'Suzie Had The Biggest Heart Anyone Could Have': Bridgewater Family Mourns

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — It was her kind soul and big heart that the Bridgewater community remembers most about Suzan "Suzie" Marie Hanna.

"Suzie had the biggest heart anyone could have. So many people said her heart was too big for this world," said Hanna's sister Kellie Hanna.

Hanna, who had just celebrated her 30th birthday the weekend before Hurricane Ida hit, was driving from her job in Flemington to her home in the Bradley Gardens section of Bridgewater during the storm. She tragically died in Raritan Township on Sept. 2 among the floodwaters.

Hanna's family is urging drivers to get a Safety Hammer for their cars "to prevent tragedies like this from happening again." The safety hammer can only be used to knock the side window of the car.

"She was truly my best friend and other half, and as she liked to say, my firstborn. We are so touched by the overwhelming amount of support family and friends and even strangers have shown us during this time. The stories they've shared of our Suzie are stories we will cherish forever," said Kellie.

Her Bridgewater family is also asking others to honor her legacy.

"As a family, we would love for Suzie's name and life to be honored by living life the way she did - by being kind, by being selfless, by being a light in someone's darkness."

"Anyone whose lives were touched by Suzie's words of wisdom or actions or support, we are asking you to help pay it forward in kindness in her namesake," said Hanna's mom Suheir. "Her light will never be dim and her light will forever shine."

Hanna graduated from Bridgewater Raritan High School in 2009 and went on to receive her Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice from Raritan Valley Community College.

She loved to crochet and always made a beautiful blanket for the newest family members' arrivals. She crocheted her niece Ava's first Halloween costume and outfits for her beloved dog Stitch.

She enjoyed spending quality time with her siblings Chrissie, Summer, Joey, and Kellie and brother in law Karl, but especially her niece Ava.

"Suzie and Ava shared a relationship and love that was comical. They fought like siblings, yet their love was something to be jealous of," according to her obituary.

What stands out the most is Hanna's willingness to help others no matter what.

"Suzie is the best child anyone could ask for. Even after work she would stop at home to make sure he didn't need anything. She took care of him no matter what. She was like his twin. She looked so much like him in so many ways," said Hanna's dad Nidal.

A funeral service was held on Sept. 10 at St. George Orthodox Church in Piscataway. She was buried at Hillside Cemetery in Scotch Plains.

Hanna's family also recently planted a weeping willow tree on the side of their home in her honor. The tree is nicknamed "The Suzie."

"For as long as we live, we will never let her light dim, we will keep her name alive by doing the things she would do," said Kellie Hanna. "Love and miss you forever, Suzie. Rest in heavenly peace, our beautiful angel."

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