Sue Schroyer

Sue Schroyer

Central Valley, Utah

Sue Schroyer passed away May 22, 2020 at her home in Central Valley. Born Billie Sue Austin, April, 8, 1940 in Gooding, ID—now you know why she preferred to be known as G’ma Sue. That and the fact that no one could pronounce Schroyer, or Eide for that matter. Sue nicknamed herself G’ma Sue while doing costuming with the drama kids at South Sevier High School for a number of years. It was much easier for both she and kids to know who she was. Everyone now calls her G’ma Sue, even her own children.

G’ma Sue grew up in Twin Falls, ID and graduated from Twin Falls High School in 1958. Later that summer while working as a car hop for Town and County Drive-In she met a handsome college boy who always joked that he came in for a coke and got a wife instead. Sue married Leroy Eide August 9, 1958 in Twin Falls. In early 1959 they relocated to Las Vegas where Leroy could get work in the hotel industry as a bar boy They welcomed their first child, Rebecca "Becci" that April. The following June 1960 saw the addition of their son, Richard "Rik" and son Russell "Russ" followed in May 1965. She ultimately became G’ma Sue to 12 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

When Sue decided to have a career, she chose law enforcement, following in the footsteps of her father, William L. Austin Jr. who was chief of police in Wendall, ID and her grandfather Lute Austin who was a judge. She began as a records clerk at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office in Las Vegas before moving on to becoming a dispatcher at the North Las Vegas Police Department. Sue spent the next twenty years, "telling cops where to go" as she put it. Following the death of Leroy in 1980, Sue became smitten with police motor officer, John Schroyer. Now normally it would not be unusual for a workplace romance to form following the death of a spouse, but Sue and John had a serious love/hate relationship for ten years prior to their dating. Probably due in some part to the fact that John kept a cinder block near his desk at the station that he referred to as his "pet dispatcher". They say opposites attract and, in this case, that was certainly the case.

Sue and John married in February of 1981. They continued to work together at NLVPD until Sue transferred to the City of North Las Vegas Public works Department. She became a public works planner working primarily in Emergency Management where one of her pet projects was developing a scenario to address a possible nuclear waste spill in the city limits. Sue regularly represented the city on state and federal oversight committees for nuclear waste issues. Additionally, she served as vice-chair of the Clark County Regional Transportation Commission’s Mass Transit Committee.

Following several vacations to Fish Lake, the Schroyer’s became increasingly fond of Central Utah and the Richfield area. Upon retirement, after 30 years of service, Sue fell in love with a home in Central Valley and has lived here for almost 30 years.

Sue has always been an avid needle worker who was always in the middle of a knitting, crocheting or sewing project. When she found retirement a bit tedious, she created a business called The Stitching Bee, where she taught Brazilian Embroidery and quilting classes for the next several years. She was truly at her best when sharing the skills she had spent a lifetime learning. Sue often said that her grandmother pulled the thumb out of her mouth and put a crochet hook in her hand. Her mom, Lola, spent her life making crocheted afghan’s for everyone she knew and loved. G’ma Sue traded crocheting for quilting - there was truly nothing she could not do with a needle and thread. Her mantra was: "She who dies with the most fabric wins".

Sue enjoyed being a Quilt-in-a-Day certified instructor. She is a past member of the Desert Quilters Guild in Las Vegas, NV, board member of Threads and Trails Quilt guild in Richfield, UT and past chair of quilt entries at the Clark County Fair in Logandale, NV. Most recently she has loved being involved with the Quilters Heritage Festival in Richfield.

In true G’ma Sue fashion, when she did something, she did it in a big way. After several yeas with Atrial Fibrillation and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, which basically left her heart and lungs compromised, she ultimately had to start using oxygen full time. On April 30, she headed outside to watch the military flyover when she tripped on her oxygen tubing and fell on her knee. In her case, this fall and the resulting fluid her injury produced coupled with years of blood thinners created the perfect storm. There were several trips to the ER as well as to her doctor. The Friday before Mother’s Day she returned to the ER with continued swelling of the leg and now added jaundice. She was admitted to Sevier Valley hospital with liver failure.

In typical G’ma Sue humor she was joking with staff that she turned 80 in April and her body just gave up. On Mother’s Day she was transferred to Utah Valley Hospital by ambulance with worsening liver and kidney issues. After exhaustive efforts to get ahead of the storm proved unsuccessful, G’ma Sue came back to the home she loved in Central Valley where she could be visited by family and friends over the next several days. She was bright and alert and her usual joking self for several days. When she had visited most of the people whom she cherished the most, either in person or on the phone or facetime, she quietly succumbed to her body.

She often joked that she had shared the majority of her life with two wonderful men and could not wait to see them on the other side. She planned to stand them side by side and ask one question, "Did I love you to death, or were you dying to get away from me?" We shall have to wait for the answer but for most everyone who knew her well, we have some good guesses.

Sue is survived by her children: Rebecca (Patrick) Maloney, Central Valley; Richard (Carol) Eide, Logandale, NV; Russell (Kelli) Eide, North Las Vegas, NV; 12 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren; brother: Sam Austin, Boise, ID.

Preceded in death by her parents; husbands; sister, Lola Lee Austin and grandson, Austin James Eide.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. in the Monroe City Cemetery. Online guestbook at live streaming of the services can be found at www.maglebymortuary.com under Sue’s obituary. Friends may call at the Magleby Mortuary from 9 - 10:30 a.m. Feel free to dress casually. Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti.