At the funeral for my Mom Wendy was responsible for doing the life sketch, which was the obituary, but with some more details added by Wendy. I loved all the things that she shared, and thought it would be really great to include the life sketch (even though we also added the obituary too). I'm grateful to have Wendy as my sister. She is such a good example and I consider her a true friend. Wendy and I did a lot together in the weeks after my Mom passed to help my Dad, plan the funeral etc. and while we were missing my Mom, I enjoyed spending the time with Wendy and was so grateful for her.
Sue McAllister Peaden passed away at her home on January 16, 2024 at the age of 72 after an extended illness.
Sue was born December 2, 1951, the youngest child of Edmond and Blanche McAllister. She adored her two older brothers, Ed and Brian, and had many happy memories of growing up in Phoenix, Arizona.
One interesting story is that Sue’s parents originally named her Kristin when she was born. However, her Grandma Bates (who suffered with dementia) kept calling her Kristine and Sue’s mom didn’t like that name at all so her parents decided to change her name to Sue instead.
Sue attended several elementary schools in Phoenix, Arizona. Her favorite subjects were reading and spelling. She loved playing with baby dolls and Barbie dolls. She started playing the violin in fourth grade and also took piano lessons for about five years. She took two years of French in high school and one year in college at BYU.
Sue attended Brigham Young University, majoring in Elementary Education, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1974.
Sue met Calvin R. Peaden, the love of her life, at BYU and they married on December 27, 1973 in the Mesa Arizona Temple. She and Cal lived most of their life in West Jordan, Utah. Last year as her health declined, her last bucket list item was to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary with all the family. She fought to stay alive for that event which was a culmination of her life’s work. Her requests for the anniversary party was to have dinner with all of the family and a canasta tournament. She loved to play canasta!
Sue and Cal were blessed with eight children and Sue loved being a mother! She was patient, loving and kind and spent her entire life serving her children and family. She loved beautiful music and especially enjoyed hearing her children and grandchildren play the piano. She loved sewing, making crafts, baking, reading, BYU sports and See’s Candies. Sue and Cal enjoyed camping and traveling together, especially to visit family and national parks.
Sue loved visiting her parents at their home in St. George in the summer. She loved watching old movies with her mom like Charade, Bringing Up Baby, and Hatari. Some of her favorite actors were Cary Grant, Doris Day and John Wayne. While visiting in St George, we often took a walk around the St George temple in the evenings, which was just a few blocks from my grandparents home. Sometimes we made taffy, which was a tradition passed down from her Grandma Bates. She also loved to visit Pine Valley when we were there. We’d take a picnic and get away from the St George summer heat for a few hours.
Sue also loved to sew. She made our clothes when we were younger. She made dozens of Halloween costumes for both kids and grandkids! And she made so so many quilts and blankets for her kids and grandkids. She also loved to crochet and would make receiving blankets with a crocheted edge to give as baby gifts for friends and neighbors.
Sue loved her grandchildren! She treasured having them in her home, was always on the lookout for the perfect birthday or Christmas gift, and attended many of their activities and performances. She enjoyed taking care of her grandchildren and was happiest when her family was around her. Sue took care of both her mom and dad in the last years of their lives, giving much selfless service.
Sue was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and loved the gospel of Jesus Christ. She served in many capacities but especially loved being a primary teacher and taught dozens of children over her lifetime.
She is survived by her husband of 50 years, Calvin R. Peaden; her children, Wendy (Sam), Bruce, Matthew (Julianne), Amy, Michael, David (Shantel), Jeff (Kaylee), and Kevin. She is also survived by 17 grandchildren, who she absolutely adored: Josh, Daniel, Nathan, Jacob, Aubrey, Avarie, Olivia, Ryan, Luke, Zachary, Lydia, Austin, Caleb, Lucy, Jaycee, Ryker, and Logan. She is also survived by her brothers Ed McAllister and Brian McAllister (Diana). She was preceded in death by her parents, Edmond and Blanche McAllister.
Services to celebrate Sue’s life will be held Friday, January 26th at 11:00 am at the Westland 7th Ward, 7115 South 3200 West, West Jordan, Utah. Friends may visit with family from 9:30-10:30 am prior to the services at the ward building. Interment will be at the West Jordan City Cemetery, 7925 South 1300 West, West Jordan, Utah.
Services will be livestreamed and available by scrolling to the bottom of Sue’s obituary page.
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