"Susie" Susan C. Oliver

"Susie" Susan C. Oliver, age 81 of Seekonk Massachusetts, passed into the glory of The Lord on August 24, 2020 while tended to by her beloved niece, Raquel Smith, at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, MA. She was the daughter of the late Marian (Doyle) Oliver and Joseph Oliver and the eldest of seven children. Susie was the best big sister ever and is survived by her adoring siblings and caregivers Deborah Cipalone and brother-in-law Gregory of East Providence, RI and Richard Oliver Sr. and sister-in-law Cynthia of Riverside, RI. Susie was predeceased by her brothers Joseph Jr. and George Oliver and sisters Tina Oliver and Donna Green who was her lifelong best friend and greatest cheerleader and supporter.

Susie was born intellectually disabled and in her senior years became physically disabled. Doctors predicted a short life span for her and recommended that she be institutionalized when she was a very young child but that was not to be her destiny thanks to a very loving and forceful Mom. She was raised and lived her entire 81+ years at home with her family. After the births of her younger brothers and sisters she was a wonderful help to her mother with caring for the other children. When her mother passed away in 1994 her sister Tina moved in with her and became her caregiver until she too passed away in 2015. Susie then went to live with her sister Donna in Seekonk until Donna passed away in October 2019. Her sister Deborah then became her primary caregiver with the help of her sister-in-law Cynthia, nieces Raquel and Debbie who were also assisted by her brother Richard, nephew Jason, brother-in-law Greg, and great-nieces Leandra and Mikell.

She lived in East Providence, RI for the majority of her life and attended Bliss School and Central Junior High School. Special Education classes were severely limited during her younger years and there was no opportunity for further formal education available for her but she flourished and excelled during her school years thanks to her very dedicated teachers and family members. She loved school and would often play the role of teacher at home with her younger siblings.

Being disabled in no way diminished her quality of life, Susie was extremely active, talented, very artistically inclined, gifted, funny and smart in so many ways. To quote her, she was always "Busy, Busy!". Reading, sewing, drawing, painting, doing puzzles, making cards for special occasions and playing bingo were some of her favorite activities. Her handcrafted dolls, their clothing and her drawings were deemed "primitive artwork" and sold through various outlets. Her drawings were also used as artwork on greeting cards which were sold to raise funds for organizations that benefit people with disabilities. While living in Rhode Island she was a member of Blackstone Valley ARC and an artist and loom weaver at Flying Shuttles Studio. During these years she made many wonderful friends of her peers and the staff and enjoyed numerous activities, parties and got to take trips to wonderful places including Disney, the Grand Canyon and a cruise to the Caribbean. One of her favorite parties were the Halloween parties and she proudly won "First Place" for her costumes on more than one occasion.

Susie most recently attended the Hillside Adult Day Health Center progam in Attleboro, MA until they were forced to close in March due to the Covid pandemic and lived each day looking forward to the re-opening of the program and being reunited with her van driver Alan and all of her friends and the staff whom she loved and appreciated.

Besides her sister, brother and in-laws she leaves her nieces Joyce, Raquel, Debbie, April and Julianna and nephews George, Jason, Richard, Christopher, Jesse and Jacob and many great nieces and nephews.

Susan loved God, her family, friends, owls and her extensive collection of owl collectibles, her cats Houdini and Beauty, holidays, family gatherings, going out to eat, spaghetti and meatballs and ice cream. Her family learned many lessons from Susie about life, love, patience and kindness. She was loved by everyone who knew her and will be missed beyond measure. The world is a far better place because she was here and heaven is far more glorious because she is now there.

Family and Friends are invited to a Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, September 19 at 10:00am at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 984 Taunton Avenue, Seekonk, MA. Due to current health and safety measures, masks are required, social distancing will be observed and there will be no traditional receiving line. Calling hours are respectfully omitted. A Celebration of Susie’s life and burial will be private and held at a later date.