Suzanne Alma (Johns) Fineout

Courage, strength, tenacity, positivity, faith, grace. These are just a few attributes that she had even while battling cancer for the last 15 years.

Suzie passed away peacefully holding her bestie’s hand on November 26, 2022 at Hiland Cottage Hospice House in Petoskey, Michigan.

She was born on July 15, 1968 in Des Moines, Iowa, the daughter of Laverne and Norma (Johns) Hoxeng. She was adopted by her Uncle and Aunt, Robert and Barbara Johns after her Mom passed away when she was only 15 months old, and moved to Petoskey.

She attended St. Francis Xavier School and graduated from Petoskey High School in 1986 and was awarded a nursing scholarship.

After high school she moved to Traverse City, Michigan and worked at Munson Hospital starting in the lab as a phlebotomist and then worked in Microbiology. She became a tech at Grand Traverse Ophthalmology and later at Bay Eye Associates in Petoskey. After a few years she finally found her passion/dream job starting as a line cook at Boyne Highlands and later as their pastry chef where she truly shined. Suzie also did a bit of catering which she also loved.

In 1988 she married Scott Price and they moved to Interlochen, Michigan where they began raising their two daughters before moving back to Petoskey to the farmhouse that she loved. They had many animals, dogs, barn cats all named after Harry Potter characters, bunnies and horses. She loved remodeling and decorating the house, gardening, canning and of course cooking and baking.

In 2007 she married Dion Fineout and they raised their son in Petoskey until Dion’s passing in 2019.

Suzie was always involved in activities for all of her kids, from being a Girl Scout Leader, classroom volunteer and a Try It Tuesday Coach. She loved having her grandkids over when she could and always had fun things planned which included baking with them, playing games, and many fun craft projects.

She had the ability to create beauty all around her. You could see it in the love for her family and friends, in the food that she cooked or baked, the place settings that she created for family get-togethers, the way she decorated her home from the everyday to all of the holidays that she loved.

Reading was very important to her and she always wanted to learn new things and would read about any and all subjects alongside her fiction favorites and of course her Bible that gave her comfort each day. She discovered planners/journals and she spent hours filling them out and decorating them with her gazillion stickers and pens and markers and she was so content while doing this and usually had her foodie shows or music playing in the background.

When asked what the most important thing in her life was, her answer was her family and friends. All of those who knew her are better for it and she wants us all to spread love and kindness each and every day.

She is survived by her children Ashley Price (Kevin), Carley Price and Wyatt Fineout. Her grandchildren Blake Vrondran, Savannah Glasscock, Maliah Glasscock, Kyver Glasscock and Skylar May. Her siblings Mary Geahan (Tom), Linda Wiklanski (Roger), Robert Johns (Brenda), Mary Jo Shields (John), John Hoxeng (Lu Ann), Elizabeth Hall, Judy Roberts (Terry), Robert Hoxeng (Rebecca) and Jane Hawley. Her mother-in-law Michaelyn Halbeisen and brother-in-law Scott Fineout. Her loving puppy companions Missy and Bella. Many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews. And lastly, but certainly not the least important to Suzie, her loyal and devoted friend of 50 years Teresa Wolf.

She was preceded in death by her birth parents Laverne and Norma Hoxeng, her adoptive parents Robert and Barbara Johns, sisters Nancy Winders and Kathy Fettig, niece Whitney Wangeman and husband Dion Fineout.

There will be a visitation for family and friends on Friday, December 2, 2022 from 6-8 pm at Stone Funeral Home in Petoskey and a memorial service officiated by Father James Bearss on Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 11 a.m. at Stones with visitation prior at 10 a.m. up until the service. Burial will immediately follow at Lakeview Cemetery in Harbor Springs.

In lieu of flowers you may make a charitable donation in Suzie’s memory to Wyatt’s College Fund or to Hiland Cottage in Petoskey.

Arrangements are in the care of Stone Funeral Home, Inc.

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