Susan Joyce Behnke, age 63, a resident of Manitowoc, passed away peacefully at her home following her battle with cancer with family by her side on Monday, December 21, 2020.
Sue lived a short, but a “damn good” life. She always seemed to live it to the fullest. Sue was our beautiful SWAN. She loved sewing. If it wasn’t altering clothes or making costumes, it was sewing barbie clothes or sewing amazing quilts. The love she had was infectious. Where she was, you wanted to be. Her heart was genuine and she loved unconditionally. Sue had a great love for camping – REAL camping, the kind with no running water, in the tiny house that she and her family and friends built at Devils River Campground. That was her getaway! Sue found great peace and most of all, great friends there.
Over the years, she worked at Foley / Mirro for 20 years, Fleet Farm for 5 years, and Federal-Mogul for 15 years. She was an extremely hard and dedicated worker, but when it came to her kids and grandkids, work took the backburner. She went to school in Reedsville and made it clear there was nothing she enjoyed about it either; so let’s move on to her next best accomplishment, Douglas – the man she chose to spend 43 years with! Needless to say, 43 years will take you on one heck of a ride, but the love she had for him was nothing short of amazing. The Green Camaro definitely had something to do with that!! He was her diamond in the rough and she was his ultimate jackpot. But he won the prize of a lifetime. Oh, the immeasurable love and compassion she had for her two daughters, Jodi and Stacey is and was truly indescribable. They shared a bond that was as she called it “thicker than thieves”!! Sue was not just their mother, but more importantly, the best friend any daughter could have ever dreamed of. Countless laughs and tears, she was never tired or busy for. It was the value she placed on family time that was most admirable. Dishes, laundry, vacuuming, she said, “that stuff will always be there”. She was more concerned with making memories that would last a lifetime. So if that meant going fishing with summer sausage on a string, playing her most favorite game of Heads Up, going to numerous Goodwills all in one day, playing cut throat games of tether ball, heart pounding games of Super Mario Brothers, playing cards, even countless random dress up parties with Halloween costumes, going to car shows, sometimes even just “joy” rides, or drawing eyebrows on her grandkids, it was the simplicity of her life and legacy that will be missed the most.
Becoming a grandmother was her ultimate accomplishment. Because 13 years ago she fought her first battle of stage 4 breast cancer, and she WON. Sue knew God had a bigger plan for her and so many others. At that time, Namiah (21 years old) was her driving force. He was her first grandbaby! And boy did she spoil him!! But then life just kept getting better and better for her and she knew this was her purpose, being grandma or “granny” to four jaw-dropping grandkids that she truly lived and breathed for. Sue saw them as nothing short of perfect, and we all know only a grandma could see that.
A few of her sinful delights were Diet Coke – we thought Kwik Trip had a special stock just for her! Yellow Lay’s potato chips, she had a freezer full! And of course – salt!! Her homemade brown gravy was the saltiest in town; she even left us the recipe! Her coleslaw, ham, chunky mashed potatoes, apple crisp, french toast, pork chops, vegetable soup, and grape salad were untouchable. These qualities, characteristics and awesome memories are just a few small glimpses into the life of the lady we were fortunate enough to call our mom. We always thought a role model was supposed to be some famous superstar, little did we know, our superstar was right next to us. From Sue, “God’s blessings to all”.
Survivors include Sue’s husband, Doug L. Behnke; two daughters that are a total handful, Jodi Behnke and her “special friend, Brad Pitt”, and Stacey Behnke, and her special friend Shane DeGrand; four grandchildren, Namiah Garza, Nadia Salinas, Nikko and Soleia Saengphaphat; two great grandchildren, Klutch and Karsten Garza; four sisters, Kathy (Tom) Muench, Laurie Free, Melodie (Mark) Reznichek, and Kellie (Steve) Webster; four brothers, Randy (Shirley) Free, Scott (Julie) Free, Jameson (Alicia) Free, and Jonathon Free; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law to include: Leon (Donna) Behnke, Suzie (Don) Knuth, Chuck (Cathy) Behnke, Jerry (Joan) Behnke, Patsy (Ron) Mcdivitt, Randy (Terri) Behnke, and Gail Behnke; and too many other family and friends to name. Sue was preceded in death by her parents, Lloyd and Geraldine (Stenzel) Free; two nephews, Colin and Jordan; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Martin and Julia Behnke; and brother-in-law, Dewayne Behnke.
A Life Celebration Social for relatives and friends will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 29, 2020 at the Harrigan Parkside Gathering Center, 620 North Water Street, Manitowoc, located on the south property of the Harrigan Parkside Funeral Home. Cremation has taken place at the Harrigan Parkside Crematory and Chapel. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harriganparksidefuneralhome.com
The family would like to give a special shout out to Dr. Matthews and his oncology team in Sheboygan, and also to Heartland Hospice for all the care and support they provided to both Sue and her family.
The Harrigan Parkside Funeral Home and Crematory, North 11th and St. Clair streets, Manitowoc is assisting the family with arrangements.
