Sue Annette Morgan's Obituary
Sue Annette Morgan was born in Clifton Springs, New York on May 24. 1947. She was the second child and first daughter born to William W. and Ruby Hurst Morgan. She was the little sister to Bill and the older sister to Sara. Sue spent the first 4 years of her life in Palmyra until the family relocated to Holden, Utah. After the sudden loss of her father, Sue would spend two years in Brigham City while her mother taught school there and then spend her remaining formative years in Salt Lake City.
Sue went on to attend Highland High School and graduated as part of the class of 1965. While at Highland, Sue’s love of classical music was sparked as a member of the Highland Orchestra playing the viola. This love of classical music would be carried throughout her life and is one she would expose her nieces and nephew to. Sue would attend the University of Utah intermittently from the fall of 1965 through 1970 when she would go on to pack up all her earthly belongings in her little blue Volkswagen bug and move to San Francisco to find a job.
While in San Francisco, Sue would begin her career in the field of law. Starting as a receptionist and then going on to complete the training to become a paralegal, which is a career she would go on to work as for the next 40+ years. During the 7 years she lived in San Francisco, she would live on Broadway, then overlooking Ghirardelli Square and then finally on Filmore Street and would host family on numerous occasions.
In 1977, after the birth of her second niece, Sue decided it was time to move closer to family and relocated to Los Angeles. During her time in LA, she worked for Oasis Petroleum and then eventually at Irell and Manella as a paralegal, where she would work for over 25 years. Sometimes she worked 18-20 hours in a day. She was described as a hardworking, valued and trusted member of the team.
While in LA, she would become a mom to two furbabies, a ragdoll named Sammy and a black cat named Koko, whom she rescued as a kitten in the back alley of her condo. Sue also was able to be an active part of the lives of her nieces Jennifer and Melissa and her nephew Matthew from her brother Bill. Sue made and decorated their birthday cakes and photographed them and their activities. She would frequently have them at her home on the weekends and made a point to spend time with each of them one on one. This quality time she had with them would have a significant impact as she would freely share her love of music, culture and cooking lessons. Her love of cooking and giving cooking lessons influenced Matthew in his love of cooking and career choice as a chef. She also spent time with her sister Sara’s (Gary) family in Salt Lake and at Gary’s family’s cabin in Idaho where she developed a special bond with Gary’s parents, Fred and Belva Emery. There she would take her nieces Morgan and Courtney into Yellowstone, document their fishing exploits through photos and use her makeup to draw butterflies and lady bugs on their hands.
Sue had a passion for photography, art, travel, Peanuts characters, blue and white china and developed a love of beanie babies. Her collections of each would go on to adorn her walls for anyone who visited to see. Sue loved the art of her nieces and nephew and would encourage them to draw pictures so she could frame it to place on her walls. She loved to host friends and family for meals and was very active in book clubs. When one of her nieces or nephew would show an interest in something, she would look to find a means to encourage and explore it with them. From cooking and cake decorating lessons to photography lessons, to tolerating the lines at amusement parks for rides, insane hikes and road trips, Sue would do it in order to be able to spend quality time with her nieces and nephew. She was complicated, funny, mischievous, head strong and fiercely loving. The next generation of her grandnieces and grandnephews were fortunate to also have a chance to get to know her and would also learn that she was never to be called Aunt Sue, it was just Sue. She would open her home at moment’s notice for her family and friends. Her nephew Matthew and his wife Adina would stay with her for a time, as would Morgan and her family. Her nieces and nephew where like her own children. She made it a point to be present at each of their graduations from high school and college, as well as other defining life moments, such as weddings.
Upon Sue’s retirement, she relocated to Alpine, Utah in order to be closer to family and the next generation. She loved sharing and introducing the things she was passionate about to her grandnieces and grandnephews, just as she did for their parents. While in Alpine she also brought home 2 new furbabies, Blu and Lily whom she adored and doted on.
Sue passed away peacefully on April 18th after a brief illness. Her nephew Matthew and dear friend Lori Houston were there to hold her hands. She was able to see all of her family one last time the day before either in person or via Facetime. She will be deeply missed, but her love and memory will live on through her surrogate children, their families and her friends. She is preceded in death by her parents William and Ruby Morgan, her brother-in-law Gary, and her furbabies Sammy and Koko. Sue is survived by her brother Bill (Teresa), sister Sara and her nieces Jennifer (Scott) Smith, Melissa (Boyd) Christensen, Morgan (Alex) Emery, Courtney Emery, and nephew Matthew (Adina) Morgan as well as 7 grandnieces and 3 grandnephews, as well as her furbabies Blu and Lily.
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