Mill Creek Towne resident for nearly 50 years and wonderful neighbor Sue Richardson, died from heart complications on April 26, 2025, surrounded by her husband of nearly 70 years, Ray, and family. Sue and Ray met at the University of Cincinnati and bonded over a love of music, dancing, dreams of travel, and sharing the same birthday. It was only last May (2024) that many family members, friends, and neighbors celebrated Sue and Ray’s 90th birthdays at a party at their home on Caddy Court. Sue was a 1st grade and piano teacher (she had been classically trained at the Music Conservatory in Wooster, Ohio) when they wed.
Ray’s work took them to Oklahoma, Minnesota, Arkansas, and Utah before they settled into their Derwood home in 1975. While raising four children, Sue earned her Masters Degree in early childhood education from Hood College in Frederick, MD. She retired from teaching in 2000 as the Director of the Gaithersburg Presbyterian Preschool. She then served for 10 years on the Board of the Mill Creek Parish Preschool, where she was a congregant.
Sue was a warm and endearing neighbor, who was a personal welcome wagon to new residents of Caddy Court and Drive, long before Mill Creek Village initiated its greeting service for new residents. She was a Village founding a member since 2012 and served on its Board of Directors in an Emeritus role up until the time of her death. She was thoughtful and kind and took pride in being the impetus for bringing Project Porchlight to Mill Creek Towne and educating residents about energy efficiency and conservation. Her and Ray’s sunroom served as the venue for many Village board meetings!
Sue had enormous energy, tremendous will, and an incredible zest for life. Her joie de vie and positive spirit were infectious! She remained active throughout her years: still playing golf weekly at Needwood Golf Course until recently; playing piano recitals and holiday sing-alongs (without needing notes); reading and participating in a book club; swimming at the Mill Creek Towne pool; traveling near and far with Ray and friends; playing bridge and gin rummy; participating in Volksmarches; dining out and enjoying a glass of Riesling wine; and enjoying plays and musicals, concerts, sporting events (she was a Washington Nationals fan); and, so much more. Is it any wonder that Sue was the Village’s first Social Committee chairperson. She loved a lively gathering and catching up with her neighbors, so she and Ray were fixtures at village events.
Sue is survived by Ray, her son Steve and his wife Lori, her daughter Ann and her husband Jim, her son John, and son-in-law Mamdouh Droubi, who is also a Mill Creek Towne resident and the husband of her late daughter Kathy. Sue and Ray also took great joy from their 8 grandchildren.
A celebration of life for Sue is planned for Sunday, June 22, 2025, from 1:00 – 2:00 PM at Mill Creek Parish United Methodist Church, 7101 Horizon, Terrace, Derwood, MD 20855. Contributions in her memory can be made to the Church, the Casey House Montgomery Hospice or Planned Parenthood. Sue was a modern-day suffragette and advocated proudly for women’s and human rights.
She will be greatly missed and was loved by many. May her memory be a blessing to all those she touched in a life well lived. Here are some photos we at the Village have taken of Sue over the years.
