Suzanne Gary Katz

Suzanne Gary Katz, age 89, passed away on February 26, 2025, in Plano, Texas. She was born on January 9, 1936, in the City of Dowagiac, Michigan to Donald Edward Gary and Beulah Anona Gray Gary. Suzanne was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan and graduated from Ann Arbor High School in 1953 and received a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Michigan in 1957.

She married Marvin LaVerne Katz on September 10, 1955, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The couple moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in November 1960 and eventually settled in Dallas, Texas in July 1969. Marvin and Suzanne had three children (Laura Suzanne, Donald Eric, and Stephen LaVerne).

Suzanne was a teacher at heart, having taught in the Ann Arbor Public Schools from 1957 to 1959, and then as a substitute teacher for the Richardson Independent School District (suburb of Dallas). Her teaching legacy is most notable in Norwegian Rosemaling decorative painting from the mid-1970s until 2012. She was a leader in the field with her work having been featured in both the Dallas Morning News and Dallas Life Magazine. Her family will treasure the hundreds of pieces of rosemaled art she created over her lifetime, along with numerous hand-made quilts, crocheted blankets, and home decor.

Suzanne’s other great joy beyond her family was the many dogs she cared for in her lifetime. She owned many breeds throughout her life including basset hounds and dachshunds but found her kindred spirit in West Highland Terriers.

Suzanne also volunteered for numerous organizations throughout her life including the PTA for Prestonwood Elementary School, Network Community Services, Richardson Crisis Line, Contact Dallas, Prestonwood Community Club and P.E.O. She was a long-term active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Richardson, where she served as an elder of the church and a member of the church’s Women’s Circle and Book Club.

She is preceded in death by her father (Donald Edward Gary), mother (Beulah Anona Gray Gary), and her loving husband of over 64 years (Marvin LaVerne Katz).

She is survived by one brother, three children, 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren: brother, Bruce Ladd Gary (Hereford, AZ); daughter, Laura Katz Duke, of Plano, TX, married to Damon Duke, with children Matthew Duke, Megan Duke Lewis (married to Christopher Lewis, with children Lorelai, Adalaide, and Finnian), Zachary Duke (married to Kathrine Schmidt Duke, with children Abigail, Noah, and Joshua), Jacob Duke, Hannah Duke Petty (married to Timothy Petty, with son Gregory), and Caroline Duke (all live in the DFW metroplex); son, Donald Katz, of Dallas, TX, married to Kathleen Doyle Katz, with children Eric Katz (married to Bichlien Nguyen) (Seattle, WA), Nicholas Katz (Boulder, CO) and Madalyn Katz Hedrich (married to Michael Hedrich) (Denver, CO); and son, Stephen Katz, of Austin, TX, married to Janet Katz, with children Anna Katz (Tulsa, OK), and Lila Katz (married to Joseph B. Katz) (Colorado Springs, CO).