Douglas-Koons, Susan Beth (Douglas), RN, 51 of Richmond, beloved wife of Mark W. Koons and loving mother of Ryan D. Koons, passed on Friday morning, June 29, with her family by her side following a short illness. She was employed by the Dialysis Center of Warwick for 25 years, and worked as a dialysis charge nurse. She became a Registered Nurse following graduation from the Community College of Rhode Island Nursing Program in 1993. She attended The University of Rhode Island, was a graduate of Chariho Regional High School, Class of 1985, and was born in Westerly, RI.
Sue was the recipient of a kidney donation in 1983 from another family’s tragic loss in Alabama, and that kidney miraculously sustained her for 35 years, providing inspiration for her career of helping others and the formation of her family. Only recently did that kidney begin to fail, contributing to her sudden loss.
Sue was known to play a practical joke or two (hundred), had a sharp sense of humor and wasn’t one to pull any punches. She loved her life because of her friends and family, and her coworkers and patients helped make her days both amusing and fulfilling. She greatly enjoyed skiing, socializing, and relaxing with family, and especially shopping with her mother. In elementary school, she enjoyed following (literally) URI Soccer. She loved her animals, especially her dog Cali, who also recently passed, and was certainly ready to greet her with a wagging tail.
She is already intensely missed by all who knew her, especially her family. In addition to Mark and Ryan, she is survived by her mother and best friend, Marilyn F. (Dailey) Douglas, her father G. Stuart Douglas, Jr., her brother and his wife, Robert S. and Jamie V. (LaMountain) Douglas, and their sons Matthew and Connor, all of Richmond, RI; her father-in-law Ernest K. Koons of Florida; her sister-in-law Sharon (Koons) Fisher and husband John and their daughter Ashley of Indiana; her sister-in-law Barbara Koons-Witt and husband Ron and their children Andrew and Laura Witt of South Carolina, and brother-in-law Robert Koons also of South Carolina.
Her family wishes to express their thanks and appreciation to the doctors, nurses, and staff of Rhode Island Hospital for their care, effort, and compassion during this time.
Calling hours will be Sunday, July 8, 2018, from 2:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M at the S. R. Avery Funeral Home, 3A Bank Street, Hope Valley, RI. Burial will be held privately at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to Chariho Rotary Scholarship Fund, PO Box 543, Hope Valley, RI 02832 or the National Kidney Foundation (www.kidney.org).
If you aren’t already, please consider being an organ donor, and if you already are, accept a heartfelt “Thank You!” If you are truly special, please consider a living kidney donation. Had Sue survived this illness, a very special donor had already been matched to her, but many more wait with little more than hope, including a close family member. For more information, contact Rhode Island Hospital Transplant Center at 401-444-8562 or 888-444-0102 https://www.lifespan.org/centers-services/transplant-center/kidney-donation-process, or Yale-New Haven Hospital Center for Living Organ Donors at 866-925-3897, https://www.ynhh.org/services/transplantation/center-for-living-organ-donors.aspx
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