Proud wife, mother, and "Obachan"

Susan Quade passed away peacefully at home on December 1st, 2024, at the age of 95.

Susan was the heart of our family. She pulled the family together and taught us that family is everything. Our family knew that she was always looking out for us and gave the best advice. She was a great cook. She was thoughtful and generous and prayed every day for her family, friends and our ancestors who came before us. She was feisty, hardworking and had a great sense of humor.  She was mentally sharp and played 500 Rummy and was able to beat most contestants on Wheel of Fortune, even at the age of ninety-five.  She was married to the love of her life for more than 70 years. She wrote that as she grew older, she understood her husband better and better and loved him more and more.

We are immensely proud of her for writing a book about her life story at the age of eighty-five. She wrote another story about living during Covid times and taught herself how to draw horses when she was in her nineties. She belonged to a Haiku club for many years. She lived a life of gratitude. Even in her last months, she kept a gratitude journal, and her last entry was "I'm lucky".

Susan Sumiko Quade (nee Ishizeki) was raised by her strong and resolute mother, Umeko, and her beloved sister, Nobuko. She also had siblings, Migiwa and Hitomi, that she met later in life.

Susan stayed strong, despite not having a father in Japan when that was considered unthinkable. She survived the bombs in Tokyo (with two of her homes burnt down to the ground) and not having nearly enough food during WW2, and finally, the struggle to acclimate to a new life in the United States.

She started out as a teacher and then worked for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery and the American Army Truck Company in post war Japan. She met her husband, Charles Quade, in Tokyo. She supported him and raised their family while he served 21 years in the US Army. They made many lifelong friends along the way as they were stationed in Japan, Texas, California, Maryland, Virginia, and Hawaii. Susan loved everything the United States stood for and was determined to learn a new culture and language and made sacrifices for her family.

After her husband's retirement from the army, they decided to settle in San Jose because they heard about the moderate climate, job opportunities and diverse population, and thought it would be a wonderful place to raise their family. They lived in San Jose for many years, then San Juan Bautista and finally Morgan Hill. Susan cared for the elderly at the PEO home and Yu Ai Kai senior center, was a housekeeper at San Jose Hospital, and a cafeteria worker at Live Oak High School.

Susan and her husband loved to travel the country in their RV during their retirement. They made many trips across the country to Florida, Michigan and Branson, Missouri. She cared for her sister Nobuko, and her dear friend Sachiko during their final months of life.

Susan was preceded in death by her beloved husband Charles W. Quade. She leaves behind four children and their spouses: Vera (Randy), Art (Yvonne), Tom (Theresa), Nora (Peter); grandchildren: Rachel, Ashley, Scot, Damien, Ben, Victoria, Ivy, Amanda, Julia, Cheyenne; and great-grandchildren: Phoenix, Max, Hunter, Anna and Hudson.