Susan Ann Sonberg

Susan Sonberg of St. Petersburg, FL died peacefully at the age of 71 on January 6, 2015 at St. Anthony's Hospital. She succumbed after a long battle with colon cancer that in the end took her from us very quickly. In her last days she was showered with love and surrounded by family and friends. She was born Susan Ann Lally, the only child of Peggy and Howard Lally on November 12, 1943 in Manhattan, NY. Her early years were spent in Tuxedo Park, NY where she attended many schools including the George F. Baker School. Susan moved to Goshen, NY and graduated from St. John's High School. She met her first husband Bill Gullette while attending Orange County Community College. They were married on October 5, 1963. Their marriage lasted for 12 years and they had two daughters Lisa and Stacy. While raising a family, Susan went back to school and graduated from Framingham State College with a BA in Psychology and a Master's Degree in Community Counseling. Susan also held many different jobs including rental agent, property manager, prison counselor, domestic violence counselor, waitress and bartender. She moved to St. Petersburg, FL in 1981. Her careers there included human resource manager, restaurant owner, sociology professor, suicide prevention counselor and Hospice counselor. She met and became friends with Jim Sonberg when he was her neighborhood mailman. They were married on October 24, 1993. This expanded Susan's family to include Jim's children Tim, Zach, Matt and Stephanie. Susan and Jim have had various adventures including ownership, renovation and management of 10 rental apartments. Susan and Jim's most recent adventure was to purchase a motor home and sell their main residence so they could travel. They recently took six months to explore and visit family and friends along the east coast of the United States. Susan will be missed for so many qualities and gifts including her infectious smile, her ability to strike up a conversation with anyone, her love of music, singing, yoga and cherished friendships. She is survived by her husband Jim Sonberg of St. Petersburg, FL, daughter Lisa Dwyer and husband Tom Dwyer (Dedham, MA), daughter Stacy Collins and husband Billy Collins (South Boston, MA), step-son Tim Sonberg and wife Holly Sonberg (St. Petersburg, FL), step-son Zach Sonberg (Orlando, FL), step-son Matt Sonberg and wife Karen Sonberg (Satellite Beach, FL), and step-daughter Stephanie (Sonberg) Nelson and husband Fred Nelson (Vero Beach, FL). Susan is also survived by her precious grandchildren, Erin, Will, Ashleigh, Leah, Ethan, Morgan, and Olivia. A memorial service will be held on January 24, 2015 at 1:00pm at North Shore Park along the waterfront at the intersection of North Shore Blvd NE and 17th Ave NE in St. Petersburg, FL. Following the memorial service, at 2:00pm, friends and family are invited to a Celebration of Susan's Life at the Green Bench Brewery located at 1133 Baum Ave North, St. Petersburg, FL. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Susan's name to The Fisher House Foundation. Fisher Houses across the country provide military families housing close to a loved one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury. More information can be found online at www.fisherhouse.org or by writing to the Fisher House Foundation at 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, MD 20850.