Susie Danielson (nee Babington), 62, passed away at St. Anthony's Hospital in Rockford on September 12, 2014, surrounded by family and friends, after receiving the last rites from the Catholic Church.  She lived the past two and one-half years as a quadriplegic demonstrating grace and courage in the face of adversity.

Susie was born July 21, 1952, to William Jr. and Maxine (nee Reis) Babington, in Macomb, Illinois.  In 1968, Susie's parents, both educators, relocated their family to Crystal Lake, Illinois.  Upon graduating from Crystal Lake Community High School in 1970, Susie attended Western Illinois University where she was a member of the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority and graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education.  Later in her career Susie acquired a Master's Degree from Concordia University.

In 1974 Susie began a long and dedicated teaching career at North Elementary School in Crystal Lake.  She spent her entire thirty-four years educating fourth and sixth-graders at North, retiring in 2008.  She left an indelible mark both with her students and coworkers (teammates).  Her legacy included merging outdoor education with the classroom curriculum.  She took great pride leading her classes on many field trips off campus at McHenry County Conservation sites.  In conjunction, her classes planted prairie vegetation native to Illinois throughout Sternes Woods and numerous other areas of Crystal Lake.

On August 20, 1977, Susie married her soulmate for life, Kim Danielson at Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Crystal Lake.  They traveled extensively throughout their marriage, having a particular fondness for McGregor, Minnesota, where they had a cabin for many years, Green Valley, Arizona, where they vacationed with family often, and South Bend, Indiana, where they held season tickets for their beloved Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  They also traveled the country enjoying her favorite pastime, golf.  Susie had a tremendous passion for the links, and acted as a true ambassador for the game, drawing many ladies to the sport.  As chairperson for several Susan G. Komen breast cancer charity golf outings, she was instrumental in raising over $100,000 for the charity at Timber Pointe Golf Club in Poplar Grove, Illinois.  She accomplished this in addition to winning many local tournaments, club championships and friends' quarters on the course.  Susie also cherished her time with the gals at book club, golf leagues and volleyball.

To know Susie was to love her.  She touched too numerous friends, family, and students to quantify.  She was a true social butterfly (just like her mother) and will be fondly remembered as such.  One would be hard-pressed to find a more genuine soul.

She is survived by her loving husband, Kim, dog and companion "Sugar", brother Patrick (Cindy) Babington of Greencastle, Indiana and their children Kyle and Kate; brother William III (Pam) Babington of Crystal Lake and their sons Jeffrey and Todd;  her longtime friend and caregiver, Rose Volpendesta and many other family and friends. Susie was preceded in death by her parents, William Jr. and Maxine Babington.

An informal gathering of family and friends will take place at Timber Pointe Golf Club, 5750 Woodstock Rd. Poplar Grove, IL 61065 on Tuesday, September 23, 2104 from 4:00-7:00 pm.

Memorial Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, October 3, 2014 in St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 451 Terra Cotta Avenue, Crystal Lake, IL

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation at ww5.komen.org or the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (A.A.I.M.) at www.aaim1.org.