About Suzie
When experts predicted most adults would have more than one career, they must have been thinking of me! I had seven jobs – all of them could have been life-long careers, and I am retired now. Most days my husband and I can be found in our gardens around our home in the country on 11 acres. I volunteer at a non-profit, Kress Farm Garden Preserve, and serve as the Secretary on their Board of Directors. My love of words was fostered early, so my mom’s decline with Alzheimer’s was particularly hard as she forgot simple words and most times we were left guessing what she was talking about. Of course, there’s a story behind that, too. Isn’t life one long story?
Keep reading if you want to know more about me than you ever thought you would!
• I am married to William John Kunderman, aka Bill, aka Billy, and we have a total of 5 adult children and 8 grandchildren.
• I am left-handed, but bat and play golf right-handed!
• Growing up I was the oldest, then my sister, Marianne, a brother, Jim, and another brother, Chris. We had a dog named Tigger, a Golden Retriever that my Aunt Bobbie bought for us, and a menagerie of pets we begged for - guinea pig, rabbit, hamster, mouse, and fish over the years.
• My Nicknames - Mocha, Grandma Suzie, and Gringa (Kids end up calling you whatever they want)
• I graduated from Affton High School in St. Louis, MO. The big question in STL is “What High School did you go to?” and no one really knows why! I graduated with a B.S. in Education from Southwest Missouri State University, now known as Missouri State.
• My favorite ice cream is Coffee Chocolate Chip. Really anything chocolate!
• I have so many causes. My mother survived breast cancer and died with Alzheimer’s disease, one brother died in a drunk driving accident, my husband had a kidney transplant, and I am a supporter of Mary’s House of Hope - A Safe Place that provides a safe haven for women and children after abusive situations.
• I completed the Master Gardener program through the Missouri Extension Office in Jefferson County in 2010.
• I volunteer at Kress Farm Garden Preserve, a wildlife and nature preserve dedicated to keeping fields and forests natural, promoting organic gardening and native plants.
• My 2 favorite sayings are “Kindness is Magic” and “Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful!”
• I have had so many careers – writing a book is the newest, but I have been writing since an assignment for English class in 9th grade taught by Mrs. Shelton. We had to watch TV and find as many words that were used instead of “WIN” as we could. I was pretty sure she used that to get the boys interested, but it hooked me on words. My job right out of college was teaching in Strafford, MO, then for St. Louis Special School District. I always said teaching kids to read, even when they throw up in your lap, was good training for anything! I left teaching to be a flight attendant for Ozark Airlines, got married, and had my first son, Ben. Ozark was bought by TWA and I kept flying until my second son, Jake, was born. I left and worked at a day care center. Through a series of events, including a divorce, I went to work in sales for my dad’s printing company, Scholin Brother’s Printing Co., and years later when he retired I became the President. I grew the company until an arsonist burned us to the ground. I took a bit of a break to see my boys grow into teen years and then did sales as a manufacturer’s representative. I decided to work closer to home and worked for Creative Expressions, a preschool near us. When my parents declined, I retired and helped them. My experiences throughout my life, but primarily these last 15 years, were all fodder for books. This probably isn’t the last!
• My favorite holiday – Halloween
• Superpower – Gardening
• Favorite trips:
U.S. – up the east coast from Boston to Acadia National Park on Highway 1
Europe – Paris, Rome, the Hellbrunn Palace trick fountain gardens in Salzburg