Suzan Eleanor Waskelis, of Valparaiso, Indiana, died at Northwest Health-Porter Hospital on December 10, 2023, at age 82 due to a serious illness and complications following surgery. The first child of the late Charles Overmyer and Irene Overmyer Colligan, Suzan was born July 2, 1941, in Detroit, Michigan. As she said: “Yup, my dad insisted my name contain that Z.” She and her brother Paul grew up on their beloved Ravine Drive in Nankin Township, now Westland, Michigan. She graduated from Bentley High School in Livonia, Michigan, in 1959. Her appreciation for her dad’s garden and chickens, the simple tasty meals her mom prepared for them, and the freedom she and her friends had to explore the native woods behind their house deepened as she aged. Her lifelong love of nature’s wonders—the cycle of the cicadas, the magic of fireflies, and the quiet beauty of trillium and other native woodland plants—were rooted in these early memories of Ravine Drive.
She and Gerald “Jerry” Waskelis married in 1961, and they soon had two children and purchased their first house in the Detroit suburb of Berkley. After graduating with a BA in Secondary Education and English Language and Literature from Eastern Michigan University in 1965, she taught English at Berkley High School from 1967 to 1972. She recalled the rewards and challenges of teaching high school students during that tumultuous time in the United States. She recounted making meaningful connections with her students when she and Jerry took them to a screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey. She and the family loved the summer trips to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in their pop-up camper, with no electricity and meals cooked over the kerosene stove or a beach campfire and connecting with extended family while agate-hunting on the shores of Lake Superior.
Jerry’s promotion at Sears prompted their relocation to Lisle, Illinois, in 1972. Sue then worked at Women’s INC, Jeffrey Manufacturing, and Wescom in various roles, and as a substitute teacher at Lisle Junior High School. During this time, she worked with the Illinois League of Women Voters to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. She also led her daughter’s Junior and Cadette Girl Scout troop in their meetings and camping trips from 1970 to 1975.
In 1979, Jerry and she bought the Book Nook on Lisle’s Main Street, realizing a dream of owning their own store. She managed the store for 24 years, until selling it and retiring in 2003. During that time, she and Jerry worked long hours, took rare vacations, and helped their kids through college. They expanded the magazine selection to more than 2500 titles, making the Book Nook a destination newsstand, as well as the heart of Lisle’s Main Street. Famous for the front door’s squeaky hinges, the groove worn in the floor by decades of customers, it’s unique smell—a mix of print newspapers, magazines, cigars, ice cream, pop, penny candy, “normal coffee,” and scratch lottery tickets—Sue and Jerry made a special place fondly remembered by family and friends, former staff, kids of all ages, and the people of Lisle.
While managing the Book Nook, Sue served on the Lisle Chamber of Commerce, serving as its president from 1983 to 1985. She also served on various Village of Lisle committees and councils and was honored for her work as board secretary of the Lisle Convention and Visitors Bureau. She was a member of several Unitarian Universalist churches, most extensively at the Unitarian Church of Hinsdale, Illinois, and more recently at her dear First Unitarian Church of Northwest Indiana in Hobart. She served many roles at both churches.
Like her mother and brother, Sue was an excellent cook. She was also a passionate collector of recipes, especially those from Cook's Illustrated magazine. She was an accomplished knitter and sewist, wearing and gifting beautiful sweaters, scarves, and clothes throughout her life. What most characterized Suzan was her deep love for her family and friends. She treasured every communication and remembered and shared every milestone and achievement. Her curiosity about everything from the doings of her loved ones to the workings of the political and natural world defined her entire life.
Suzan is survived by Gerald Waskelis of Valparaiso, her husband of 62 years; her daughter Lynn Waskelis, son-in-law Timothy Newell, grandchildren Tyrone and Margaret, of Boston, Massachusetts; her son John Waskelis of Port Hueneme, California; her brother, Paul, and sister-in-law Irene Overmyer, her nephew Dan Overmyer and his family of Fort Collins, Colorado; and nephew Jerry Overmyer of Loveland, Colorado; her stepsisters Pat Krause and family of Spring Lake, Michigan; and Kathleen Lauder and family of Minnetonka, Minnesota; and many beloved friends and family.
A memorial will be held on June 8, 2024, at 11:00 Central Time at the First Unitarian Church of Northwest Indiana, Hobart, Indiana, with Pastor Tom Bozeman officiating. Memorial contributions may be mailed to Holliday Nature Preserve Association (HNPA) P.O. Box 532243, Livonia Michigan, 48153. https://hnpa.org/
