Lu Ann Stanley (Stapleton)
- August 7th, 2023
For my dear friend, Sue Bellmyer.
Sue and I met in Mr. Petry’s Health class where we sat next to each other and (probably) talked too much. I enjoyed Sue’s clever insights into people and events. She was wise, thoughtful, and had a great sense of humor. Sue was also easy to talk to, always optimistic, and a true friend.
Sue grew up with her siblings, Steve, Jim, Chris and Pat on E. Fifth St. directly across from Burkhardt Center. Her parents kept a happy home and the siblings were close throughout their lives. She adored her nieces who she taught to cook, bake, and sew, and her nephews who she loved to spoil. She moved to Louisiana in the late 1980s at the recommendation of her sister, Chris, where she soon met Bobby Teal, a charming Cajun and successful businessman. I was a bridesmaid at their New Orleans wedding wearing a beautiful pink dress that Sue designed and created.
Soon after, Bobby and Sue bought a home in a country club development in Slidell, Louisiana and welcomed the arrival of their son, Spencer, who had his father’s black hair and his mother’s blue eyes. Sue was in her late 30s when he was born and cherished every moment of motherhood.
In 1994, when I was pregnant with my son, Sue brought Spencer, then 2 years old, to Dayton and spent an afternoon with me while I was on a lengthy bedrest. She brought me a gift and we talked for several hours while Spencer played. It reminded me of another time when I was on a lengthy bedrest, when I was 18 and recovering from eye surgery, and Sue visited me with another gift, a piece of warm peach pie that her mother had just baked.
Only a few years later Sue called to tell me that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Her medical care was abysmal. Misdiagnosed, with testing, results, and treatments delayed, she suffered from our broken health care system as much as from an advanced and deadly cancer. She died at the age of 45.
Her funeral Mass was held at St. Charles Church in Kettering. She is buried at Calvary Cemetery with her parents.
Spencer is now in his 30s, still lives in Slidell, and remains close with Sue’s family. When I look at him, I see his mother. A wise, kind, and generous friend whom I dearly miss.