Ellen Susan Folwell 1943-2023
BRENTWOOD, Pa. — Ellen Susan Folwell, 79, “Susie” to her friends, was born Nov. 12, 1943, in Pittsburgh, Pa., to Wesley and Jean Folwell. She had dimples, curly hair and a kind heart that stopped beating, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. Her eldest brother, Bill, suggested that she be named after the characters from his reading books at school, and so she was.
She attended St. Brendan Catholic School in Dormont until her parents divorced and she was moved to Oil City, Pa. She graduated from OCHS in 1961 and later from the Oil City School of Beauty, becoming an accomplished hairstylist. She always had her good scissors in her purse, giving haircuts whenever she was asked. She administered the “first haircut” for everybody’s children.
Moving back to Pittsburgh, she worked at the St. Clair Beauty Salon on Bower Hill Road for nearly 50 years. Her kind heart served her clients well; not only did she do beautiful work on their hair, for some she would drive to casinos and lunches, and even took a lady to Kennywood. When asked, she also styled their hair after they passed.
“She was the best aunt to her many nieces and nephews. She took them to places their parents did not want to go, like Kennywood, Chuck E. Cheese or fishing. She drove cool cars, played board games with skill, and poker with such enthusiasm that the neighbors would consider calling the police because of the noise. She celebrated the ‘Black & Gold’ — Steelers and Pirates (not so much the Penguins, because she ‘couldn’t follow the puck’). Everyone loved when she would come to visit, because she made everyone feel happy and special. ‘We knew we were in for a great time.'”
Good food was important to her, from car trips to Maryland for baskets of blue crab to Virginia Spots at Peter’s Place in Bridgeville, and to Turkey Dinner Day at the Meadows Casino. She loved Shirley’s stuffed pepper soup, Kathy’s pierogi, Gerry’s cheesecake and anybody’s lamb chops. She was known to dance in her seat when the food was especially good.
Throughout her life, she had several pets because she was such an animal lover, and donated to many agencies. You can do that in her memory now, if you wish. Dogs Toby and Zoe, and Petey the cockatiel, are barking and tweeting with her now.
She loved to travel, whether to visit friends and family or to experience new cultures and vistas. She loved to fish, whether it was off the shore of Lake Arthur with good friends, Sally and Jeannie, or on an Atlantic Ocean charter boat; she once caught a record-sized flounder.
She loved music and knew all the words to every Top-40 hit for decades, from doo-wop to Bruno Mars. She would hurry home after school to watch American Bandstand, and even got a letter once from Dick Clark. Her favorite group was Chicago and she saw them in concert multiple times, all over the country, and got to shake Bobby Lamm’s hand.
She was a collector of many things, including memorabilia featuring hot-air balloons and owls. She saved shot glasses, matchbook covers and return address labels … she had thousands of those.
Welcoming her on the other side are her parents; her life partner, Shirley Mizia; siblings and their spouses, Doris and Don Allen, Bill and Peg Folwell, Patric and Peggy Folwell; niece, Sandy Baughman; and great-nephew, Eric Kraemer. Missing her every day are her remaining siblings, James (Geraldine) Folwell of Baldwin Pa., Kathleen (Harold) Wilson of Austintown and Anthony Guyda of Oil City, Pa.
Nieces and nephews are Monica (Mike Dantes) Egizi of Frankford, Del., Laura Kraemer of Selbyville, Del., Don Allen of Wantage, N.J., Ed Allen of Waynesboro, Pa. Karen (Tim Foster) Folwell of Baldwin, Pa., Jim Folwell of Castle Shannon, Pa., Amy Folwell of Seneca, Pa., Matthew Folwell of Las Vegas, Nev., Ethan Wilson of Austintown and Chris (Katie) Wilson of Austintown. Great-nieces and -nephews are Matthew (Amanda) Egizi, Michael (Erin) Egizi, Elizabeth (John Debaca) Kraemer, Kaitlyn Allen, Austin Allen and Mark Baughman. Great-great-nieces and -nephews are Evan Egizi, Ruby Kraemer-Debaca, Sandra (Tony) Benabe, Kristen (Jacob) Stull and Martina Baughman. Great-great-great-nieces and -nephews are MacKenzie, Noah and Lucas Benabe, and also Tanner, Silas, Lincoln and Steven Stull.
Missing her are her numerous good friends, especially Sally Marini, Jeannie Yurkovitch, Pat Johnston and Sally Olsen. She leaves to wonder where the heck she went, her little dog, Gabby.
A celebration of Ellen’s life will be held later this summer. “In the meantime, remember her with a smile and a laugh, and go hug someone. Let the people you love know how you feel.”
Arrangements by Cremation and Funeral Service by Gary S. Silvat Inc. Share memories and send condolences by visiting cremateohio.com.
(special notice)