Suzanne Linda (Grosodonia) Siefring of Wilmington, DE was freed from the limits of her mortal form on September 27, 2026, at Lankenau Medical Center, after an incredibly courageous seven-year battle with end-stage renal disease and hyperparathyroidism. She was 77 years old. Suzanne will be remembered as a devoted wife, an extremely passionate and loving mother who would stop at nothing to care for her five sons, an even more passionate and loving “Gammy” to her three grandsons, and a loyal friend who always had an open ear and loved to have a conversation.
Suzanne was born in Rochester, NY to Josephine M. (Grillo) and A. Phil Grosodonia. As a child, her first job was as an in-window model at her parents’ dress shop, where her natural magnetism and beauty attracted customers who simply couldn’t resist her adorableness. She attended St. Francis Xavier Catholic School, St. Agnes High School, and graduated from Nazareth College (now Nazareth University) in 1971 with a degree in Business Administration.
While at Nazareth, Suzanne met her future husband, Jerry, a student at nearby St. John Fisher College (now St. John Fisher University). After a dispute over the appropriate number of chocolate chips in cookies she had made for a mutual friend, the die was cast: Jerry and Suzanne were destined to lovingly bicker in endless devotion to each other for the rest of their lives. They were engaged to be married shortly after graduation, and wed on January 8, 1972, at St. Louis Catholic Church in Pittsford, NY. Suzanne accompanied Jerry to South Bend, IN where he pursued a doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame. She enrolled in graduate school for business at Notre Dame, but was pulled away from her course of study in February of 1974 to begin one of her life’s greatest endeavors: motherhood. Despite often claiming she “only wanted houseplants” Suzanne devoted her entire existence to becoming an extraordinary mother to her five sons. Anyone who knew Suzanne could see how incredibly passionate she was about her sons and how she took great pride in each of them.
Suzanne selflessly volunteered her time and energy in many capacities in support of her sons’ schools. At St. Mary Magdalen School and Church in Wilmington, DE she volunteered as a homeroom mother, a lunch monitor, and a chaperone on countless field trips. She was a member of the HSA and the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She also worked for a period of time in the parish office as secretary to the pastor.
At Salesianum School, Suzanne was a longtime volunteer worker at the bookstore, and a frequent planner and worker for many of the auctions and fundraisers to provide the best events and experiences possible for her sons’ development. She participated in the MADD program in the interest of protecting others. She was also a Band Booster and worked every event imaginable in support of Salesianum Marching Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Pit Orchestra, Chorus, and Salesianum School Theatre.
Suzanne also volunteered her time and energy for charity work, teaching her sons to care for others by visiting the sick and elderly at The Little Sisters of the Poor and later teaching classes to the less fortunate at Sojourners’ Place.
Suzanne absolutely loved music, theatre, and art, and was insistent that her sons learn to read music, play the piano, and pursue their creative development. She believed strongly that music education was fundamental to the formation of a complete human being and dedicated herself to it as such, even pursuing flute lessons as an adult. She was her sons’ #1 fan, attending every game, concert, play, musical, opera, competition, and performance. No matter the event, Suzanne always found a way to be there, even traveling with great discomfort and inconvenience in the later stages of her illnesses to support the people she loved most.
Suzanne’s tireless support and presence was one of her greatest assets. She attended weddings, graduation parties, funerals, baptisms, and other life events of extended family and friends despite her increasing physical challenges. She made a point to be there for the births of her three grandsons, taking a vested interest in their care and development, and making sure they would want for nothing. Suzanne’s love was all-encompassing.
Suzanne was the first person in her immediate family to earn a college degree, and valued education very deeply. She actively encouraged her sons’ intellectual curiosity and development, particularly encouraging them all to read – and often [hilariously] using advanced vocabulary words when reprimanding them. She was a longtime supporter of the University of Notre Dame and was extremely proud to see four of her five sons graduate from the prestigious Catholic university. She cherished every moment she spent at Notre Dame and in South Bend with her family.
Suzanne’s hobbies included reading, crocheting, knitting, coloring, shopping, cooking, and baking. Despite the initial disagreement with Jerry many years earlier, her homemade cookies became famous amongst family and friends over the years, and were one of the many ways she expressed her love. She also loved watching classic black-and-white movies, musicals, Phillies games, and her favorite television shows, including I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, Jeopardy!, and Seinfeld.
Suzanne took a genuine interest in everyone she met and could strike up a conversation with seemingly anyone. She cherished going out to lunch with her friends as often as she could, and was always up for an afternoon tea or coffee. She was a total charmer, effortlessly persuasive, and quickly made an impression everywhere she went. People quickly fell in love with her heart, her humor, her wide-ranging expressions, and her feisty, no-nonsense attitude. Even in her final years, she established deep relationships with her beloved home health aides: Yolandah, Rita, Tanaka, Tanya, Trish, and Pepsi. Suzanne was so grateful for the nurturing care, comfort, and conversation these incredible women provided as her health and energy diminished. She even charmed the care teams at Riddle Dialysis, Park Lane Post Acute, and the medical transport teams that brought her to dialysis and the many appointments during her final years of life. Even while she was suffering and in chronic pain, Suzanne always managed to show caring, kindness, and concern for those who were caring for her.
Suzanne is predeceased by her Grillo and Grassadonia grandparents originally from Sicily; her parents, Josephine M. (Grillo) and A. Phil Grosodonia of Rochester, NY; her beloved aunts, Jeanette and Agatina Grillo, and her uncle, J. William Grillo of Irondequoit, NY; and her sister-in-law, Ginger Siefring of Bridgewater, NJ. She is survived by her endlessly devoted husband of nearly 55 years, Gerald Eustace Siefring, Jr., Ph.D.; her brother, Michael Ross Grosodonia, Esq. (Joanna); her five sons: Gerald Eustace Siefring, III, Anthony Joseph Siefring (Myla), Richard Louis Siefring, Ph.D., Michael Patrick Siefring (D’Vorah Bailey), and Daniel Vito Siefring (Vina); and her three grandsons: Vincent Roy Siefring, Anthony Joseph Siefring, Jr., and Nicolas William Siefring. She is also survived by two brothers-in-law, three sisters-in-law, three nieces, seven nephews, two great-nieces, one great-nephew, and many of her sons’ friends whom she loved as “adopted children”.
Suzanne would undoubtedly request that you choose to treat others with kindness, compassion, respect, and love every day. She was a living testament to the Maya Angelou quote: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
We were all better for — and in — Suzanne’s presence. She will be forever loved, remembered, and eternally missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her.
Visitation for Suzanne will be held Friday, October 9, from 5:00-8:00pm at McCrery & Harra Funeral Home (3924 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE 19803). A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, October 10, at 10:00am at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church (10 Old Church Road, Wilmington, DE 19807). Entombment will immediately follow at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation in Suzanne’s name to the American Kidney Fund, the National Kidney Foundation, or the Endocrine Tumor Research Foundation.
