Susan Sharon Spiegel

Susan was born June 7, 1943 in Detroit, Michigan to Nathan and Lucille Goldberg. However, she grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She went to Senn High School and graduated in 1960, just before she and her parents moved to San Diego, California where she met her future husband, Michael Spiegel. They were married on November 25, 1962 in San Diego.

They planned their honeymoon in Monte Carlo, and took the SS United States across the Atlantic, instead of flying. It was the first time she had ever been on a ship and the first time she had ever been out of the US except for short trips she took to visit her aunts and uncles in Canada.

Although they had planned to fly back to California, they decided to drive from New York to California. She enjoyed seeing the United States through the rural routes (before the Interstate system was developed) they travelled, and she developed love for travel that would last through her entire life.

After several years of trying to conceive, they adopted their first son, Marc in 1967. Three years later they adopted their second son, Stephen. Their third son, Damon, was born to them exactly six years after Marc's birth date.

They moved to Los Angeles in 1969 for Michael's work. In 1975, he received an offer to work overseas, and after long discussions and deliberations, she agreed. She was a small town girl at heart, and the cultural shock of Algeria, their first posting almost ended their overseas adventures. From a small apartment in Sidi Faruch they were transferred to the Ivory Coast. The warm reception, the gentle people, the warm climate and easy life solidified her like of the overseas life and she acclimated to it as a duck takes to water. She spent the next 20 years, off and on, in family postings across the globe including Senegal, Morocco, Bangladesh, Thailand, Haiti, Turkey and Mozambique.

Her favorite city in the world was Paris. Because of Michael's work in West Africa, she visited that city multiple times and was as familiar with it as any place she had lived in in the US. She enjoyed walking on the Champs Elysees and stopping at one of the many cafes dotting the boulevard for a "petit cafe" or a kir.

She was an entrepreneur at heart, and in the times she was in the United States during those years, she had a needlepoint shop, a cookware shop and a shipping store. At the time of her untimely death, she had a stamp store on EBay.

She loved her family, and she looked forward to cooking for family dinners, especially for Thanksgiving. She would spend the week baking and cooking.

Later in life, after her grandchildren were born, she doted on them as any grandmother would. She enjoyed their company immensely, and looked forward to be with them as much as possible. There was no request from them that she would or could refuse.

She was bright beacon of life and love that will be sorely missed.

Susan is survived by her husband of 58 years, Michael Spiegel, Son Marc Spiegel & Susan, Son Aaron Spiegel, Son Damon Spiegel & Aldona, 4 grandchildren: Danielle, Addison, Dorian and Alena and Sister Lee Whaley.

A celebration of her life will be held on the 24th of September 2020 at 5:00 PM at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home, 4525 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TX 77401.

Flowers can be sent to Levy Funeral Directors, 4539 Bissonnet, Bellaire, TX 77401 or donations can be made in honor of Susan to the American Cancer Fund or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.