Wanda “Susie” Sue Crook, 66, of Cabool, MO was born on February 8, 1957, and passed away peacefully surrounded by family on September 18, 2023. Susie was born to John “Jack” and Anita Lane. She was baptized in 1967. She graduated from Cabool High School in 1976 and then followed in her mother’s footsteps, becoming a Certified Nurse’s Aide.
Susie was working as a CNA in Wichita, KS when she met the love of her life, Dean Crook. The two were married October 13, 1979, in Spokane, WA. They had two daughters together, Teresa and Jennifer. Although they divorced in 1992, Susie and Dean never stopped loving each other.
Susie spent most of her working years providing services in nursing homes. She went on to work in every department, including dietary at Kabul Nursing Home where she met her best friend, Brenda Page. When she left KNH, Susie worked at Casey’s for a few years before returning to caregiving as an in-home-health aide. She then dedicated her life to taking care of her mother.
Susie loved her childhood and loved her family most of all. She would laugh about the memories with her siblings of riding their Shetland ponies, getting caught riding the pigs, and running from a mean cow occasionally. She did try to give her little brother, Gary away to some migrant workers in Colorado, but thankfully for Gary, Susie never learned to speak Spanish.
Susie enjoyed fishing and loved to reminisce about walking to the river to go fishing with her brother, Dennis. The two of them were always sneaking off together on their own adventures. She was a talented artist and especially enjoyed painting ceramics together with her mother Anita, sister Kathy, and aunt Vida.
While Susie is usually thought of as being the big sister and always taking care of everyone else, she would often tell us how nice it was to have a big brother. She valued her relationship with Mike and liked having him looking out for her while they were growing up. Especially since she was always looking out for everyone else. Of course, like any Lane, Susie loved ice cream, and Mike would often take his siblings out for a sweet treat.
Susie was very close with her little sisters, Kathy, and Linda. She was thrilled to hear they were all pregnant at the same time in 1980. They shared many experiences together, always holding each other up and making each other laugh through life’s challenges. Susie and her daughters would never forget when Kathy and Linda drove to Washington to bring the girls back to Missouri. Five people packed into a Geo Metro on a trip none of them would ever forget. After the passing of their mother, Susie’s sisters convinced her to come with them on a sisters’ vacation. She was reluctant because she was not feeling well but ended up going with them a second time. She loved watching the dolphins play in the gulf. She later said that was her favorite place to visit.
Susie was especially close to her parents. She almost always lived near them and was glad to care for them in their times of illness. She took pride in helping maintain the place after her dad passed away and spent as much time as possible with her mom to keep her going after that great loss. If you saw one, you saw the other. The two enjoyed traveling to pow-wows with Kathy and Linda. Susie even took Anita to a rock concert for a new experience.
Susie cherished the time she spent with her baby brother, Bo. Growing up, Susie cared for Bo as if he were her own child. She enjoyed taking him Christmas shopping and driving around to show him the lights afterward. Susie always thought of Bo and his well-being. She had recently been exercising with him a few times a week.
More than anything in the world, Susie loved being a mother and grandmother. She was the best. She baked a lot of cookies with her grandchildren as well as sewing a baby quilt for each new arrival to the family. She attended all her grandchildren’s birthday parties and school events. She especially looked forward to Grandparent’s Day with Alyssa. Susie was very proud of her daughters and her grandchildren, and she always made sure they knew that. She was overjoyed to be recently upgraded to a great grandma.
Susie loved animals. She spoiled her cat, Sunny, and dog, Willis. She would often take Willis to town to run errands with her so he could get a dog biscuit at People’s Bank and a pup cup from Dairy Queen. She believed all living things deserved a chance to live. Even though Susie did not care for rodents she even tried to save some young hamsters once by giving them CPR.
Susie will be remembered for her big heart, her grace, her generosity, and for the kindness she bestowed on every person she knew. She will be missed but never forgotten. Susie will live on in our memories and we rejoice that she is with Jesus.
Susie was preceded in death by her parents, Jack and Anita Lane; nephew, Shaun Harvey; great-niece, Jaedyn Beavers; and the love of her life and ex-husband, Dean Crook. She is survived by her daughters, Teresa Ice and husband, Brandon of Wasola and Jennifer Crowl and husband, Kenny of Pomona; brothers, Mike Light and wife Kelly, of Springfield, Dennis Lane and wife, Stephanie of Mtn. Grove and Gary and Bo Lane of Cabool; sisters, Kathy Harvey and husband, Daniel of Winona and Linda McMinn of Cabool; aunts, Vida Brizendine of Peculiar and Jodie Snyder and husband, Ralph of Blytheville, AR; 5 grandchildren; 1 great grandchild; beloved pets, Willis and Sunny as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Memorials:
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research
