Susan M. Shurilla 1952-2025

She was born May 21, 1952, in Youngstown, a daughter of the late Edward and Helen Hanisko O’Hatnick.

Susan was one of the most thoughtful and caring people you could meet. She was always willing to volunteer to make cookies for a Youngstown cookie table or to bring a meal to someone going through a hard time. For several years, she volunteered serving meals at the Dorothy Day house. Susan recently finished writing a cookbook so others could make her delicious pies. Thanksgiving meals were a favorite of hers to prepare, with all the homemade classics and the best gravy to drizzle on top.

Susan prioritized her faith, attending church weekly with her husband; she renewed her Catholic faith as an adult so that she could better understand God’s teachings.

She spent over 20 years as a preschool teacher at The Child Care and Learning Center of New Middletown and loved watching her students grow, both in her class and beyond, often being invited to attend their high school graduations.

She also prioritized her family, immediate and beyond. Susan had a way of making new family members feel welcome and comfortable, and commemorated special occasions with thoughtful keepsakes or handwritten notes. She called relatives in France faithfully every Sunday morning.

But her greatest joy by far was her granddaughter, Hannah, who was blessed to be cared for by Susan two days a week for the first three years of her life. Susan, who Hannah called “Baba,” was an integral part of Hannah’s life, always putting together seasonal sensory bins or bringing new art supplies or books, and taking Hannah to library story time every week. She also supplied nearly all of Hannah’s very stylish clothing and always wanted her to have just the right outfit; she had already purchased Hannah’s Easter dress for this year, in fact.

She leaves behind her beloved husband of 50 years, Stephen; her daughter, Emily (Joshua) Montgomery of Strongsville; her only grandchild, Hannah Montgomery; brother, Robert (Suzanne) O’Hatnick of Baltimore, Maryland; sister, Nancy (Terrence) Brown of Palm Harbor, Florida; as well as many beloved family members and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Friday, May 9, 2025, at St. Paul the Apostle Church, 10143 Main St., New Middletown, OH 44442, and will be followed by a celebration of life in the church hall.

Susan always said she wanted a party when she died, and that is what we are planning!

Please come dressed in spring colors, ready to share your memories, dance a little if you are so inclined and eat some pie in her honor.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Cunningham-Becker Funeral Home. Please visit www.beckerobits.com to send the family condolences and share your memories.

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