Susan Marie Caffrey
1957-2021
Susan (Susie) Marie Caffrey was born on May 27, 1957 at Saint Anthony’s Hospital in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She was incredibly unselfish, generous with her time, and a loyal companion to the many people who were fortunate enough to call her friend. She was an even more valued member of the Caffrey Family, of which she was immensely proud.
Susie graduated from Mount Saint Mary High School—the “Mount”—in 1975. Her Catholic and Irish heritage constituted a very important part of her life. For many years, she attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church, not far from her childhood home in Oklahoma City. She was steadfast in her faith and a resolute believer in the power of prayer, which she used liberally whenever family or friends experienced adversity or faced crises.
Most of her professional life was spent in the energy industry, first at Jones and Pellow Oil Company, then in the accounting department at Devon Energy, from which she recently retired after a sterling 30-year career.
An avid sports fan, Susie especially followed baseball, football and basketball as well as softball and the Olympic sports. She was an active participant as well, particularly in softball where she was considered quite the salty infielder, like her father, who briefly played professional baseball. She attended countless birthday parties, school events, softball games, weddings and births in support of her six nieces, and later in support of their five children. Susie also loved to travel, accompanying her family and friends on trips to Ireland, Scotland, Mexico, Belize and elsewhere. Notably, Susie was perhaps the world’s best “dog mom,” and she rescued many pups over the years. Casinos were her guilty pleasure; she loved to play Blackjack…when she won, of course.
An extremely kind and sweet-natured soul, Susie will be profoundly missed by so many with whom she shared her life. Her family—as well as her numerous friends, like family themselves—are left behind with an empty space that will be nearly impossible to fill.
Susie is survived by her sister and life-long best friend, Stacy Vance of Edmond, and her older brother Richard Caffrey, of Oklahoma City, along with Stacy’s husband, Brian, and Richard’s wife, Susie. Always the doting aunt, she is survived by beloved nieces Elizabeth Skaggs, Lora Cosby, Amy Merrell, Rachel Caffrey, Caitlin Vance and Sydney Vance. Not least of all, Susie leaves behind her two terriers—Charley and Marley—who so enthusiastically returned her enduring love and diligent care.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Elmer and Clarice (Kitty) Caffrey.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, February 12, 2021, at Mathews Funeral Home in Edmond.
We will be live streaming this service in an effort to accommodate those people that wish to attend but feel they should not due to health regulations. To watch the service CLICK HERE to go to our YouTube page. Click on ‘Videos’, then ‘Live Streams’.
For over 40 years, you have been my best friend. As birthday Twinkies, we had the good fortune to travel to exotic places to celebrate our birthday, for which I shall be forever grateful. We have had many wonderful memories to share, and we supported each other in sorrow and rejoiced in each other’s triumphs. I shall miss you for the rest of my life. I love you, Twink.
I am honored and blessed to have been your friend for over 40 years. I will miss our birthday dinners each year, even though they didn’t necessarily land on our birthday, but a tradition we started long ago. We could always pick right up where we left off. The memories we shared will never be forgotten.
To your family: My heartfelt condolences at the loss of a wonderful person in your lives. No words can express the sorrow you are feeling. Sending this with love and remembrance during this difficult time.
Susie was the glue in so many relationships! I thinks that her great heart was her greatest asset, followed closely by her distinctive giggle! What great memories we share with a remarkable woman!
Susie was a lovely girl and my daughter, Karen’s , best friend!! They worked together at Devon.
She will be so missed!! I am so blessed to have known you!
My sweet Susie, I have never met anyone that was genuinely as caring, giving, loving, funny, and beautiful inside and out. I’m a better person to have known you, I wished I had met you so much sooner. I’m blessed to have be included in our “Wolf Pack”, we have had so many fun memories that I will cherish forever. My memory isn’t always the best, I’m sure the girls will remind me of our “Indian Names” we made up on one of our many trips, the “Catholic Eggnog” you made me drink, (twisted my arm) lol, laying out at the pool, going to the Casino, dancing and making so many new friends. Just hanging out enjoying each other’s company. So many I can’t count them all or won’t tell!! You were an amazing Christian woman that we all looked up to and admired so much. I’m heartbroken that you are gone but I know I will see you again and we will enjoy many more Catholic Eggnogs. Love love you dear Susie. Prayers and love continue for your family.
One of the most genuine and loyal people you would ever meet. Never saw her express nothing but happiness. Her positive outlook and attitude was contagious to those of us that worked with her. Always a hard worker and always appreciative. Thankful on behalf of all of us that got to work with her. Thank you Susie for making us better.
To put it simply: Aunt Susie was my “second mom.” She was present for every birthday, every holiday, every milestone, everything. I cannot recall any event, large or small, for which she was not in attendance, frankly. My nuclear family has always been a family of five.
I will never forget my sister and myself visiting Free to Live with Aunt Susie to adopt Kitty and Nubbin. She let us pick Kitty (her white paws made her an easy selection) and even Nubbin (the runt of the litter, who naturally grew to be the largest by far). A family tradition, my sister and I joined Aunt Susie to adopt Marley and Charley as well. They both immediately ran to her lap, and have rarely left her since.
I fondly remember our sleepovers, when my sister would perform one of her numerous “songs” for us and we would laugh and laugh and laugh. I remember her getting mad at me for locking Sydney in the large dog crate (it happened often). In later years, we would travel to Ireland and Scotland together, where she was an excellent tour guide (she’d been before, with her best friends of course).
She was remarkably kind, that type of kindness that is truly genuine and rare. You could always count on Aunt Susie to be precisely on time, a habit I know I learned from her. She was hilarious, and did not suffer bullshit. Mentioned by others here, she had a distinctive laugh, which she shared with my mother. I couldn’t possibly count the number of times the two of them, joined in laughter, would bring me to tears. She was open-minded and never judgmental: accepting of all, she and my mother taught me to be the same. I learned so much about Grandma and Grandpa from her. In many, many ways, I have identified deeply with her.
We had more wine to drink together, more vacations to enjoy with one another, and additional milestones to celebrate. Aunt Susie had just recently retired and we had so many plans still. Her passing has left us utterly devastated. However, I know she would want us to find comfort and peace during this time, despite how impossible this seems now. She was so incredibly loved and valued by friends and family alike. And most importantly, she lived an amazing, full, and joyous life. She was never, ever alone.
We so appreciate the outpouring of support, evident here on this page. Aunt Susie cared so deeply for others, and never put others in harm’s way. Should any of her family or friends choose to join us Friday in a celebration of her life, please kindly remember to double-mask and practice social distancing, to the very best of your ability. There will also be a livestream of the service, for those who would like to attend virtually. In the future, as the pandemic loosens its grip on our world, we will gather everyone together for a true celebration and remembrance of Susie. I love you, Aunt Susie.
Caitlin, your aunt was so proud of her nieces! You an my niece were born day apart and both went into law! Sisie an I frequently talked about our brilliant nieces! I hope you always remember her love for you girls and women You were her treasures!
HL,
Don’t worry, it is impossible to forget Aunt Susie! Her absence is already felt deeply, and I’m not sure that feeling will ever go away.
Thank you for always being the best of friends to her: as you well know, pictures of you and her feature prominently in Susie’s memorial video. Aunt Susie always told me about your niece and our similarities, and I think it’s clear we were able to do what we did because we had women like you and Susie right by our side. Thank you for everything, and hopefully, once things return to normal, we can all get together and have a proper celebration for Susie.
Susie was an extraordinary women. She was one very strong, compassionate, loving and dedicated Christian women. I always enjoyed are comparison growing up Catholic stories. Although you always kept me in check during lent.
The friends we have chosen to be our chosen family, has been our “Wolf Pack”. Some have referred to us as the Designing Women, and in later years maybe the Golden Girls. But for me our friendships are of sisters from other mothers. Susie you were truly loved, specifically for who you were in life.
We are all better to have known you, better to have been such an intricate part of all of our lives. More importantly we are better to have been loved by you, and that we all truly loved you.
My continued thoughts and prayers to all of your family.
My heart is broken, and yet I smile remembering so many things. There is no way to express what our friendship meant to me. I cannot believe I had to use a past tense. You have touched my life in so many ways.
You are so special to so many people because you lived your life with heart and with grace. You loved with a passion and devotion. Your family was a treasure that you loved to the depths of your heart. All of your friends felt that we were your best friend, because that is how you made us all feel.
From times at work in the beginning, where we had each other’s back, to the travels from across town ( the times we got lost), and to Norman deciding on fireplaces or closets, to travels to Tortola and Mexico. The memories we made will hold me until we meet again.
After I left Stacy’s house after having a wonderful time revisiting so many good times, (including our sharing Kelcie’s first concert Cher’s first final tour). I just got to the first stop light and to my delight Cher’s -If I could Turn Back Time came on – oh how I wish I could and spend just a little more time with you. I know it was you smiling back at me.
You taught me how to be a friend and I will never forget you.
Love you always,
Kelli
Susie was so humble and nice. Always enjoyed working with her. She was very competent and straight forward. I know she will be missed by friends and family. We were also comrades in arms when it came to the Cowboys! Thankful to have known her.