Susan Jean Mercer Costanzo

Susan Jean (Mercer) Costanzo, 64, of Wallingford, CT, beloved wife of Dino Costanzo, passed away at home surrounded by her loving family on July 11, 2022. She was born on September 13, 1957 in Marysville, OH, to Lester Mercer and the late Ann Mercer.

Susan – also known as Girl, Susie, Momma, Grandma, Aunt Sue, and Aunt Soup by the people who loved her best – devoted her life to sharing her kindness and love with others. She was a middle sister in a family of eight kids who grew up in Ohio and then New Milford, CT. She had her mother’s patience and blue eyes, her father’s stoicism and love of Nestle chocolate, and she was incredibly proud to be a sister to her siblings, appreciating each of their unique personalities.

As a design & resource major at the University of Connecticut, Sue was a loyal friend who fell in love with an Italian boy from Jersey before even realizing he was two years her junior. She and Dino were married in 1981 and lived happily in a series of charming old houses with little insulation or furniture, but endless supplies of love. Their relationship is the stuff of fairytales, truly, and together they’ve built a foundation of love, respect, and joy that has shaped, and will continue to shape, generations of their family. In 1984, and again in 1987, Sue and Dino grew their family; daughter Katie and son Nicholas were the lucky two who would know Sue’s unwavering love and fierce protection as a mother. She taught them, among many, many other things, to be confident in their ability to love and impact others. By all accounts, she and Dino raised two fairly well-adjusted kids who went on to marry two very well-adjusted people, Aaron and Kathy, who she embraced and celebrated as her own children. Together they’ve welcomed and are raising a noisy and smart and empathetic group of seven grandchildren. All seven loved their Grandma deeply and enthusiastically.

A long-time resident of Wallingford, CT, Sue was a healthcare administrator at Masonicare for over twenty years. True to style, she managed the organization’s Help Line, helping connect people with the resources and support they needed to navigate aging and health challenges. When she wasn’t with her family or at work, Sue could often be found in her garden, watering, weeding, and replanting (although, to be fair, she often outsourced those latter two tasks to her kids and husband). She loved flowers, especially the hardy kinds and the kinds that grew with enthusiasm and blatant disregard for boundaries.

She was a rule-follower with a strong appreciation for rule-breaking. She opened presents and made wishes and ate desserts and hugged her grandchildren slowly. Her goodness and kindness and love cannot be easily reduced to a few short paragraphs, but readers should know that there was no one better than Sue. Everyone who was privileged enough to have her in their lives know this truth, deeply and forever.

In addition to her husband, Dino, and father, Lester, Susan is survived by her children, Katie (Aaron) Burton and Nicholas (Kathryn) Costanzo; grandchildren, Jack, Samuel, and Evelyn Burton, and Isabella, Amelia, Elena and Nicholas Costanzo II; her siblings, Mike Mercer, Barb (Dan) Hartung, Pat (Mark) Boudreau, Jan (Rob) Strelez, Paul (Laurie) Mercer, Mary (Tom) Caldwell, Joe (Mary) Mercer; mother-in-law, Laura Costanzo; siblings-in-law, John (Carol) Costanzo, Vince (Karen) Costanzo, Dominic (Linda) Costanzo, Tony (Margaret) Costanzo, Paul (Cyndi) Costanzo, Steven (Carol) Costanzo; and dozens of nieces, nephews, and extended family members and friends. In addition to her mother Ann, Susan was predeceased by her sister-in-law, Holly Mercer and father-in-law, Dominic Costanzo.

Family and friends are invited to pay their respects on Thursday, July 28, 2022 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Alderson-Ford Funeral Home, 615 South Main St., Cheshire, CT. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, July 29, 2022 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Fatima Church, 382 Hope Hill Rd., Wallingford, CT. (Please meet directly at church.) Burial will follow at In Memoriam Cemetery, 28 Maplewood Ave., Wallingford, CT.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Susan's name may be made to Hartford Healthcare Cancer Institute at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, where she received skilled and compassionate care for many years. The Institute is located at 183 N. Mountain Rd., New Britain, CT 06053.