FRANCES LECHIARA SUSI's Obituary
Frances Lechiara Susi January 20, 1923 to March 16, 2026Frances Lechiara Susi, 103 years old, went home to Our Lord peacefully in the adoring arms of her family. Frances was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and friend. She was the oldest child of eight and matriarch of the Sebastian and Josephine Lechiara family. She was a passionate supporter of her Catholic faith and imparted her ideals to her children and grandchildren. Those who knew Franny will remember her most for her love of her family. Her greatest pride and joy were the times spent with her large extended family, especially feeding them, and whose lives she touched with her guidance and advice, her generosity and her unconditional love. She is survived by her daughter Jeanne and her husband Rod, her son Jim, her grandson Christopher, her daughter-in-law Lesa, granddaughter Stacey, husband Nick, great granddaughters Vivian and Charlotte, her granddaughter Staci and her husband Devan, and her sister-in-law Mary Cullings Lechiara. She is also survived by many caring nieces and nephews from both the Susi and Lechiara families.Franny was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania. She met and married the love of her life, Al, and they were married for 59 years until his death in 2003. They were very devoted to each other and to their Catholic faith. In her early years Franny was a playground supervisor in Bradford as she had a lifelong love of sports. She was a faithful University of Miami, Miami Dolphins, and a Miami Marlins fan. Franny and Al moved to Miami in 1946 where she began her career at the Southern Bell telephone company. After her children were older, she went back to work at the University of Miami as an administrative assistant in medical research in the microbiology labs. They lived in their current home for 66 years. Franny was very active in her children's lives at St. Theresa School. She volunteered with the PTA as a room mother and in the school library. She donated her time and talent to various school activities. She continued her life of service to others alongside her brother Father Frank Lechiara by participating in many church events, especially at St. Augustine Church. She helped to cook and serve food at parish activities, especially on Thanksgiving when UM students who were far from home would come to the parish for Thanksgiving dinner. She enjoyed being a member of the Women's Guild.Franny never missed Mass on Sunday! During her recent homebound years, she watched Mass on TV daily...sometimes more than once. She had a special devotion to Our Blessed Mother. She is reunited in eternal peace in Heaven with her devoted husband Al, her firstborn son John, her parents, her brother Sam, brother Nick and wife Esther, brother Dominic and wife Thelma, Mary and husband Bill, brother Rev. Francis J. "Frank" Lechiara, sister Lucy and husband Jim, and sister Margie and husband Tom. Special love to caretaker Merci who dedicated herself to Franny's care for the past 11 months. Also to Sonia, a patient caretaker. Family and friends will remember Franny for her kindness, her selflessness, and her devotion to God and her Catholic faith. She faced her declining years with humor and grace! Her legacy of love will live on in all who knew her.A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Augustine Catholic Church and Student Center of the University of Miami on Monday, March 23, 2026 at 1:00 pm. Burial to follow at Flagler Memorial Park Cemetery.
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