Susan Catherine Doran, 57, of Briarwood and Queen of Peace parish passed away unexpectedly in the early morning hours of March 17, 2022. Born on November 7, 1964, Susan, the first child of Anne (Boyle) Doran and the late John Doran, Sr., was the best older sister to Stephanie Finocchio and John Doran, Jr. and their spouses, Chris Finocchio, Jr. and Amanda Doran. She was the favorite aunt of Chris James Finocchio III, Nicole Finocchio, David Finocchio, Veronica Finocchio, Sara Doran, and Johnny Doran, beloved niece of the late Mary Graham and cousin of Maureen Palumbo, Catherine Graham Robinson, the late John Graham, and Regina Raicovi.
Unofficially, Susan was the adored daughter of the late William and Margaret Morris, sister of Bernadette, Gwendolyn, Margaret, James, and Edmund, and aunt of JJ, Chippy, Matthew, John, Declan, Samantha, Conor, Bridget, Edmund Jr., Audrey, and Andrew.
Raised in Ridgewood, Queens, Susan graduated from Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Grammar School, Christ the King High School, and Queens College with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She excelled in her career of children’s book production; a connoisseur of end papers, bindings, boards, and fonts. She worked for several publishing houses, most recently at MacMillan. Susan had the same job for more than 30 years, but as her colleagues in the publishing industry can relate, her companies kept getting bought and sold.
A fantastic chef, “Sue Babe” admired Martha Stewart (even after prison). Her family and friends will miss her elaborate and delicious Martha-inspired holiday dishes, most especially her famous guacamole! She was an adventurous world traveler, having visited nearly every continent. Some of her exciting destinations were the Great Pyramids of Giza and six of the Seven Wonders of the World: The Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the Colosseum, Machu Picchu, Petra, and Chichen Itza. Sue Babe was a fan of Princess Diana and the British Monarchy. She was unsure of how she felt about Camilla as Queen, but was willing to give her a chance.
Her faith was the foundation of her life and she lectored for more than 30 years at both Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Queen of Peace parishes.
Susan will be waked on Tuesday, March 22 from 2p to 5p and 7p to 9p at Hess Miller Funeral Home, 64-19 Metropolitan Avenue, Middle Village, NY 11379.
Susan’s Mass of Christian Burial will be on Wednesday, March 23 at 1030a at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, 62-81 60th Place, Ridgewood, NY, 11385.
In lieu of flowers – just kidding, Sue Babe loved flowers and understood an essential part of any Irish wake was the judging of the flowers, so please feel free to send to Hess-Miller Funeral Home.
Words cannot express the hole left in our hearts by the loss of Susan – a genuinely kind, extraordinarily selfless, and truly generous person.
