laura Jursek, Ted (wife Ashley), Jack (wife Abby) and Kate Hall, Jill and Cate Corrigan, Turner and Frank Mullins; her two great-grandchildren, Piper and Hayden; and her three sisters, Jeanne Sleeper (husband Thomas) of Naples, Fla., Marlene Kwast (husband Myron) of Norfolk and Craig Carr (husband Christopher) of Longmeadow, Mass.

Suzanne was born in Perth, Australia, on Dec. 12, 1936, to Helen Craig Allen and John Bretherton Allen, who met while John was stationed with the British Royal Air Force. The couple divorced soon after Sue’s birth. Helen met her second husband, Mason Turner, who was serving as the American consul in Perth during World War II, and after their marriage the couple moved to Tasmania. At the end of the war, Mason received permission for the family to travel through war-torn Germany en route to France. Suzanne remembered spending Christmas Eve in Paris when they illuminated the Eiffel Tower for the first time since the beginning of the war. The family arrived at Ellis Island on Jan. 8, 1949. 

Suzanne’s family took up residence in Norfolk, where she attended sixth grade at The Center School. At The Gilbert School in Winsted she was very involved in the glee club. She was an all-state soloist and performed “Summertime” from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.”

Following high school, Suzanne began working for the Phoenix Insurance Agency, where she met Frank. They were married at the Immaculate Conception Church in Norfolk on Sept. 6, 1957. The couple lived in Simsbury while Frank attended UConn law school, and their daughters Helen and Anne were born there. Not long after, the family moved to Norfolk, where the two older girls were joined by their sisters, Sarah and Martha. 

Suzanne loved to entertain and especially enjoyed having her entire family around her. She balanced raising her family with a career and volunteer leadership roles. She spent 15 years working with Dilys Evans Fine Illustrations. She served as a member of the Northwest Connecticut Girl Scout Council and as president of the Norfolk Library Associates, of the board of trustees of the Norfolk Library, of the Isabella Club and of the Norfolk Country Club.

Suzanne and Frank both shared a love of travel and spent many years planning and booking trips to destinations on their bucket list. Until her diagnosis, Suzanne pursued many hobbies, which included playing bridge, making jewelry, painting and knitting. All her grandchildren and great-grandchildren will cherish the blankets made “with love from Nana.” Suzanne was a keen card player and loved to win, and she shared her love of bridge with many members of the Norfolk community.

Suzanne faced her diagnosis with dignity and considered herself fortunate that she was spared the terrible physical decline typically associated with ALS. As she said, it wasn’t all “doom and gloom.” She met the demands of her illness with bravery and succumbed to the disease on her own terms, in her own home, surrounded by loved ones. Suzanne always put her family above everything. Her family will strive to honor that legacy.

A private funeral service will be held at the Norfolk Congregational Church. A celebration of Suzanne’s life will be scheduled later this spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Norfolk Public Library.