Suzanne Love Smith

Suzanne Love Smith

After a long impactful life filled with achievement, courage, and devotion to family, friends, and hercommunity… both at home and around the globe… Suzanne “Susie” Love Smith passed awaypeacefully at the age of 99 on August 12, 2026, in Park Ridge, Illinois.Susie started her life in Itasca, Illinois, as the firstborn child of James and Alice Love. It was there in what was then a quiet country town that her passion for teaching and service was born, helping younger students in her one-room schoolhouse, winning an essay competition on the value of good citizenship, and excelling academically. When the family moved to Central Illinois in 1941, she carried her talents and drive to Peoria, where she became president of Peoria High School and met the love of her life, Scott Smith. Their lives took them in different directions after graduation, but when both ended up back in Peoria in their mid-20s, they reunited and married in 1954. Susie and Scott raised three daughters, Liz, Julie, and Alice, and their 34 years together were bountifully filled with foreign travel, community theater, good books, stimulating conversations, mutual respect and admiration, and lots of love and laughs.

At the University of Illinois, Susie was president of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, on the board of the U of I Theatre Guild, and a member of the “Block I” which flipped cardboard squares into formations at the football games, along with many other activities and creative pursuits. Academically, she received the prestigious Bronze Tablet honor as the top female graduate of the class of '49, and membership in Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board honorary societies. Upon graduation, she earned a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship for graduate study at the University of Buenos Aires, which sparked her decades-long commitment to international travel, cultural exchanges, and the Rotary ideal of “Service Above Self,” which led to her later being honored as a Paul Harris Fellow for exemplifying the founder’s mission.

Susie had a long and successful career as a teacher of Spanish and English at both Bradley University and Princeville High School, but her impact went well beyond the classroom, as she always sought out ways to use her professional skills for the betterment of others. She led six groups of high school students to Mexico and guided a team of young professionals to Chile through Rotary’s Group Study Exchange program. For years she welcomed foreign visitors into her home and created bonds around the world by visiting Rotary Clubs wherever her travels took her.

In “retirement,” Susie tutored students in the eating disorder unit at St. Francis Medical Center,struggling students from various Peoria-area schools, and immigrants whose success in our countrydepended on their mastering English. She also served as an interpreter on humanitarian missions in Mexico and two medical mission trips to South America, where she packed an extra suitcase full of Beanie Babies for the children who walked miles with their families for care. Susie received a CitizensService Award from the Peoria Police Department and the Optimist International Respect for Law Commendation for her volunteer work translating for both the police and the courts. Recognition alsocame from the United States Department of Agriculture for programs she did on cultural diversity attheir Peoria headquarters.

Susie’s leadership on countless community boards and committees included being president of the Peoria High School Alumni Association, president of the Bradley University Friends of International Students, and co-chair of the historic Springdale Cemetery Cleanup Project. She was a dedicated patron of the arts, volunteering for Peoria Players, Corn Stock Theatre, and Opera Illinois, both behind the scenes and on stage. She was a commissioner for the W.D. Boyce Council of the Boy Scouts where she helped organize soccer activities for Hispanic boys, secretary of the Forest Park Foundation Board, and a volunteer at Wildlife Prairie State Park, Lakeview Museum, the Peoria Park District, and First Federated Church.

While Susie’s accomplishments are numerous and varied, the most notable for her daughters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters are her “female firsts.” She was the first woman to serve as president of the Rotary Club of Peoria North and went on to be the first female district governor of the 50 Rotary clubs in the West Central Illinois district. And at 83, Rotary tapped her to throw out the first pitch at a Cards/Cubs match-up at Busch Stadium… a feat she trained for, and it showed, when the ball crossed the plate and landed right in the catcher’s mitt.

Susie was a natural-born leader who led by example through her adventurous spirit, zest for life, and abundant gratitude. She maintained a positive outlook through adversity and never thought of herself as “too old” to do anything… whether that was playing in a golf league well into her 90s, pulling weeds in her yard at 95, or beating her family in a game of cornhole toss on her 97th birthday.

While Susie lost two brothers, James and Allen, her husband Scott, and daughter Julie prematurely, she always guided her family through challenging times with grace and resilience. Never one to complain, she instead chose to reflect on fond memories and make sure the legacies of those she loved lived on through her, and future generations. Those who cared deeply about her will now do the same.

Susie is survived by her daughters Liz Hale (Gary) of Arlington Heights, IL, and Alice St. Clair (Tom McDonald) of Park Ridge, IL. She also leaves son-in-law Celestino Colorado and grandchildren Kati Weber (Angelo Tiffe), Scott Weber (Sara), and Suzanne “Susie” Colorado (Nicolas Garcia); and great- grandchildren Mason, Haley, and Vienna Weber; Isa, Zaryn Alice, and Dax Weber; and Santiago Garcia.

A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, December 19, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at First Federated Church, 3601 N. Sheridan Rd., Peoria, Illinois. The family will receive guests an hour prior from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Contributions honoring her spirit may be given to:

Corn Stock Theatre: https://cornstocktheatre.com/donate/

Canine Therapy Corps: https://www.caninetherapycorps.org/donation