Sue R. Mears
(May 5, 1938 - October 24, 2022)

Sue R. Mears passed away late Monday evening, October 24, 2022 at Emogene Dolin Jones Hospice House in Huntington, WV. Born Margaret Sue Rice in Elyria, Ohio on May 5, 1938, Sue was the fourth child of Gladys Nadine Motts Rice and Gerald Stowell Rice. She spent many of her childhood years on the family farm in Sullivan, Ohio, where she developed her love of the outdoors and all animals, especially horses and dogs. Sue attended high school in Deland, Florida, and in Wooster, Ohio and graduated from Lehman High School in Canton, Ohio where her family had moved so her father could be closer to the Maytag appliance store which he owned. Following high school Sue attended and graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania in 1959 where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in French language and literature, as well as a Certificate in Secretarial Studies. Sue was a proud member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, and maintained close relationships with her sorority sisters throughout her lifetime.

Sue’s mother died while Sue was attending college and after graduation, she moved back to Canton to be closer to her father. There, she was employed as an administrative assistant for the president of the Hoover Company. On December 2, 1961, Sue married Richard “Dick” J. Mears at the First Christ Presbyterian Church in Canton, Ohio. Dick and Sue started their married life in Dover, Ohio where Dick was a food broker for Mears Brokerage Inc. Sue and Dick then moved to Huntington, West Virginia where they both continued working for the brokerage company as they raised their three sons. Sue was active in her church, teaching Sunday School and participating in church activities including hosting visiting volunteer work groups. She was an active member of the Pea Ridge Bible Study Group. Sue’s husband, family and friends meant the world to Sue and she gathered with them as often as possible, making the gatherings special for everyone there. She was loved by many nieces and nephews, cousins, and extended family. She enjoyed traveling and family vacations, and attending college reunions with her sorority sisters. She had a special interest in genealogy and was the secretary of the World Chamberlain Genealogical Society.

Sue was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, Dick; her son, Todd Mears; her sister and brother-in-law, Geraldine “Geri” and William “Bill” Burden; her brothers, George Rice and William “Bill” Rice; and her brother-in-law, David Mears. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, John and Janet Mears and their children, John Cullen and Meredith of Huntington, WV; her son and daughter-in-law, Edward “Ted” and Marcy Mears, and their daughter, Bethany of St. Cloud, MN; her daughter-in-law, Jennifer Mears, and her daughter, Kristen of Scott Depot, WV; her sister-in-law, Kay Mears of Proctorville, OH; her sister-in-law and brother-in-law Ruth Ann and Raymond “Jim” Murphy of New Philadelphia, OH; her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Linda and Patrick Petrigan of Vermilion, OH; and her sister-in-law, Elizabeth “Liz” Rice of Wooster, OH; as well as many extended family members.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 19, 2022 at the First Presbyterian Church in Huntington, WV. A reception prior to the service will be held from 1:00 – 2:00 PM. A graveside service will be held at Dover Burial Park on December 27, 2022 where Sue will be laid to rest by her husband, Dick.

The family is thankful to the caregivers who provided excellent care for Sue in her home for the past 12 years, especially her most recent primary caregiver, Dallas Weddington.