McMAHON, Suzanne

McMAHON,

Suzanne Lukaswitz

Affectionately known as Susie, passed away Monday, January 17, 2022, after a beautiful and well-lived life of 89 years. Susie was born on December 24, 1932, (our Christmas Rose) to William and Mary (Currigan) Lukaswitz. She was a true daughter of Dayton and in her last days fondly recounted memories of growing up in the Gem City, at her family's home on Monteray Road in Oakwoo,d and her grandparents' house on Amherst Place, which is on the National Registry of Historical Places. Susie attended the Miami Valley Country Day School and Oakwood public schools before she was shipped off with her first cousin and lifelong partner in crime, Sally McBride Solarek (who the family thought needed a stricter setting), to Sacred Heart Academy in Cincinnati, where they both made many dear

lifelong friends. Susie graduated with a degree in Biology from the College of New Rochelle in New York, where she met Frank McMahon, then a student at Fordham University. After a stint as a school teacher in Boston, Susie and Frank married in Dayton, Ohio, on August 18th, 1956. Susie went on to have nine children. She was a homemaker who never forgot the rolls; did not err in the dramatic presentation of cakes; was renowned for her Happy Birthday solo; and made memorable dishes like porcupine meatballs and egg on toast.

Suzanne was also a dedicated servant to her community. A devout Catholic and member of St. Albert the Great Catholic Church, she served on the Parish Council and in myriad ministries. Susie volunteered for many years at St. Vincent de Paul, taught literacy to the incarcerated and participated for over a decade in the Washington, DC Right to Life March. She also spent several happy years employed as the Office Manager at her dear friend Ida Jane Staley's Kettering preschool, The

Mulberry Bush, dressing up for Halloween in her daughter's wedding dress and just having a wonderful time overall. Most importantly, Susie was a beloved and dedicated mother, who earned the moniker of Grand Matriarch because of her kindness, selflessness, abiding faith, and insistence on quality education for her large brood, which she sacrificed to achieve. For her children and grandchildren, she inspired the legacy of a loving and supportive family who truly enjoy each other's company and gather together often with stories and laughter, a tradition certain to continue. Suzanne was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 34 years, Francis Anthony McMahon; her brother, William Lukaswitz; her son Francis; and grandson Hans. She is survived by her children William (Judy) McMahon, Ellen McMahon, Kelly (Richard) Pye, Christopher (Stephanie) McMahon, John (Roy) McMahon, Edward (Mary) McMahon, Ann (Brad) Atkinson, James McMahon; 13 grandchildren; five great grandchildren; and numerous extended family members and friends. The family will welcome friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, January 21, 2022, at Routsong Funeral Home, 2100 East Stroop Road, Kettering. Suzanne's Mass of the Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 22, 2022 at St. Albert the Great Catholic Church, 3033 Far Hills Avenue, Kettering. She will be laid to rest with loved ones at Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial contributions to St. Albert the Great Catholic Church or St. Vincent de Paul Society, 1133 Edwin C. Moses Blvd., Dayton, OH 45417. Memories and expressions of sympathy may be made at www.Routsong.com. We celebrate Susie's life with much love, while appreciating what a beautiful world it is to have had her in our lives.

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