Alberta Desch
Alberta “Susie” Desch, 77, passed away peacefully Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021.
She was born Nov. 11, 1943, and was one of five children born to Florence (Keck) and Harry T. Kradel of Cabot.
Her family was part of the St. Mark’s Lutheran Church community in Butler, and she graduated from Knoch High School in Saxonburg.
Known to family and friends as Susie, she went on to earn an undergraduate degree from Clarion University, and later a master’s degree in library science from the University of Pittsburgh. It was at Clarion that she met her future husband, Eugene Desch of Swissvale, Pa., who was born 1943. The two married in 1965. They shared 46 years of marriage together, and were only separated by Gene’s passing in 2011.
Susie and Gene moved to New Castle, after they had both accepted teaching positions at Ben Franklin Jr. High School, but it was at Neshannock Jr./Sr. High School that Susie spent the majority of her professional life as its librarian, affecting generations of young students and colleagues alike. She retired in 2000.
After retiring, Susie and Gene moved from Western Pennsylvania to Central Florida, to The Villages retirement community.
While living at The Villages, Susie was an avid gardener and had a wonderful group of close friends. After Gene’s passing, her cats, Hank and Mimi, were her great companions, as were several wonderful neighborhood and community friends.
Susie will always be remembered for her passion and tenacity, as well as for her generosity, kindness and encouragement. She possessed open-minded affinities, and her fierce love of independence was clear.
She relished a well-told story, loved tapping her foot to a good country song, and expressed that spending time in her garden was heavenly. She was a relentless champion of animal welfare, social and health causes, and the arts and humanities.
Susie is survived by her two daughters, Natalie Desch (Daniel Charon) and Adrianne Vandevort (Matthew); her brother, Ted Kradel (Marilene); her sister, Melissa Somerville (Ray); their families and several other family members.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and her two brothers, Donald Arthur and David Kradel.
If moved to make a donation in her memory, please consider that Susie was a regular supporter of the ASPCA and both Shriners and St. Jude Children’s Research hospitals.
