Suzanne Harder Hill, 80, Died; Former Westporter, “she made friends wherever she went “
Obituary Suzanne Harder Hill, age 80, of Houston, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, the 1st of September 2021. She was born on the 18th of February 1941, in Vinita, Oklahoma, to James Lee Harder and Ruth Marguerite Harder and grew up in Healdton and Ardmore, Oklahoma.
After graduating from Ardmore High School, Suzanne attended Oklahoma State University and remained a lifelong avid fan of the OSU Cowboys. She married her husband Tom after graduating from OSU, and Tom's job took them to Houston, Westport, Connecticut, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sydney, Australia and eventually back to Houston. Suzanne loved to travel and passed that passion for traveling and visiting other places and cultures down to her children and grandchildren. One of her favorite places to visit was New York City to see Broadway shows with her daughters and granddaughters.
A fabulous wife, mother and grandmother, Suzanne was the bedrock of her family and always demonstrated incredible kindness and thoughtfulness to everyone she encountered. She loved her family dearly and was each family member's biggest cheerleader.
Always a people person, she made friends wherever she went and maintained relationships with countless people far and near. She was greatly loved by all who knew her.
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Suzanne happily participated in the lives of her daughters and her grandchildren as they grew up. Always eager to be involved in their school and extracurricular activities, she enjoyed meeting other parents and supporting her daughters and their activities including serving as a Girl Scout Leader when they lived in Rio de Janeiro and as a drill team mom when her girls were Westchester Wranglerettes and Stratford Spartanaires. As a grandmother, she loved attending Grandparents' Day at the grandkids' various schools and watching their sporting events and band concerts. Over the many years of membership at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, Suzanne rarely missed a Sunday sitting in her favorite pew while Tom ushered.
Actively involved in her community, she was a cherished, longtime docent at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens. A very active member of the Houston Alumnae of Kappa Alpha Theta until her death, Suzanne also served as President of the organization from 2003-2004. In addition, she was a valued volunteer filling various roles at the Theta Charity Antiques Show for many years. Suzanne was a docent with the Heritage Society in earlier years and enjoyed membership and activities in the John McKnitt Alexander Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) Sisterhood.
Suzanne is survived by her loving husband, Thomas A. Hill; her daughters, Cindy Hill Burnett and her husband Michael L. Burnett, and Melissa Hill Ochs and her husband Daniel E. Ochs; and grandchildren, Caroline, Emily, and John Burnett and Margaret, Katherine, and Thomas Ochs. Suzanne is preceded in death by her parents, Jim and Marguerite, and her brother, James Lee Harder II.
A memorial service is to be conducted at eleven o'clock in the morning on Saturday, the 18th of September, in the Sanctuary of St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer Road in Houston, where the Rev. Katie Montgomery Mears, Associate Director of Adult Ministries, is to officiate.
Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception to be held in the adjacent Fellowship Hall.
KINDLY NOTE: For those unable to attend the memorial service, a livestream will be accessible by visiting Mrs. Hill's online memorial tribute at GeoHLewis.com and selecting the "Join Livestream" icon on the Memorial Service section. There, memories and words of comfort and condolence may be shared electronically with her family.
In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in her name be directed to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 200 Vesey St., 28th Floor, New York, NY, 10281; or the charity of one's choice.