Susan Valkema
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On Tuesday, June 22, 2021, Susan Valkema, loving wife and mother, lost her battle with cancer at the young age of 68. Born in Portsmouth, Virginia on December 7, 1952...her birth date would become the unique identifier that brought her and her husband, Fred, together. A chance meeting at work over birthday cake proved to be the spark that kicked off their 33-year marriage.
You see, Fred shares the same birthday as his beloved, but Susan required proof?- in the form of a driver's license -that Fred wasn't just using a pick-up line to ask her out; she was thorough like that. Susan had a great fondness for music, and you could always count on her and Fred to be the first on the dance floor. If you asked her if she ever met a famous person, she would grin ear-to-ear and tell you about the time her youngest daughter Angela surprised her for her 50th birthday with tickets and a backstage pass to meet Smokey Robinson. Susan also volunteered at her granddaughter's school at Stanwood Elementary for several years. Susan had many wonderful traits, but her family will always remember her ability to bake the moistest cake from a box, accidentally taking away your plate before you are even finished eating and her fierce game play; she had mad Boggle skillz. Even until the end, she didn't allow cancer to claim her wit or sense of humor.
Susan was preceded in death by her father, Harold and her mother, Doris.
She is survived by her husband, Fred, daughters April and Angela, step-son David, her sisters Lani and Tammy, grandchildren Malerie, Sarah, Andrew and Danica, and several great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life memorial will be held on Saturday, July 17th at her sister's house in Stanwood. Native Washington butterflies will be released in her honor, as butterflies were her favorite.