Susan (Sue) Anne Krauss Dewald passed away on January 30, 2025, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s. She is the widow of John P Dewald, who predeceased her in 2023 after 65 years of marriage.
Sue was born on March 3, 1937, in St Louis, MO, to Theodore & Verna Krauss and was the middle child of three daughters. Her sister, Carol Krauss Gast, lives in St Louis, MO, and she was pre-deceased by her younger sister, Jane Krauss Hibbetts.
Sue attended Ladue High School in St Louis, graduating in 1954, and was the school’s first homecoming queen, as the school had just opened just a few years prior. She attended Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, TX, received a BS degree in education, and desired to be a teacher. Sue was also an active member of Chi Omega Sorority. In 1956, she met John P Dewald on a blind date; the rest was history! John was in the US Air Force after graduating from Texas A&M University in 1955. They married on July 12, 1958, and lived in St Louis after marriage before relocating to Memphis, where they lived their remaining years.
She taught an elementary class in Ladue Schools (St Louis) and then at Grahamwood Elementary in Memphis for a few years before focusing on parenting their son, John P Dewald, Jr (Jack), and their daughter, Anne Dewald Quesnell.
Sue was filled with love for others and looked for opportunities to care for and serve. She had a positive outlook on life, loved to laugh, and looked for the best in people. She was always a gracious hostess and loved to entertain. Her openness towards others and her kind spirit enabled her to talk to anyone about anything. She was an active volunteer at Second Presbyterian Church and a Past President of the LeBonheur Club of Memphis. She also supported The Salvation Army, Kings Daughters, The Women’s Exchange, and many other ministries in the Memphis area. She will be remembered as a loyal and engaged friend, loving wife, mother & grandmother. Her love of the Lord was steadfast, and she was the walking definition of a woman in Proverbs 31: “Her children rise and call her blessed: her husband also, and he praises her.”
Sue and John were by each other’s side throughout their marriage. In 1967, when John entered the insurance business and began his own company, Sue supported them with accounting and other functions as they built their business, Agency Services, Inc (ASI). ASI was later sold to their son in 1994, and they retired. They enjoyed traveling the world, staying in touch with friends, volunteering, and grandparenting. They owned a cabin on the Spring River in Hardy, AR, where you could often find them fishing, canoeing, swimming, and enjoying time with friends and family.
Sue leaves her son John P. “Jack” Dewald, Jr (Beth), and her daughter Anne Dewald Quesnell (Mike), along with five grandchildren: JP Dewald, Josh Dewald, Hannah Quesnell Brady (Nick), Luke Quesnell, and Andrew Quesnell.
The family wishes to thank the entire staff at the Village of Germantown, where John and Sue lived for the last 15 years and enjoyed the fellowship of many friends. Services will be on Tuesday, February 11th, at Second Presbyterian Church. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m., and a Celebration of Life service will begin at 2 p.m. in the Chapel.
Instead of flowers, the family requests donations to The Salvation Army, 696 Jackson Avenue, Memphis, TN 38105. Arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38119 (901) 767-8930.
