Suzanne Anker Obituary

SUZANNE GAYLE ANKER
February 20, 1946 ˜ September 1, 2025

Suzanne Gayle Anker (79) passed away on Sept 1, 2025, in Portland, OR, after several months of frustrating failing health. She was born on Feb. 20, 1946, in Sioux Falls, SD. Her parents, Helen Gayle (McMahon) and Reginald May, older brother, Steven May, and her husband of 35 years, John Anker, preceded her in death; as did her first husband, John Kramer. She is survived by her remaining siblings, Sheila Avery (James) and Scott May (Divina) and her children.
Sue graduated in 1964 from Richmond High School and studied at Contra Costa College in Richmond, CA, where her family lived while she was growing up. She married in 1966, and her small family migrated to Eureka, CA, and later in early 1970s to Ridgefield, WA. Sue was a stay-at-home Mom for a while, then later worked as a receptionist at a church, then in the finance dept. of Columbia Machine in Vancouver, WA, where she met and later married John Anker in 1979.
Sue and John blended their families of her son, David Kramer (Kellie), and daughter, Sara Kramer Kuhn, with his two boys, Douglas and Ross Anker (Vilma), to live in Portland, OR. She retired from her billing supervisory role at Bonneville Power Administration in 2003. Sue took up fishing and family camping trips and loved doting on her growing family of grandchildren, Madison and Brooklyn Kuhn, Victoria Leonetti (Mario), Jeff, Christian, Kenny (Ashley) Kramer, and Cameron Medina, as well as eight great-grandchildren, niece and nephew. Sue was widowed in 2012 after giving several years of loving dementia care to her husband, John.
Suzanne was an avid reader, never saw a thrift store she couldn’t enjoy, puttered in her yard, catered to her cats and laughed at BritBox shows. She was a regular volunteer with Society of St Vincent de Paul food bank and held offices in Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women (ACCW). She was a very active member for 46 years at St. Therese Catholic Parish as a Eucharistic Minister and other ministries. Sue enjoyed her travels and cruises to the Philippines, Europe and many US cities. She seldom met a child or adult that she wouldn’t care for or try to support financially as she was able. She truly lived the command to Love your God and Love Your Neighbor as yourself.
Memorial donations in lieu of flowers may be made to Oregon Right to Life or The Grotto in Portland or Society of St Vincent de Paul food bank or St. Therese Parish, 1260 NE 132nd Ave, Portland, OR 97230.
A celebration of life will be held at Evergreen Memorial Garden Cemetery, 1101 NE 112th Ave., Vancouver, WA on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at 12:30 p.m.
Please share a memory @ www.columbian.com/obits