Browse the obituary of Susan Tess Rae March 6 1954 December 15 2022 residing in Rockville, Maryland for funeral burial details. Write a message of sympathy or a last tribute to perpetue the friendship thread
March 6 1954 December 15 2022
Obituary Our sister Susan passed away on December 15, 2022. She was preceded in death by her late husband, Roger W. (Skip) Rae, Jr. and infant child, Benjamin Robert Rae. She is survived by her loving brothers, David P. Levine and Neil A. Levine and their families along with the Rae family in-laws, six nieces and nephews and families. Sue was a loving, warm, and deeply caring person who fought long and hard against scleroderma, an autoimmune disease that stalked her for more than two decades. She negotiated the difficulties of her cruel illness with vitality, courage, and resilience, becoming a citizen advocate for greater awareness and funding for research through her work with the National Scleroderma Foundation. Sue’s social world encompassed her church and faith network, Rockville friends and neighbors from Wilson Avenue and Richard Montgomery High School, colleagues from her long career at NIH and Leisure World residents. She will be remembered for her smiling face and game readiness for fun – whether it be shopping, an outing to the theater, movies, or festivals, a restaurant treat, or a family celebration. Sue was born in 1954 and grew up in Teaneck, NJ before the family moved to Silver Spring and then Rockville where she became a proud resident of Montgomery County for the rest of her life. Grounded in the Jewish heritage of her childhood, as a young adult Sue became a Messianic Jew. Throughout her life she proudly affirmed and blended her Jewish and Christian identities. One of her most exciting adventures was a trip to Israel with her good friend Lynn Carsten. Her faith centered her life, and she recently found a spiritual home at Covenant Life Church while also attending services and celebrating Jewish holidays with her niece Sarah Globus, her husband Ben, and their family. Sue had a long and rewarding career at the National Institutes of Health where she spent 39 years before retiring in 2013. She worked as a program assistant in multiple offices in the NIH family while also serving as an advocate for people with disabilities. In 1980, Sue married Roger “Skip” Rae Jr. Skip and Sue delighted in movies, dinners with friends, travels to many cities in the U.S., and family vacations. Their life together revolved around a vibrant circle of high school, church friends and family. Sue and Skip were inseparable and his death in 2001 was a deep wound. The passing of our father, Bertram Levine, in 2006 dealt another blow to her support system. Yet, she managed to carry on, working, playing, laughing, all the while beating back the effects of her disease. In 2011, Sue moved from Gaithersburg to Leisure World in Silver Spring, MD. The Leisure World community provided wonderful opportunities for Sue’s “Second Act.” As an immensely social person, Sue was an avid participant in the Fun and Fancy Theater Group and many other Leisure World social activities. In her ever-creative efforts to make new friends and explore new activities, she joined the American Blind Bowlers of Maryland and Lodge #15 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. She complemented her social activities with work as a Mary Kay Cosmetics entrepreneur. Several years ago, Sue began to encounter a major health challenge as her disease became more pronounced. She tenaciously fought to maintain her independence and deep engagement in the social world around her. Everyone who knew her marveled at her resilience and capacity to find pockets of joy as she journeyed through a difficult illness. Sue attended annual education conferences of the National Scleroderma Foundation in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Nashville. She responded to the hardship of her disease by developing a real sense of mission to help others – serving as a volunteer advocate in the Montgomery County chapter of the foundation. Sue loved cooking, socializing, shopping, and opportunities to make new friends and explore new activities. She had a vivid sense of fashion style and loved making a splash at a social event in a new outfit. We will miss her friendliness, her kindness, and her brave spirit. David and Neil Levine December 15, 2022 Read more
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Susan Tess Rae March 6 1954 December 15 2022.
Robert A Pumphrey Funeral Home
Death notice for the town of: Rockville, state: Maryland