Margaret Woolley Busse

My favorite memory of Suzette actually occurred nearly exactly 10 years ago, since it was her 30th birthday celebration! I was so impressed by how empowered Suzette was (and is!). She decided to have a party where she registered for all the gifts she wanted—it was great!! And then, boy, was it a party!! Dancing and games at the Longfellow chapel (which burned down, sadly, last year!); surely it was THE event to be at. I also remember that I was glad to be included in THE event, because I was in the middle of such a hectic year in business school, and I felt a little disconnected to the ward. Suzette reached out to me, and helped me feel connected—not just by inviting me to that party, but by reaching out to me numerous times, and being my friend. It made a huge difference to me—particularly in that first year of business school—because even though I’d always had a strong testimony of the gospel, being so immersed in business school life took a toll on my testimony and so I was grateful to be pulled back into the ward community by Suzette. And she has remained a good friend—always sending little thoughtful notes and cards—even though we’ve been in different cities for many years now. Suzette is a unique individual with an extraordinary gift for friend-shipping people, amongst all of her other gifts, which include (but by no means are limited to!): intelligence, independence, level-headedness, self-empowerment, great sense of humor, and beauty (Suzette, do people ever tell you that you look like Maggie Gyllenhaal?!).

Thank you for being my friend, Suzette, and Happy 40th! It’s a good milestone.