I received a bracelet from some lovely girls at Bonnaroo music festival this past week and I just wanted to say that it was a beautiful gesture and Susie’s spirit lives on because of her friends! I hope you all made it back safe and had a wonderful time!
Susie was always good at making you feel special. She did this on a daily basis for everyone she met and especially for me.
Any time I was having a bad day, or maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, she would always do anything to make me smile. She had so many little ways of doing so — making silly faces, doing silly impressions of the “mad face” you were making, quoting movies like from Finding Nemo and calling you “Mrs. Grumpy Gills” in her Dory voice, tickling you, hugging you until you agreed to smile just so she wouldn’t suffocate you, offering you a drink, watching Sex and the City reruns with you, or any movie you wanted (which always ended up being her pick anyway… usually The Outsiders), or just smiling.
She just knew how to brighten your day. This isn’t a specific story. It’s just some memories I have of how genuine and how loving she was. I miss her terribly but I think of these little things when I’m struggling. She really was a smile with legs.
Susie,
We only met once when you were small. How I wish I was able to know my second cousin! From your pictures I see you have many of the Facini genes. I am sure you have met your great Aunt Ida up in heaven and hope you two are working magic up there!
Your cousin from Wisconsin,
It has been really hard for me to think of what I want to say here, but I figured if I just started to write, it would come to me.
So, Susie was the best person I have ever met in my life. She always had a way to make you smile, whether it was because she did something funny, or something that made you want to throw her in the pool, Susie always made sure there was a smile on your face. I love her. She was my best friend and I am so thankful that I was lucky enough to spend those few precious years with her.
That being said, One of my favorite memories with Susie was going to the city during Fleet Week. As we all know, that is when the ever so lovely Navy and Marines come to town, and man did we have a good time. Mr. Facini (dad) brought us in and dropped us by Radio City. From there we had no plan but to 1. meet our boys in uniform, and 2. reenact the “VJ day” picture in which the lovely navy boy is dipping down the nurse and kissing her.
Well needless to say, both tasks were accomplished.
We walked around, and at first they were nowhere to be found. Then we were like two kids in a candy store. We met up with a few friends and ended up becoming friends with a few of the lovely Navy boys. They were very funny, and kept us company all day. Susie got everything she wanted that day, and I had never had a better time in my life.
I loved that day and will always remember how happy we were, and how much fun we had. I loved every second I spent with Sue. I miss her every single second of every single day, and there will never be someone in my life that has influenced me as much as she has. I thank her for making me the person I am today, and If there is one thing I could tell her i would just want her to know how amazing she was, and how many people loved her, and how much I will always love her.
I thank you Susie, you were the best friend a girl could ask for, and I know I will see you again one day.
Susie,
Thank you for showing me to the bird sanctuary. I wear you beautiful bracelet every day. Your mom, on the way to the santuary, gave me a live, love, laugh neckless that was yours. I was so inspired that your mom had the guts to do that and give away some of your items. I now wear that necklace every day along with your bracelet.
Thank you for guiding me and being my angel. I know you’re smiling down on me every day… fly high beautiful!
I remember the one day that me, EJ, and Kozak came over to go swimming. We spent the good part of the afternoon doing silly jumps into the pool, and your mom came out and took totally sweet pictures of us doing all our jumps into the pool.
After the pool, we hung out inside and waited for Workaholics to come on, and listened to the Beatles while watching that one light that would change colors trying to figure out the pattern to what color would come on next and make it change.
I miss those days, and I miss you Susie : )
Mew.
I have had a hard time trying to find the words to put on here. I feel like there are too many stories, too many memories, and I cannot think of the words that will even begin to explain the impact you had on my life from when we were five years old to nineteen.
I remember the first day we met, it was the second day of Kindergarten and I hadn’t made any friends yet, but as I was leaving the lunch room, a little, bubbly girl, skipped up to me and said, “Hi, I’m Susie, do you want to be my friend?” Of course I did, and who knew at that time what our friendship would grow into?
Susie, we had so many adventures together; from going to the beach, pretending to be puppies on the school bus, being mermaids in your pool, playing with American girl dolls, dressing in the same outfits and having your mom do our hair the same, so we looked like twins, sleepovers, and just so many more. You were always the greatest friend that someone could ask for.
Susie, you put so much light into everyone’s lives that you touched. Although you got older and grew up, one thing that stayed constant was your smile; a smile that truly radiated. You always, always were able to put a smile on my face, as well as many others. You were always so positive, and when you were happy, you made everyone else around you happy as well. Susie, you are such a beautiful individual, inside and out. You always had a way of bringing everyone together, and although you are gone, you are still bringing people together and creating connections.
It is truly unfair that you are no longer with us, but you are still with us in our hearts and minds, your memory will always be carried on. You are a real example of how people should live their lives; with an open heart. I love you Sue and miss you, so much, and am so fortunate to have known you and spent fourteen years with you. Thank you for always being my friend and for your positivity and smile <3
It’s taken me a really long time to be able to write anything on here. At first, I thought it was just because I didn’t know what to write, but today I realized it’s because there are so many words and so many stories I have to share about you, Susie.
You had a smile that could fix any problem, and a personality that could light the world. You will be more-than-missed and we are all lucky to know you are watching over us. I’ll miss you more then anyone could imagine and I can promise you, no one will ever fill the void in my life that’s now been created by losing you.
I still remember our days at Tides Beach, where you’d constantly run across “the circle” in one of your wild printed bathing suits searching for candy, or trying to convince me to search the beach for miles until we found a single piece of blue beach glass, or force me to turn over rocks and find those small crabs with you.
Then we grew up a little more, and spent our nights at that same beach eating dessert talking to good old Angelo and watching the storms roll in across from Connecticut. Years passed again and desserts continued, only now, we were watching sunsets and listening to Fleetwood Mac.
More time passed and now we were “grown-ups.” We’d sit in the sunroom and listen to the Beatles or some dance mixes and “twist” the night away. We’d smile for hours and laugh over the silliest things
Christmas eves were always a blast. Between the fire trucks, the gossip, and the who’s-who and what’s-whats, we never had a disappointing holiday eve.
I still laugh over our last dance-off. Your mom and I drank a ton of wine we all did the twist, and you and I were blamed for her hangover the next day.
I miss you more than anything, but every day I think of you and every day it becomes more and more clear that you really are watching over me. I love you so much, Susie. Keep everyone strong. <3
Our humble contribution to this page has been channeled by our friends, Joe and Maria. Nancy and I have four children together. We did not know Susie, but the look in her eyes tells us she was very loved — and loved life — and put others before herself.
We love music and we can play it. This is a stanza from Bon Jovi:
Shining Like A Diamond
Rolling Like the dice
Standing on the Ledge
Show the Wind How to Fly
This is not so difficult to write… now.
Both our fathers passed early, as well as a Granddaughter.
Susie is in our hearts, and what she was in life is what we all should be.
On Friday Night, there was a dance at my school.
My friends and I went and there wasn’t a lot of people there, so we were just hanging out. I saw this girl and her name was Jessica. I don’t like to refer to people by names, but she had an obesity issue and everybody made fun of her. It’s not her fault; she can’t control this issue.
My friends were making fun of her by the moves she made while she was dancing and I thought it was extremely rude. My sister and I went over to Jessica and we asked her if she wanted to dance with us, and it felt really good to do that because I know it would hurt me if I was at a dance and everybody was making fun of me.
Jessica and I are now friends, and I like her a whole lot 🙂
Thank you Susie for making me a better person every day!