Suzanne P. Weed

Suzanne Pratt (McCauley) Weed, 63, of Beacon Falls, passed away with grace and dignity on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, after a battle with uterine cancer. In her final days she was surrounded by family and friends who kept vigil until the end. She was born in Bridgeport on January 22, 1961 and was a resident of Beacon Falls.

Sue married the love of her life, Jim, after a “long” courtship beginning in grammar school. They married in 1985.

Growing up as a 4H member, Sue competed in New England area fairs with her Brown Swiss cows, winning often. Sue was proud to be a part of the farming life and working alongside her husband at their Elm Spring Farm. She milked cows and was instrumental in raising replacement heifers for the milking herd. Many neighborhood kids worked at the farm and she helped feed all those who helped them over the years. Besides their farm in Beacon Falls, Sue and Jim loved the getaways to their property in NY State. Sue made friends wherever she went.

Sue was an exceptionally intelligent woman but was so very down to earth in all ways. Her family and friends consider her the glue that held everyone together. We marvel at the broad range of people that were drawn to her. Sue had a wry sense of humor and a laugh that lit up any room. An excellent baker, she supplied delicious treats like wild grape pie and those ginger cookies with pumpkin sauce to farm help, horse friends, family, and more. Sue was a devoted communicant of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Oxford, participating in church activities that helped those in need. She served as Parish Clerk and was a member of the vestry. Helping others was in her DNA and those around her felt that deeply.

Sue attended UCONN, receiving two Masters degrees. One in education and the other in health with a focus on pathology. She taught Ag Science at Nonnewaug High School where she developed life-long friendships. She later trained as a Cytotechnologist working for Quest Diagnostic, and the irony is not lost that she read cancer slides for others waiting for results. She was highly respected and was moved into a supervisory role there, working alongside her team and serving as their advocate.

Sue lived a full active life. She was an accomplished equestrian, competing in Eventing and Dressage over many years. Sue and her mare, Princess Luna, won many championships and accolades. For almost 30 years her horse travels took her and friends around CT, NY State, and Aiken County, SC. Sue loved to refer to these as “our big adventures”. She was a member of the US Eventing Assoc. and competed primarily in Area 1. Highlights of her volunteer involvement include helping to organize schooling and nationally recognized events at Great Vista Farm in NY State as well as at Frazier Farm, Woodbury, CT where she also helped design cross country courses there. She was a member of the CT Dressage Assoc. and CT Dressage and Combined Training Assoc.

She loved her family, friends and pets very much. She will be sadly missed by all. Besides her husband Jim, she is survived by her brothers, Rob McCauley and his wife Sharon, Tim McCauley and his wife Jessica; her nieces and nephews, Ted and his wife Dominika, Megan and her husband Mike, Jack, Sarah, Kelly, Sean and Nate, as well as Ryan Mitchell, Megan Gauvain and her husband Ryan, and Daniel and Ben Weed. She also leaves behind her beloved horse Princess Luna, her dog Bailey, and her two cats, Kitten and Chaos. She is predeceased by her parents, Jim and Carol; and her sister, Margaret.

Sue’s family and friends would like to thank the staff at Griffin Hospital for the care she received in her final days as well as the staff at Yale oncology dept, in particular Dr. Santin.

At Sue’s request, there are no calling hours and any memorial services will be private. Heaven forbid that we make a fuss about her! Feel free to gather in her honor and party the night away.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Sue's memory may be made to St Peter’s Episcopal Church, 421 Oxford Rd. Oxford, CT 06478 or to a cancer research group of your choice. Let’s work to end cancer.