Susan van Riel (Fitzpatrick), age 63, of Canton, Massachusetts and Hamilton Parish, Bermuda passed away February 25th surrounded by her loving family at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Beloved wife of Boy, mom to Helen Joan van Riel of Canton and Grace Ann Ortiz and her husband Luis of Atlanta, GA, and sister to Princess Auntie Ann Norton of England.
Born, raised and educated in Birmingham, England, Sue held various positions in the hospitality industry before moving to Bermuda in 1985 where she met her future husband, Boy. Sue lived in Amsterdam from 1986 to 1988 before settling in Boston, Massachusetts. Sue and Boy were long time residents of Canton, Massachusetts, where they raised their daughters Helen and Grace. They moved back to their beloved Bermuda in 2014.
Sue was loved by her family and friends and was a lifelong volunteer for various charities including the Massachusetts Association for the Blind, the Women’s Lunch Place in Boston, and most recently, the UNESCO World Heritage Center in St. George’s, Bermuda. She will be fondly remembered and celebrated by her families in England, Holland and Australia, her friends at the IWC in Bermuda and her book club friends and her Patriots family in New England.
Visiting hours are at the Dockray & Thomas Funeral Home at 455 Washington Street, Canton on Thursday, February 28 from 4-8PM. All are encouraged by Sue to wear your brightest outfits. Funeral service and cremation private. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to the Women’s Lunch Place, PO Box 170900, Boston, MA 02117.