Sue Rohles

The youngest of the family, Sue was born in the small northern California town of Colusa to parents Robert J. and Della J. Tennant on June 20, 1944. She attended Colusa Elementary School and graduated from Colusa High School, class of 1962. While attending Colusa High, Sue was active in almost all school-sponsored activities, from sports to yearbook, where she was the editor. She participated in GAA, was a lifetime CSF member, played the clarinet in band, and acted in several theater productions, including the junior class play. She even wrangled her way onto the boys’ football players’ bus to travel to out-of-town games.

After graduation, Sue attended UC Davis and earned her BA degree in English. Unsure of what her next steps would be, Sue honed her waitressing skills at the Nut Tree in Vacaville. After a year, she put her degree to use and took a job with Pacific Bell in San Francisco as a technical editor. Not ready to settle down, she and her college friend, Nancy Klau, sold everything and set off for the adventure of their lives in their little white Volkswagen bug. They headed east, stopping wherever they wanted, for the next two years. When they ran out of money, they would get jobs as waitresses and continue their journey down the east coast. After Nancy met her soon-to-be husband, Sue set off for the west coast alone and stopped in Texas and worked for JC Penney’s to earn enough money to get home.

Sue soon built a solid career as an acclaimed technical editor. She worked for McGraw Hill Publishing Co. as an assistant supervisor and after two years realized that she could set her own future by establishing an independent technical editing company, SATCO. For the next 20 years she built her company with her proven ability to edit manuscripts and became known for her insistence on perfection as she worked with a wide variety of personalities. Clients included Pacific Bell, General Electric, California Fleet News, TRW Vidar, Accurex Corporation and DynCorp. While working with DynCorp she was offered an opportunity too good to pass up and took a position with ITT Industries. She retired in 2003.

Sue wasn’t all work and no play. While working with Pacific Bell, Sue met Barthel “Bart” Rohles and was swept off her feet. They married in 1973 and made their home in Santa Clara. Not only did Sue become a wife, but she became an instant mom to Bart’s five children, ages 6 to 18 years. Bart and Sue made a great team for 30 years and were immensely proud of their children’s educational and personal successes. They enjoyed weekends at their second home in Pacific Grove where Bart golfed and supported the Pebble Beach Pro Am and Sue, an excellent seamstress, spent many hours at her sewing machine.

Sue is predeceased by husband Bart Rohles, parents Robert J. and Della J. Tennant, brother Robert L. “Bob” Tennant, and daughter Ellen Cerone.

Sue was loved by many and will be sorely missed. She is survived by her loving sister, Nancy Potts and children Barthel “Buck” Rohles and his wife Jeanne, Ann Schwab and her husband Budd, Jean Brooks and her husband David, Frank Rohles and his wife Linda, and son-in-law Richard Cerone. A devoted grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of ten, Sue is also survived by many friends, neighbors, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A funeral service for Sue will be held Tuesday, November 28, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Lima Family Santa Clara Mortuary, 466 North Winchester Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95050. Visitation will be at 10:30AM. Sue will be laid to rest next to Bart at El Carmelo Cemetery, 68 Asilomar Drive in Pacific Grove, California on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 11 AM.