Sue was the youngest daughter of my brother Elmer, who was devoted to Missouri U and its many facets, especially football. He was on the Advisory Board for almost a lifetime, and is recognized on the statue outside Farout Field.
Being the oldest in my family, he also took me along in many travels about the United States as he gave his kids the opportunity, along with me, to get to know the country and also serve as a babysitter for them, giving him and Marie the opportunity of adult living at times; so I guess you could call me part of their family.
He also kept an old rock cabin on the farm for outings and fishing on the Meramec River.
From this connection, I grew quite close to Sue and her sister, and when I attended an annual meeting of the Missouri Farm Bureau in Boston as a State Board member, I visited Wellesley at the time Sue was there.
Even back in the 1950s I developed a writing habit and found that a press card, even from a modest "Eureka Advertiser" could open doors for me. Earlier I had the opportunity at another meeting to interview Madame Pandit Nehru of India, so in Boston came up with Madame Chiang Kai Shek of China, who was a grad of Wellesley and when she spoke to the Farmers, she also came back to the University and Sue told us about that at the time. But that was a memory of long ago and as time past, she started her family and moved to the State of Washington meeting only now an then when she came back to down for one reason or another.
Our friendship was stronger than the distance we lived apart, so it was with regret when I was forwarded the news of her death from Audrey and sent it to as many as I record of. In that way Sue is now on my list as number 61, since I began chemo on election day of 2010, just about 19 months ago of friends and relatives who have died.
The best doctors in the world told me to go home and expect to die, so I prepared for that, but it appears that fate might have other use for me.
In preparation for a congressional race of 2004, I wrote a book entitled "Four Generations of Service" that gave a history of my family from the time they settled in this area and it has a link to my site as well as many of the more than 300 blogs I wrote as part of my therapy and might be of interest to readers.
For members of her family, I will submit this as a blog and if approved will be published here locally and also linked to Facebook for all the world to see.
So thank Sue for all she has done, Uncle Boots, the Oldest Blogger
