Obituary
Susan “Sue” Ruth Menz

Susan “Sue” Ruth Menz, age 76, passed away on December 27, 2024, after a brief battle with cancer, which she faced with her typical good nature. She was a resident of Westcliffe, Colorado, for 12 years and was formerly a resident of Omaha, Nebraska. She spent most of her career as a computer programmer, starting out with punch cards and mainframe computers.
Sue (also known as “Grammy Sue” or “the Cookie Lady”) was born on February 25, 1948, to Bernhard Schmieder and Ruth (Wellner) in Ute, Iowa. Sue attended high school in Charter Oak, Iowa. On September 1, 1968, she married Brian Menz in Ute, Iowa, after meeting in college at the University of Northern Iowa.
Sue graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor of Mathematics, while raising her two children,
Jeff and Kristi.
Sue’s love of the mountains began on a honeymoon trip to Rocky Mountain State Park and many subsequent summer camping trips. It eventually brought her to Westcliffe in her retirement, where she enjoyed daily hikes near her home. She also passed time by sewing quilts to donate to Fremont Victory Quilters in Florence, amongst other veteran’s organizations and homeless shelters, and
baking delicious desserts and breads for local fundraisers. She had a strong Christian faith, finding God everywhere in nature.
She is survived by her children: Jeff Menz of West Des Moines, Iowa, his wife, Jessica, and their children, Kaitlyn, Braden, and Isaac; Kristi Detweiler of Concord, Massachusetts, her husband, Sean, and their children, Carson and Alexa; her siblings: Bruce Schmieder and Connie Doudy: and her ex-husband, Brian Menz. Her family finds comfort in her excitement to meet God in heaven, and to be reunited with those who preceded her in death, including her parents; and her brother, Anthony Schmieder and sister, Joyce Lohoff.

A Celebration of Life will be held at “Willie’s” – Silver Cliff Mountain Inn & Restaurant, 700 Ohio St., Silver Cliff, CO, on Thursday, July 10th, 2025. Please feel free to join us from 3 -5 p.m. to meet her family, grab a snack and share your favorite Sue memories.
Sue’s kindness and generosity will be missed by all who knew her. Those wishing to pay it forward, as she so often did, can donate in her name to one of her favorite charities:
Mission Wolf, PO Box 1211, Westcliffe, CO 81252 (https://missionwolf.org), or
to Patriotic Productions, 16213 Lamp Street, Omaha, NE 68118 (https://www.patrioticproductions.org).