Susan Paccione

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Susan Williams Paccione, on April 23, 2025 in Littleton, Colorado at the age of 85.

Susan is survived by her three children: Anthony, Angela, and Michael, her six grandchildren, Franki, Anaïs, Armani, Alana, Mason, and Sawyer. In addition, she is survived by six of her seven siblings: Yvonne, Phil, Maurice, Russell, Barry, and Dominick, and their families, her nieces and nephews. The eldest sibling, Albert, was deceased in 1988.

Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Susan (born Rebecca), graduated from Saint Pius Commercial High School- a prep school for executive secretaries in the 1950s - as one of the only Black girls amongst mostly Irish Catholic girls from which she learned the Irish jig. She went on to become one of the first Black women to work on Wall Street in New York City. She was a true professional woman who dressed to the nines and wore her make up and hair perfectly coiffed. As a legal secretary for most of her life, Susan worked for some of the top lawyers and law firms in Manhattan (including Raoul Felder – look him up!). While working, she raised three amazing children with the help of her mother & father, Norma and Willie (Felix) and her siblings. She married Mike Paccione, an Italian computer programmer who was smitten with Susan and from whom she has been widowed for 11 years. They were married nearly 50 years. With Mike’s initiative, the family moved further and further north of the Bronx over the years with their last residence being in Forestburg, New York.

Throughout her lifetime, Susan was a no-nonsense, feisty, professional woman with an independent spirit. She played the piano and loved to sing. She wore silver and Marcasite rings on every finger. She also loved photography and had a creative eye. Finding and collecting pretty stones was a hobby and she even dabbled with making jewelry. Susan used public transportation to make a way to get to every function and every activity to which she was invited. In addition, her daughter took her to many countries around the world. Susan traveled to Rome, Paris, London, Venice, Milan, Geneva, and Cairo. She visited her daughter in Colorado often over the past 40 years and even served as her legislative aide at the state capital in Denver. Soon after Susan retired, she moved to Colorado to live with her daughter. She enjoyed sitting on the porch with her cat, reading contemporary celebrity magazines. During her first 7.5 years in Colorado, Susan navigated the western state to satisfy her independent spirit.

For the past 4.5 years, Susan has been valiantly surviving a debilitating stroke with the help of her daughter, sister, and caregivers. Throughout her post-stroke survival, Susan has demonstrated her indomitable strength, feistiness, sense of humor, and will to live. Every morning she and her daughter would sing Bill Withers song, “Lovely Day” and every evening her daughter would remind her that she was safe, comfortable, and loved. While resting after finishing breakfast with her sister, Susan passed peacefully and with no pain in the early afternoon of April 23, 2025. She will be dearly missed by her loving family. Rest in Peace.