Suzanna C. Donahue

Age 51, on Monday, June 13, 2022, Suzanna was the beloved wife of Scott Donahue; mother of Ian, Maren and Beck Donahue; sister of Mark Delgado (Jody), David Delgado (Suzanne); daughter-in-law of John and Dolly Donahue.

Suzanna Carmen Donahue’s life was cut way too short due to many health issues. Her need to share details of her life with others enabled her to build an incredible support system to get her through some very difficult times. With the inspirational way she made the most of her situation, those who supported her gained as much from her as she did from them. She wasn’t a natural optimist, but Suzanna made a conscious decision to “die living her life instead of living her life waiting to die.” She was as open about her ups as she was about her downs throughout her battle, which only further demonstrated what an authentic person she was.

As a child, Suzanna moved around quite a bit with her mother. Born in Pennsylvania, she also lived in Florida, Ohio, Texas, and North Carolina. After attending Penn State, where she met Scott at a two-week marine science course in Wallops Island, Virginia, she earned a master’s degree in marine policy at the University of Delaware. She focused her studies on the contamination of waterways from farming runoff and went on to work for the Chester County Conservation District in southeastern PA. There she wrote conservation plans for farms to minimize erosion and pollutant runoff. Her mentor called her his best student, and she received state-wide recognition for the comprehensiveness of her plans.
With the birth of Ian, her focus and passion turned to motherhood. Maren followed two years later. After moving to Scott’s hometown of Pittsburgh, Beck’s arrival completed the family. Suzanna involved herself in several mother’s groups when the kids were small, resulting in many lasting friendships. Her passion for her kids led her from the PTO to being elected to the Shaler Area School Board. She earned a reputation among the teachers and administrators as a fierce advocate for education, only stepping down when her illness demanded it. She was also drawn to libraries, working at Penn State’s, the University of Delaware’s, and Shaler Township’s over her lifetime.

Suzanna was also known as a second mom to many of her kid’s friends, always welcoming them into her home, and helping several of them through some difficult times. An animal lover, her pets included rabbits, ferrets, a turtle, and even rats. She never admitted to being a dog person, but she was an expert dog picker, personally selecting two fantastic rescue dogs, Ruthie and Poppy.

Having moved so much in her life, Suzanna never knew the value of establishing roots in a community until her community started giving her so much support. She also created a vast online community, which included many people she knew throughout her life, as well as people she never met in person. These relationships were so valuable to her.
Suzanna will be remembered for her often inappropriate sense of humor, her loyalty, her stubbornness, her kindness, her slightly obsessive and addictive personality, and her love of life. She was so happy she got to see the green of one more Spring…

Celebrate Suzanna’s life with her family on Sunday, June 26, 2022 from 1-4 PM at PERMAN FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION SERVICES, INC., 923 Saxonburg Blvd. at Rt. 8, Shaler Twp. The family respectfully suggests donations be made to PSC Partners, https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/PSCPartnersSeekingaCure/OnlineDonation.html or for Suzanna's children, PayPal: donahuefund@gmail.com -Venmo:@donahuefund