Suzanne Bottum-Jones - Life for Suzanne Bottum-Jones was a dance shared step-by-step with Rick, her beloved husband of 37 years. Suzanne and Rick really did dance through life together. Whether they were out on the dance floor or home on their six-generation Wisconsin farm, they had a way of moving through everything side by side—changing course when they needed to, laughing when things went sideways, and somehow finding their rhythm again even in the hardest moments. And, of course, there was usually a little dramatic flair thrown in for good measure. That same warmth, humor, and huge capacity for love filled Suzanne’s family life. She adored Chase and his wife Lydia, Garrison and his wife Katie, and her daughter Levi Marie, and being “Nana” to Rio, Charlotte, Sadie, and Ellis- brought her so much joy. She loved them fiercely, encouraged them constantly, and had a way of making each of them feel seen, supported, and deeply loved. Suzanne’s work was never just a career to her. As a nurse, speaker, educator, consultant, and advocate, she spent years helping people understand that someone living with dementia, brain injury, or cognitive change was still fully a person — with a history, relationships, dignity, humor, preferences, and a lifetime of stories that still mattered. She empowered people to look beyond symptoms and medication and to really see the person in front of them. Suzanne believed deeply that illness might change how someone communicated or how others experienced them, but it did not erase who they were. She often talked about having “the power to see” — to look past what had been lost and notice what was still there: the life someone had built, the people they loved, the things they had accomplished, and the gifts they still had to offer. And really, that was Suzanne. She saw people. She paid attention. She cared. She showed up and stayed. She loved fiercely, gave generously, volunteered without hesitation, encouraged people when they needed it, and found plenty of reasons to celebrate the people she loved. She was a wife, mom, Nana, sister, aunt, nurse, teacher, advocate, volunteer, neighbor, and friend — but none of those titles quite captures the way she made people feel. Suzanne had a gift for making people feel noticed, valued, and cared for. She lived from a place of love. She chose joy above all. And that love and joy is her legacy — in her family, her friends, the people she cared for, the people she taught, and all of us who were lucky enough to be loved by her.

A Celebration of Life will be held October 25, 2026, from noon to 4:00 p.m. at American Wine Project, 802 Ridge Street, Mineral Point, Wisconsin. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to Gigi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Centers at www.gigisplayhouse.org