totallyMERRI honor photo book - Suzanne

I love Suzanne because she is joyful, happy, and an incredibly
upbeat person to be around. She has the happiest voice of anyone I know and she
just exudes excitement. When I’m with Suzanne, I feel as if I’m swept up into fun
times and that there will be something new and different and wonderful around
every corner. And that’s always the way it has been, in high school and as young
adults and now as mothers of terrific college aged kids. With Suzanne, I always
feel young at heart, like I’m 14 and ready to go on an adventure. Who else
but Suzanne could have gotten me to ride my bike down the busy streets of
New City during the dark hours one evening to meet her at our local Burger
King. That time began when I was taking a short study break and chatting with
Suzanne on the phone, when all of the sudden, Suzanne got hungry and had a
whim to go and get some french fries right then and there. But it had to be fries
from Burger King, because the Burger King ketchup tasted sooo much better
than McDonald’s. Of course this made perfect sense to me since, as usual, it was
hard not to get swept up into a Suzanne adventure, where all the ideas sounded
like a great adventure, no worries hovered around, and everything made perfect
sense. So, I put aside my books and studying for the night, hopped on my
brother’s large ten speed bike (which I had never ridden before) and pedaled fast
and furiously down the dark streets of Little Tor Road to Burger King. Suzanne
was already there and we had such a great time sharing our fries and chatting.
I don’t remember what we talked about, but time passed quickly and when we
finished, it was really late and pitch dark outside. What to do with my bike?
Suzanne came up with a great idea: leave it leaning against some random pole
in the parking lot. She figured if the bike was leaning against a pole, it’ll look
as if the owner left it just for a second. And then I could pick it up the next
day after school by walking the 2 miles from the high school back to Burger King.
And of course, that’s what I did. And the bike was still leaning there, just
as Suzanne imagined it would. With Suzanne, leaning bikes don’t get
stolen, great tasting ketchup really matters and fun times can be had at any time,
anywhere. And me.... a nerdy, more than half afraid of the dark, bike riding
friend of Suzanne’s, who to this day, remembers nothing from the studying
done that evening, and everything about impulse and great tasting ketchup on
crispy fries, and chatting with a friend like Suzanne. — Shirley
I love Suzanne because of her tremendous heart and for all the
zany humor she generously sprinkles on all those she loves. I adore Suzanne
because she radically changed how I experienced high school. Instead of feeling
lonely, somewhat afraid & known as “the principal’s daughter”, I began to
have fun, made new friends & joined Summer Theatre, all because of Suzanne.
We love Suzanne because . . . she is a baby whisperer!!
— Much love, Deborah, Zach, Noah and Ethan Klehr
Suzanne makes me laugh all the time-- one of my few regrets about living in
Paris is that she’s not one of my neighbors. Thanks to FB, we now have more
frequent exchanges, many delirious, some intimate & all heartfelt. If Suzanne
were a fruit, she would be a ...pomegranate; Beautiful, original & delicious. She is
a TRULY Wonderful person (much like her mother) & a lovely friend. — Kathy
I love Suzanne because ... she is full of life. One of my favorite
memories of her is going to the circus with her in Hartford. Most people dress
up for the theater; she wore bright yellow baggy pants and a bright red clown
nose. She brings sunshine to otherwise cloudy days. — Phil Yoo