Sue Mitchell Crowley, 87, died on February 20, 2021 at home at Friendship Village of Dublin, Ohio.  Sue was born in Columbus, Ohio on October 31, 1933 to the late John Harrington Mitchell and Norma Prasuhn Mitchell.  Sue is preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, J. Donald Crowley, adult son, Christopher Crowley and infant son, Michael Crowley. 

Sue grew up in Upper Arlington, Ohio and returned late in life after spending most of her adult life in Columbia, Missouri.  She attended Saint Agatha Catholic School and graduated from Saint Mary’s of the Springs High School in 1951.  Sue and Don met on her first day at Saint Mary’s College where Don was a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame.  They married in August 1954 before Sue graduated summa cum laude in 1955, just two months before the birth of their son, Chris.  As a young mother, Sue earned her M.A. in English from The Ohio State University.  She was born to teach and thoroughly enjoyed decades of interaction with students at the University of Missouri as an instructor in the English Department and School of Religion.  In 1977, Sue attended the University of Iowa where she completed the coursework for a PhD in Theology and was honored to be invited to participate in the prestigious Iowa Writer’s Workshop.  Upon returning to Mizzou, Sue coordinated the Humanities Sequence and served as the Associate Director of the Honors College.  While on campus, Sue was a member of the LSV Society, a secret honorary which promotes the status of women.  Sue’s academic writings include numerous articles regarding religious themes in modern literature and she co-authored “Critical Essays on Walker Percy” with her husband, Don.

Sue was a devout Catholic and woman of strong faith.  She put her faith into action by founding the non-profit, Alternatives to Abortion, in 1975 to provide encouragement, resources and support to women choosing to continue unplanned pregnancies.  She was also instrumental in the formation of the Kemper Library at the St. Thomas More Newman Center.

Sue enjoyed poetry, British television dramas, classical music, summers in Aspen and was a voracious reader.  After retiring from teaching at 70 years of age, she continued academic reading groups in both Aspen and at Friendship Village.  Most of all, Sue adored her granddaughters.  Sue saw the best in everyone and maintained friendships with her students long after graduation.

Sue’s family wishes to thank her loyal beau, David Lighthill, the residents and staff of Friendship Village of Dublin, the wonderful medical team of COPC at FVD, her dedicated caregivers, Harriet and Maria, from HCA and her caring nurses, Meghan and Sheila, from Heartland Hospice for making the last period of Sue’s life so enjoyable and peaceful.

Sue is survived by her daughter Anne Crowley Bogenrief (Shawn) of Dublin and her beloved granddaughters, Caitie Bogenrief Pagnotta (Greg) of Des Moines, Iowa and Lauren Bogenrief of Charlotte, North Carolina.

 Mass will be celebrated on Friday, March 12, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Agatha Catholic Church, 1860 Northam Road.  Burial will be at a later date at St. Joseph Cemetery. PLEASE NO FLOWERS DUE TO THE SEASON OF LENT,  in lieu of flowers, the family wishes memorial contributions be made in Sue Crowley's name to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Donations can be mailed to Nationwide Children's Hospital Foundation at PO Box 16810, Columbus, OH 43216-6810 or online at Give.NationwideChildrens.org/SueCrowley. 

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