Sue Ellen (Lee) Schmied, 74

Sue Ellen (Lee) Schmied, 74, passed away peacefully at her home in Aurora, Colorado, on Feb. 22, 2021, with her husband William "Bill," son Jeb, and daughter Stacia at her side.

Born June 11, 1946, in Kalispell, she was forever a small town Montana girl. Sue was raised in Kalispell by her late parents, James and Ella Mae Lee, along with her three older brothers and graduated from Flathead County High School in 1964 where she was active in Student Council and served as senior class treasurer. She was Northwest Montana Centennial Queen in 1964 and a Princess in the 1965 Whitefish Winter Carnival. Sue worked in the Kalispell Mercantile china department where she cared deeply for the chinaware but also enjoyed an occasional "sample" or two from the candy displays.

She was preceded in death by brothers Bill and John Lee, and is survived by brother, Bob Lee.

Sue met and fell in love with Bill Schmied when she was working at the Conrad Bank and they married in Bigfork in December 1966. Bill, an airman in the Air Force stationed at the air defense radar warning site in Lakeside, swept her off her feet and into the adventures of a military wife. After multiple assignments in the Philippines, Japan, Denver, North and South Carolina, they landed permanently back at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver in 1983, making their home in Aurora.

After being settled in with family and raising their two children, she began volunteering with the Aurora Public Schools and found a love for working in education. Volunteering turned into employment as a paraprofessional at her neighborhood elementary and middle schools. Sue later became the librarian at North Middle School and retired in 2005 after 20 years of service. Although retired, Sue did not slow down as she was a grandmother to three at that time and since then, a fourth. This was by far her most precious joy and she remained very involved even as she began to battle health conditions for several years including pulmonary disease and a lung cancer diagnosis in 2020, which led to her death.

Sue was remembered with a funeral Mass in Aurora on Friday, Feb. 26, surrounded by family and friends who loved her very much. She will be laid in her final resting place this summer when the sun is shining as gloriously as she did with her wonderful smiles.

We invite friends and loved ones to share a memory of Sue at horancares.com on the Tribute Wall.