Obituary of Susan Bateman

BATEMAN, Susan Grace of Orange, CT, Susan's soul returned to her loving God who gave it on Monday, May 28 at Hospice in Branford following a brief encounter with cancer and a lifetime of joyful memories with friends and family. Her faith in God's will made the knowledge of her impending passing gracefully acceptable to herself and her family. Born as the third generation of Orange heritage on January 22, 1952 she attended Orange schools and Amity Regional High School where she excelled in sports including half-back on the Amity field hockey team that won the state championship in 1970. Her childhood years were formed in the Russian Orthodox Church. Susan joined the traveling Balalaika group and enjoyed meeting other church youth throughout the Diocese. Upon graduation from Amity Susan started work as a flyer at Sears where she learned the 'art of the sale' from lawn furniture to hardware. Her retail hours enabled her to pay for tuition to Southern Connecticut State College earning a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education. Teaching jobs were scarce and, with four years at Sears, she decided to pursue a career in retail management at D.M. Read department stores. She became a buyer for women's better dresses and developed an eye for styles in the New York garment district. During this time she met the love of her life and was married to Bob June 21, 1975. That's when life really got good. In the thirty-seven years they shared together she sailed the New England coast, camped in an RV across the US and Canada, traveled throughout Europe, ran 5K road races as far away as Iowa all while building and managing a successful business, raising three children and restoring three houses, the last of which, in Massachusetts, she had hoped to spend retirement years attending her garden and growing her prized sunflowers. Susan recently retired as president of TYGOR Laboratories in Milford, CT which she co-founded with Bob and is now managed by their sons. She was a conscientious business woman who enjoyed and respected her customers and received the same in return. She was a founding member of the Orange Board of Ethics, mentor for the Future Engineers of America, a past president of the CT chapter Association of Women in the Metals Industry and a trustee of Travelers Woods Campground in Bernardston, MA. Family members left to cherish her memory include her husband Bob, her sons Greggor and Tyler, her daughter Victoria (Tom) Ostlund and granddaughter Vera. Her mother Katherine Pawchyk, her aunt and godmother Anna Crocker, brother-in-law Paul Bednarz and nephews Justin and Jordan. Paternal cousins include Paul Lombardi, Kay Bisson, Stephen Spakowski, Annette German, Nancy Gullash, Paula Pawchyk and David Kwoka. Maternal cousins include Billy Susko, Helene Filmore, Alfred Nedovich, Mary Ann Bennett, Kate McKinney and Alex Budzinski. She was pre-deceased by her father Peter, brother Peter Jr. and sister Deborah. Funeral services will take place on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 9:00 AM from the Wakelee Memorial Funeral Home, 167 Wakelee Ave., Ansonia. A Funeral Service will be held at 10:00AM in Three Saints Orthodox Church, 26 Howard Ave., Ansonia. Interment will follow in Pine Grove Cemetery, Ansonia. Family and friends may call on Friday, June 1, 2012 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. Contributions in her memory may be made to Three Saints Orthodox Church or Masonic Charity Foundation of Wallingford, CT. Online condolences may be made at www.wakeleememorial.com.