Suzanne Marie Hoel, of Greenbank, sadly left this world for the next on Saturday Sept. 8 at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. She suffered a minor brain aneurysm on Aug. 23 and, while not debilitating, she developed complications in the ICU that she could not be rehabilitated from and peacefully went to join her husband that Saturday afternoon.
Suzanne was born July 18, 1940 in Milwaukie, Ore. to Floyd and Zepha Zirbel. Suzanne and her husband Jim were married Oct. 3, 1959 in Milwaukee and soon after became pregnant with their first child, Judy. While pregnant with their second child Karl the family moved from Oregon to Renton, where Jim was offered a position at Boeing. Soon after they adopted their son, Jon. The family were big local sports fans, including the Seattle Sounders in the 1970s, where they went to all the home games and even traveled to Portland to watch Pelé in the national championships.
She also loved the Seattle Mariners, even if they lost more than they won. It brought back fond memories of watching her husband and kids play the sport during their younger years. She always cheered them on with enthusiasm.
Suzanne worked in banking for decades, which she loved. She loved helping customers and being a part of the community frequently recalling stories of customers she served when she first started back in the 1960s. She worked for several companies, the first being Seafirst Bank in downtown Seattle to retiring from Interwest Bank after 40 years in the industry.
She held several positions, including manager and training officer, for several branches and companies, always loving the challenges and people it brought into her life.
When it came time for retirement, both Jim and Suzanne decided to move from Renton to Whidbey Island, where they fell in love with just about everything.
In 1989, they bought a 24-foot trailer and property at Lagoon Point, where Suzanne lived for two years waiting for Jim to retire from Tukwila Fire Department, and for them to build their retirement home. Ultimately, they ended up purchasing a little fishing cabin with a view down the road from their property and expanded that house instead of building from scratch.
Deciding she wasn’t quite ready for retirement life just yet, Suzanne went back to work at what is now Wells Fargo in Coupeville for a few years and further dove into the Whidbey community.
She also volunteered at the senior center and for the Lagoon Point Water District for a few years.
Suzanne is survived by sisters, Carolyn Badgley, of Kent, Wash.; Cindy Harris, of Ocean Shores, Wash.; her daughter, Judy Tooley, with her husband, Rob, of Kent; son Karl, also of Kent; son, Jon, of Dallas, Texas; granddaughter Kristen Fisher, with her husband Timothy and their two children, Lily and Emmeline, of Coupeville; grandsons, Ryan and Lukas, of Dallas; Phillip Tooley and son Isaiah, of Kent; grandson, Bob Tooley, with wife Ashley and children, Carson and Avery, also of Kent.
A service for Suzanne is Oct. 3, 2018 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Freeland at 1 p.m., reception to follow. In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to WAIF. or Trinity Lutheran.
