Family, friends and community celebrate Redmond girl’s life

Published 11:25 am Friday, July 10, 2015

Jon and Veronica Dreher embraced at the front of the room as family, friends and community members joined them in mourning the loss of Susie Dreher, and celebrating her life, as well.

People filled the Happy Valley Grange in Redmond on Thursday morning to share stories about Susie and comfort the Redmond family and each other. Susie, 2, passed away on July 1 after being struck by a car in Redmond Town Center.

Redmond firefighters and police officers lined the back wall of the hall and a fire-department chaplain offered condolent words to those in attendance. Susie is survived by her father Jon and mother Veronica, as well as her two sisters, Jillian, 4, and Genevieve, 6 weeks.

“Susie’s bright light brought something significant to all of us,” family friend Thomas Mathiesen said at the gathering.

Susie’s grandmother Nancy Dreher added, “You and your spirit will be with us every day — always.”

Uncle Dan Dreher described Susie as “wonderful, lively, athletic and artsy,” and fondly remembered the time the Redmond family visited his family’s home in Texas and took photos in the bluebonnet fields.

Susie was a funny and spirited girl, according to her teachers, Whitney Alderson and Tamica Alexander, who noted that she liked to get messy whenever classroom projects were geared that way. During a video that beamed on a big screen, Susie is seen playing in the sand and getting it in her hair, dribbling a soccer ball and tumbling on a mat.

Susie, an early walker, was drawn to sports by the time she was 1 and a half years old and was always kicking or throwing a ball, the family wrote in her obituary.

“Recently, a seasoned coach had stepped aside to say how she had never seen a 2-year-old with such apparent talent for dribbling a soccer ball. She loved the Seahawks and insisted on wearing a long-sleeved Seahawks shirt to bed on one of her last nights, despite the warm weather,” the obituary reads.

The family enjoyed hiking together, and Jon told those at the memorial about last month’s trek at Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend. On the “perfect day,” they spotted a bald eagle and a fox as Jon strolled the trail with Susie and Jillian while Veronica and Genevieve sat in a shady spot.

“I thought I was the luckiest guy alive,” said Jon, adding that their laughter was so abundant along the hike that other people on the trail were smiling at the trio along the way.

Veronica held onto Jon at the memorial as she said, “From the moment Susie was born, she was the purest joy. We savored every moment with her.”

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests people make a memorial donation to Safe Crossings, a charity that helps children coping with grief. The website is http://safecrossingsfoundation.org.