Suzanne Marie Knott

Suzanne Marie Knott was born on July 13, 1977, and died on August 13, 2023, after a brief illness. She was born in Columbus, Ohio to H. Christopher Knott and Anna Florentine-Knott and grew up in Grandview Heights, Ohio.

Suzanne is survived by her beloved family members including her mother (Derek Hansford), numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is also survived by the love of her life, David Rectenwald and her adopted family of Rectenwalds’ and Ernsts’, whom she loved and adored. She leaves behind her cherished friends group including Kristen Santel whom she thought of as a sister. She is preceded in death by her father and all her grandparents.

She was a 1995 graduate of Grandview High School where she was a cheerleader, competed in gymnastics, and worked in the High School Athletic Office with Larry Larson. She graduated from Eckard College in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1999 where she majored in Business with a Sports Management Concentration, was a cheerleader, and worked in the college’s Athletic Office.

She returned to Columbus after college and interned for the Blue Jackets in the fan development area during their first few years. She also worked for Lazarus during this time and was promoted to store manager, then decided to take a position at the Ohio State University Medical Center Department of Surgery in the patient care area. After 3 years, she transferred to the Department of Neurosurgery and, under the direction of Dr. Carole Miller, assisted in the creation of a neurosurgery residency program that was a model for a nationwide certification program for neurosurgery residency coordinators.

After 5 years, she transferred back to the Department of Surgery where she assisted Dr. William Carson, her all-time favorite boss, as an administrative assistant for several years until he took over Faculty Affairs for the department. She was promoted to Program Manager and in her role she completely redesigned and rejuvenated the academic advising program and promotion and tenure process for the department. She developed templates that are used by the entire College of Medicine and provided lectures for the college on the promotion and tenure process. She initiated and helped to lead an effort at the Stephanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center to reduce the time it takes to schedule operations of breast cancer patients undergoing multiple concurrent procedures. She was awarded the coveted Ohio State Distinguished Staff award in 2020. Suzanne loved her job and thrived at Ohio State. She was grateful for the love and support she received from Dr. Carson and enjoyed quoting his many sayings; “can’t hurt, might help” was one of her favorites.

Suzanne took great pride in helping her family and friends navigate the medical system. She was always there to help anyone; many were grateful to her and called it one of her “superpowers.” Suzanne, or Sue as Dave and most all of her friends called her, took great care of her friends and family and nurtured her relationships.

She began competing in amateur figure body building in 2005. She competed on the amateur stage with her first overall figure win at the Natural Ohio Women’s Figure in 2008, earned her IFBB pro card in 2011 with a win at the IFBB North American Figure Championship, and was selected to compete at the Arnold Figure International in 2012, which was a major accomplishment.

She enjoyed weightlifting, yoga, and bike riding and took great care of her wellness. She loved music, listening to CD 92.9 FM, and going to festivals with Dave and her friends and would travel the country—but only for the perfect lineup! Suzanne was often referred to as “Sporty Spice” and even more frequently as “Planning Spice,” as she was the ultimate party and vacation planner. Her friends often found themselves lying back and relaxing in preparation for trips, as “Planning Spice” would leave no stone unturned. She loved her travels to Florida and spending time on the beach with Dave and his sister Karen. Among some of her favorite trips were accompanying her maternal grandparents and mother to France for a journey to visit her grandmother’s relatives, traveling around Portugal with her mother and Derek, swimming in the Blue Holes off Andros Islands, and the Buckeye for Cancer Cruises with Dave. Most of all, she was the consummate gift giver. She could always find the most perfect gifts all year round for her family and friends and found much joy in doing so.

It’s an understatement to say Suzanne was a sports fan. She interned for the 1999 NCAA Final Four in Tampa, Florida when Ohio State played UConn. Her mother often tells the story that as a struggling college student she would not sell her tickets despite being offered $10,000 for the 4 tickets she had in a row (she did sell two for $4,000) because most of all she wanted to be at the game. Suzanne was always first in line for Ohio State bowl games, tailgating, and celebrating the teams across Ohio that she loved so much. She took great pride in helping to secure tickets for her friends.

Her two passion projects were serving as lead volunteers for both Pelotonia (was also a rider for a few years) and Camp Lionheart, a local grief camp for children, for 10 years. Her compassion for others, expert planning, and organizing skills were invaluable to both organizations.

Suzanne was full of life, full of joy, and will be greatly missed by everyone who knows her.

Memorial service will be held at 2 PM on Tuesday, August 29, 2023 at SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST, 1740 Zollinger Road, Upper Arlington, Ohio 43221, where a visitation will follow from 3-5 PM.

If you would like to make a donation, please consider contributing to Suzanne’s Pelotonia (https://www.pelotonia.org/profile/SK0011), to Camp Lionheart (www.camplionheart.org), or to a charity of your choice.