Susan Ann Bitzer Mahar, a longtime resident of Westport, died May 15 from complications due to the coronavirus. She was 91.
Susan Mahar longtime Westporter. Contributed photo
Sue was the youngest of three daughters born to Charles and Grace Bitzer and grew up in Bridgeport and ultimately Easton.
After high school she attended Russell Sage College in Troy, New York where she met her future husband, Russell Mahar who was attending nearby Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. They were married on Feb. 7, 1948 and started their lives together.
Not long after their second child was born they moved to Westport to be closer to her family.
Soon after her husband’s death in 1982, she explored her passion for volunteering starting with the Westport Chapter of the American Red Cross taking on the “thank you” table at the local blood donation drives.
She was also active in her church, Greens Farms Congregational as well as joining one of the local Westport PEO chapters.
Some of her favorite activities were at the Westport Woman’s Club where she was a member for decades. Sue spent many hours working on the Communities Services committee, RSVP Knitting and the Food Closet over the years. She especially liked Tuesday night Bunco and attended well into her 80s.
Sue will be missed and is survived by her two daughters, Karen Mahar of Westport and Nancy Blair (Tripp) of Norfolk, Massachusetts and two granddaughters Heather Sipsma (Jamie) and Kate Latham (Tim) as well as five great grandchildren: Natalie, Christopher and Emily Sipsma and Ryan and Drew Latham.
The family would like to extend their grateful thanks to the Carolton Chronic & Convalescent Hospital most especially to the nurses of the West Wing, who made this challenging time easier for all of us. Services will be private and held at a future date.
