Suzanne Pierson-Dunbar

SUZANNE M. PIERSON DUNBAR was born to Wesley Pierson and Patricia Kirby on December 1, 1964 at Dewitt Army Hospital in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Suzanne grew up and graduated from Hopkins High School in Hopkins, Minnesota in 1983. She was involved in sports, cheerleading, band and drama and was crowned Raspberry Queen in 1983. She then furthered her education at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and graduated from Beloit College Wisconsin in 1987. She graduated from the University of Chicago with a master’s degree in 1990.

Following her education Suzanne lived in Minneapolis, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City. She became a hospital administrator at NYU where she met her future husband, Robert Dunbar. The couple was united in marriage in 1998 and lived in Japan where both of her children, Allessandra and Benjamin, were born at Yokosuka Navy Hospital. They then moved to Chesapeake, Virginia for two years, one year in Seattle, Washington, back to Chesapeake for one year, and then made their final move to Mercer Island, Washington. Suzanne was divorced in 2009. On Saturday, December 6, 2011, Suzanne died surrounded by her family at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle as the result of Melanoma Cancer at the age of 47 years and five days.

Suzanne was well known for her outgoing happy smile and her bubbly personality. She was always quick to come to the rescue of anyone that needed a lift in life. Suzanne loved her children immensely and spent the last years taking care of them and seeing that they received the fullest experiences of life. Their travels to Mexico and the beach campouts were fun and character building. A trip to the farm and northern Minnesota to the headwaters was a fun and learning experience.

Suzanne is lovingly remembered by her two children, Alle and Ben Dunbar of Mercer Island; her mother and father, Wesley and Patti Pierson of Hardwick, Minnesota; aunts and uncles, Becky Kirby Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, Gail (James) Wiese of Brooklyn, New York, Denice Seeley of Madison, South Dakota; and cousins Anna (Ben) Miller, New York, New York, Jody Seeley of Madison, South Dakota, Lanette Schnepf of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Allison (Wendel) Kling of San Diego, California; and other family members. She was preceded in death by her sister, Michelle; brother, Allen; grandparents, Louis and Evelyn Pierson and Fran and Ramona Kirby; her aunt, Donna Kirby; and other family members.