MITCHELL, Margaret Sue (Royer) - b. August 23, 1942 - d. February 22, 2024

[patyrn]

If you knew Sue Mitchell, you knew her stunning smile, her sense of style, her open heart, her coy-often-flirty wit, and her boundless sense of fun that lit up any room, occasion, or theater with her beautiful presence and spirited energy.  She had a flair for fashion, a finesse for decor, and a cunning collector's sense of value.  She had an eye for it!

Sue knew how to shop and often finagled family, friends, and acquaintances into joining her in her treasure hunting escapades.  What looked like it belonged in the junk pile to some, she knew was a diamond in the rough just awaiting her touch to make it shine and make a little profit.  She was the master at persuasion and a smart negotiator which she used to her full potential when she and her friends had Tuesday's Treasures in Moline, Kansas or the Hippy Chalet with her son in Elk Falls, Kansas.  She was especially proud of her ability to make a deal, mostly because she had just found the perfect thing that she knew either she or you had to have.

Margaret Sue was born August 23, 1942 in Wichita, Kansas to Margaret Amelia (Atwell) and Robert Kingsley Royer.  Her parents and her Gammy were the center of her world until her baby brother, John Robert "Bobby" Royer was born five years later.  Her connection to Bobby was immediate.  Their deep care for each other and daily phone calls were their constant bond.

Sue attended Clark Elemenatry, Curtis Middle  School, and Southeast High School in Wichita, Kansas.  She often joked that she only went to school and Sunday School for the snacks and crafts.  Her love of crafts helped form her career as her first paying job was for the Wichita Park Board teaching crafts to children.  At her retirement, she was a professional para at the Moline Grade School in Moline, Kansas where she was known for her brilliantly crafted bulleting boards.  During her time as a paraprofessional, Sue also received an Associate's degree.  She excelled at these jobs because she loved and adored the students and put their needs first.

At Curtis Middle School, she met her lifelong friend posse:  Connie, Judy, Sharon, Paula, Margo, Julie, Karen, and Marilyn.  Who knew back then that they would be there for each other for 69 years through the joys and sorrows, ironing and dishes, loves and losses, and some even following to the same small town.  They formed a sisterhood of mutual love and care for each other.  Sue joked that their friendship had lasted so long because after that many years, they knew enough about each other for blackmail.

If you knew Sue, you knew she had a deep love for her children and was a special Gammy Sue to her grandchildren.  She was their constant force of love.  She was there for the clever birthday parties, the graduations, the bologna or peanut butter/sugar sandwich school lunches, the school outings, and especially the school projects.  She was known for her fat-free everything, her after-appointment visits to KFC, her love of ice cream, and her strawberry fluff.  Gammy's home (petit chateau, Margaret's mansion) was an especially precious place for her and her family.  Gammy enjoyed and dearly loved her home so much, and she made it perfectly reflect her inner beautiful and creative soul  Her collection of keepsakes from her mother, her Gammy Atwell, and thrift store adventures, were displayed elegantly throughout the rooms. 

Sue shared her home with everyone.  Her home was a shelter for her many beloved pets, and her home was the destination for family holidays, celebrations, and get-togethers complete with enormous pallets for sleepovers and late night TV and snack bingeing.

Gammy Sue was always up for any espapades whether it was trying roller blading after 60, flirting in Vegas, trapping her grandkids in her knees (called a Sue-plex hold), Crazy Days turtle races, parades, and rodeos, manning the Elk Falls Museum, volunteering at the Joseph's Storehouse in Burden, Kansa, or traveling to Santa Fe, Florida, Colorado, France and Italy.  She enthusiastically joined in on all the adventures when she went to visit the Mitchell-Werp family in Europe from sunbathing on the French Riviera and eating frog legs to hiking through the Tuscan hills seeking medieval villas and dining on black truffle dishes. 

Known as Switchboard Sue by her family, her social media prowess was anything but obsolete.  She had a ritual where she sat at her table surrounded by two iPads, cell phone, and a dial phone so she could phone, share, post and message at will, usually with a fashion or home improvement program to help keep her up to date on the latest news and trends or to track how far ahead she was on the latest trends.  She epitomized the essence of a chic cowgirl long before it graced the trendy streets of Los Angeles.  She was a social media maven to her family, her friends, her family's friends, and her friends' friends, really everyone, and we mean EVERYONE.

We will miss her shopping excursions, her commodity runs, the anticipation of her next thrift store finds or DIY project.  We will miss her care packages of food and gifts.  Whenever anyone mentioned something they might need, she would go on a big search so she could get it for you. 

We will also miss her cards.  A greeting card from Sue wasn't just a card; it was something she customized especially for you.  Her message was sent stright from her heart.  Every impactful word was underlined, and the entire card message was surrounded by a hand-drawn heart and/or little hearts that were weighted with 100% sincerity.

Gammy wanted the best the world had to offer for her children and grandchildren.  She encouraged and supported them to pursue their goals.  If they were doubtful, she always told them that they could do it and to have positive thoughts.  When Blair questioned graduating early and moving to France, when Myles was considering whether his university in Ohio was right for him, when Hayden wanted to study at FIT or Monica to earn her degrees, and so many more examples, she cheered us all on to take that jump.  She wanted us to push ourselves to forever learn and grow into the people we are tody, unapologetically. 

Gammy kept a quote attached to her bathroom mirror from a note Brooke sent her that says. "Just living is not enough" said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower".  If you knew Sue, you felt the radiance of her shine, the exuberance of her generosity, and her gracious warm welcome into her abundant circle of love.  She was a precious flower.  She was OUR precious flower.  She genuinely loved hard and with all her heart yearned to love even more.

When Sue's sickness struck, she waited until each of her children and grandchildren were able to visit.  Then she left as beautifully as she had lived.  She was the most incredible, supportive, and loving mother with the beauty of the Gods and glowing spirit of the angels.  Her monumental inner strength and tenderhearted compassion was our porte-bonheur de la vie!  Thank you Gammy for you positive empowerment to be happy and achieve our goals - to reach the stars!  We are forever grateful.  She was our mother, grandmother, sister, and friend.  She was and remains a timeless icon forever in our hearts. 

Margaret Sue "Gammy" (Royer) Mitchell died February 22, 2024.  She was preceded in death by her Gammy, her father, and her mother.  She is survived by her brother, Bobby Royer of Clearwater, Florida; her children, Mitchell of Elk Falls, Kansas, Monica (Paul) Werp of Milan, Italy, Greg of Wichita, Kansas, and Mandi (Curt) Rierson of Wichita, Kansas; her grandchildren, William (Golda) of Goldendale, Washington, Hayden of Milan, Italy, Myles of Wichita, Kansas, Blair (Louis Guerlet) of Malmo, Sweden and Paris, France, Brooke of Washington, D.C., and Wren of Wichita, Kansas; her fur babies, Poppy and Chester of Moline, Kansas; as well as many cousins, nieces, nephews, her chosen sisters, adopted daugthters, and countless friends. 

Cremation has been requested at this time. The family celebrated Sue's life while they were together.  Services are entrusted to Countryside Funeral Home, 206 E. Washington, Howard, Kansas 67349.  In lieu of flowers, make a donation in Sue's name to the Chautauqua County Animal Shelter in Sedan, Kansas or a food bank of your choice.  Memorials may be mailed to or left with the funeral home.

(taken from the Countryside Funeral Home website)