Susan Elinor Pearce

“Sue,” “Q,” “Mom,” “Grams” was born on June 26th, 1959 in Mount Clemens, MI to Paula and William von Kampen, older sister to Kurt von Kampen. She resided in Chandler, AZ and was 58 years old when she passed away on Thursday, May 17th 2018 at Banner University Medical Center, Phoenix surrounded by her family. Sue married Vernon Owen Pearce, Jr. on 10/26/1985 in Mount Clemens, MI. She had a B.S. in Social Work from Valparaiso University and a Master of Social Work from Western Michigan University. She is survived by her husband, Vern Pearce; her 4 children: Kimberly Nicole Pearce, Benjamin Adam Pearce, Stephanie Elyse Pearce, and Zachary William Pearce; her three grandchildren: Sophia Rose Pearce, Ozias Prosper Pearce, and Marvel Iomi Pearce; her father, William Edward von Kampen; sibling Kurt Edward von Kampen and his wife Doris Noël von Kampen; and her nieces and nephews: David William von Kampen, Paul Michael von Kampen, Rachel Elizabeth von Kampen, and Andrea Kristine von Kampen. She is preceded in death by her mother Paula Emily von Kampen, and her grandparents: Edward von Kampen, Margaret von Kampen, Albert Sachtleben, and Elenora Sachtleben.

Sue transformed many lives throughout her time on Earth and she was an advocate for trauma informed care. She loved the outdoors and camping and her family always came first.

Sue was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in November 2017, 8 years after her first diagnosis of breast cancer. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, please make donations in her honor to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at www.give.bcrf.org.