Susan Minihan

Susan “Sue” Babich Minihan , age 77 of the Town of Dunn, passed away peacefully at home with her husband and daughter at her side on Sunday, July 19, 2020. Sue was born on June 7, 1943 to William and Rita (Skerski) Babich in Presque Isle, Maine. Sue married the love of her life Edmond P. Minihan on June 25, 1965. They began married life in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and moved to the beautiful Town of Dunn, Wisconsin in 1972. With her husband Ed, who became the Town of Dunn Chair in 1979, she made many lifelong friends and helped to create a close-knit community of lovers of the land. Sue loved to travel all over the country and world with Ed and enjoyed life to the fullest in their 55 years of marriage. Sue enjoyed many beautiful times spent with her loving sister, Linda. Sue and Ed adopted their daughter Joanne, and Sue loved being a hands-on grandmother to Lena and Emma, sharing with them her love of nature, books, farmer’s markets, museums and musicals. Sue had a special way of making every day feel like a celebration. Sue loved to entertain and threw amazing parties. She excelled at helping her husband in all his many endeavors and enjoyed being his sous chef to create delicious and beautiful meals for friends and family. She was passionate about justice and equality in the world and was especially proud of meeting (and hugging) former Vice President Joe Biden.

Sue received her Registered Nurse degree in 1964 from Mercy School of Nursing in Detroit, Michigan, and later earned a MS degree in Labor Relations from UW-Madison. Sue was a nurse for over 50 years, specializing primarily in child psychiatric nursing. She was the Nurse Manager at clinics dedicated to autism and eating disorders, helping many people and families navigate through health crises. After receiving her Master’s degree, Sue became the Nursing Labor Relations Manager for UW-Hospital and Clinics. She also taught Labor Relations at Madison College for ten years. One of Sue’s favorite roles was being a Nurse Recruiter later in her career, hiring 1,100 nurse residents for UW-Hospital and Clinics. She had the gift of discovering the best and brightest nurses and knowing where they would fit best.

Sue is survived by her husband, Ed, daughter Joanne (Dean) Simon, Keshena, granddaughters Lena Simon, Madison and Emma Simon, Milwaukee, sister Linda Babich, Ann Arbor, Michigan, brother William (Nancy) Babich, Denver, Colorado, nieces Erin (James) Sherry, Belfast, Ireland and Anne Minihan, nephews Liam Minihan and Colin Minihan, and goddaughter Shannon Hawkins, St. Louis, Missouri. She is also survived by several cousins, and many beloved friends that were like family to her. Sue was preceded in death by her parents, infant sister Barbara, several special aunts, uncles and cousins, and many dear friends.

The family wishes to thank Agrace Hospice and Palliative Care for the excellence and compassion of their nurses and staff.

Honoring Sue’s wishes, a Celebration of Life will be held when it is safe to do so. In lieu of flowers, donations in Sue’s memory to Agrace Hospice, or the Joe Biden Presidential Campaign are encouraged.

Crawford Funeral and Cremation Service of Montello and Oxford is honored to be serving the family. www.CrawfordFH.com