Jeanne Hope Suckling, 96

Jeanne Hope Suckling, 96, passed away on Monday, December 23, 2019, in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Private family services will be held this summer in Ludlow, Vermont, to inter her ashes. She will be laid to rest with her husband Bruce and her parents.

Jeanne was born on August 20, 1923, in Ludlow to Dr. Lewis ‘Doc’ Hope and Martha ‘Mattie’ Hope. She attended schools in Ludlow before attending Syracuse University. During the war Jeanne served in the U.S. Navy WAVES and worked as a dental hygienist and continued that work until her marriage.

On August 23, 1952, Jeanne married Bruce Suckling in Ludlow. Together they lived in Cavendish, Vermont; Southpoint, Ohio;, Huntington, Long Island, New York; Pittsford, New York; and Lititz, Pennsylvania; and raised three children. Together they enjoyed their children, collecting antiques, entertaining, traveling and their dogs. Bruce loved to paint and Jeanne loved to cook. Bruce died in 2003 and in 2005, Jeanne moved to Sandpoint to be near family. With her she brought a house full of antiques, her big dog Calvin and her East Coast wry humor.

Jeanne, with her companion Calvin, got to know her new home by meeting other dog owners in town as they walked the sidewalks of south Sandpoint. She would spend the warmer months on her front porch reading the Sunday New York Times and mystery novels and there was always a chair available for visitors. She was very independent and wasn’t afraid to tell people how she felt.

As she aged, she managed a fleet of workers that kept her gardens, trees, yard and her historic house in great shape. And because she was such a dog lover and had never lived without a dog she got a puppy at the age of 90! Toward the end of her life she had a great team of caregivers, and eventually hospice, which allowed her to die peacefully at home surrounded by the things she loved.

Jeanne is survived but her three children, Owen Marcus of Sandpoint, Martha Hope (Jim Thomson) of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and Scott (Cyndee) Suckling of Alpharetta, Georgia; two grandchildren, Ashley Hillman and Parker Suckling; and one great-granddaughter, Landon Jean Hillman.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Bruce and brother Robert Hope.

Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Jeanne’s online memorial at lakeviewfuneral.com and sign her guest book.