SUSAN “SUE” ELLEN CROZIER
It is with deep love and heavy hearts that the family of Susan “Sue” Ellen Crozier announces her peaceful passing on December 23, 2025, in her 87th year. Surrounded by her family at the North Bay Regional Health Centre, Sue concluded a life defined by resilience, warmth, and an extraordinary gift for connection.
Sue had a decades long history of overcoming health challenges, including a rare kidney disease and a resulting major stroke at 52, but finally succumbed to complications of kidney failure. Her fortituderesilience in meeting these challenges was an inspiration to us all.
Sue was born in Winnipeg on Aug 4, 1939, the daughter of Ellen “Dolly” Gibb and Dave Gibb, and the sister of Eleanor Duggan (Terry) (predeceased by all). Raised in Fort William, ON (now Thunder Bay), she moved to North Bay in 1959 to marry Dave Crozier, her husband of almost 48 years who passed away in 2007.
Sue is survived by her four children – Jane Wilkinson (Derek) of North Bay, Jim (Kerry) of Calgary, David of Enderby, BC and Marcie Crozier (Peter Kastner) of Tappen, BC. She was also a proud grandma to Michael Wilkinson (Jasmine), Ryan Wilkinson (Kathryn) and Kyle Wilkinson (Emily), and to Tristan Crozier (Alexandra), Maxwell Crozier (Isla) and Julianne Crozier, and to Spencer Crozier-Campagnolo, Graham Crozier-Campagnolo and Ivy Anhel (Nico and 2 daughters). She is also survived by her brother-in-law Don Crozier (Ann) in Bathurst, NB and many nieces and nephews across the country with whom she stayed quite connected.
She was very entrepreneurial and often the top salesperson and recruiter in Canada for Vanda Beauty Counselor for two decades and later also for Tops and Trends clothing. She had a wide circle of friends as a result of these businesses and was always keen to come up with the next great business idea. Some of those ideas involved crafting and sewing. A talented seamstress, her most cherished project was designing and hand-beading her daughter Jane’s wedding dress with the help of a circle of dear friends.
Sue was a wonderful cook who knew how to stretch a dollar with canning and freezing vegetables from their garden and fruit from market vendors. Dave was an avid fisherman on Lake Nipissing and she and Dave were often the last boat on the lake from the time the four kids were young until they were long out of the house. When space for a growing family was limited, she and Dave boldly ventured ahead in 1972 and doubled the size of their Martin St house on their own with the help of their children and friends.
Sue certainly did believe that “a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet” which did make family trips a bit embarrassing for her children. But we all admired our parents’ solid network of friends, many of whom were lifelong. Sue was truly a great connector. Dave and Sue loved their road trips driving coast to coast to coast often with friends and visiting other friends and relatives. They also travelled with Jim’s Pinehill hockey team to Russia before the Berlin Wall fell and to Germany the year Dave was president of the North Bay Rotary Club.
When her mother Dolly reached 100, she moved from Thunder Bay to be with Sue and Dave in North Bay, and with plenty of help and advocacy from Jane and Derek and visits from the Wilkinson boys, Sue and Dolly were able to live on their own until 2018 when they moved to Cassellholme. Dolly passed away at 114 years old in 2019, the oldest person in Canada and North America – an extra long life thanks to the companionship and care of Sue, Jane and Derek and a great home care team. Sue was a seven and a half year resident of Cassellholme and we thank their team for their care over the years. She remained curious and engaged, and was thankfully spared dementia; her care needs were medical and physical.
Sue and Dave were avid followers of their children and grandchildren’s sports games. They followed son Jim’s Cornell hockey career and Michael, Ryan and Kyle’s hockey and high school games avidly. Her enthusiasm for hockey continued, following Tristan, Max and Julianne’s college and pro hockey careers online. One of the last conversations Sue shared was about her grandson Max Crozier’s active career with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In a final moment of poetic timing, the last video Sue watched was of her grandson Max scoring his first NHL goal for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Sue touched a lot of lives, was inspirational and intensely loving and caring to both family and friends. Safe travels Mom.
Cremation has taken place, and a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date this spring. In lieu of flowers, donations appreciated to a charity of your choice or to the Cassellholme Charitable Foundation dedicated to Sue’s memory for Resident Activities ( see cassellholme.ca/donate ) or to a charity of your choosing will be gratefully appreciateda future park bench in North Bay in memory of Dave and Sue..
Online condolences can be made at www.mcguintyfuneralhome.com
