Obituary of Suzanne M. Harper (Byrnes)

Suzanne Harper (Byrnes) was born in Jamaica, Queens to Doris and Joseph Harper on August 21, 1943.  She spent most of her childhood in Hollis, Queens with her two sisters, Linda and Moira.  The family eventually moved to Huntington, NY where she lived the rest of her life.  As a young adult, my mom joined the convent.  After a while, she realized this direction was not her true calling and never took her final vows.  She became a registered nurse and cared wholeheartedly for her patients.  She worked tirelessly to make sure her patients were comfortable and happy.  Sometimes this meant sitting bedside long after her shift ended to hold someone’s hand and comfort him or her. In return her patients taught her about life.  After her retirement from nursing, my mom pursued a lifelong dream of owning and running her own restaurant.  She was the proud owner of Miss Havisham’s Tea Shoppe in Huntington, NY.  At Miss Havisham’s she met many wonderful people and could fill a whole day recounting stories and fond memories from this endeavor.  My mom loved to garden, cook, write and was an amazing artist.  She loved animals, bugs and remained curious and in awe of nature.  She rarely gave herself credit for her special ability to do things and deeply touch others. My mom never fussed over achieving perfection she knew things were not perfect and accepted that as a part of life. She had the patience of a saint and remained thankful and content with what she had.  She loved this country and was a proud American Patriot.  As mothers do, she spent most of her days thinking and worrying about her children and grandchildren.  When my mom loved, she loved fiercely; when she believed or trusted, it was blindly.  On January 12, 2023, in my mom’s 80^th year, the world changed when she passed away.  She is survived by her children Elizabeth DiRaimo married to Steve DiRaimo and Luke Byrnes married to Janette Lee-Byrnes and her 4 grandchildren Modesto, Stefano, Skyla, and Isaac.  No services will be held.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests kindness to be paid forward. Godspeed mom, CAVU.