Susan Rose (Szish) Kneiss, a radiant force of wit, intelligence, beauty, and unapologetic sass

whose smile illuminated every room she ever entered, passed away at home on Monday,

December 30th, 2024.

A lifelong Exeter resident, Susan was born to John Szish and Frances Lowcavage on

September 4th, 1953. She spent her first nine years both adoring and annoying her older

brothers, John and Ronald, who played a significant role in shaping her sharp intellect, clever

sense of humor, and even her college and career choices. At age nine, when her parents

welcomed a baby girl into the family, Susan embraced the role she was born for: nurturing big

sister to Christine (Granahan). Susan remained Chris’s biggest cheerleader throughout her life.

Her support was unwavering, especially while Chris and her husband Ken raised their two

daughters: Emma, Susan's god-daughter, and Mckenna, Susan's #1 fan.

Growing up on “the back road” in Exeter was idyllic for Susan. We often heard about listening to

records at home, hysterically screaming during Beatles movies at The Wyoming Theater, and

Sabatini’s Pizza every Friday night to kick off the weekend. A quick glance through her

yearbook reveals why Susan was voted “Most Popular” in Wyoming Area's Class of 1971. Kind

to everyone, “Swish” as she was nicknamed, was Class Treasurer and member of the National

Honor Society. Growing up, that yearbook was like the pages of Vogue magazine, as we were

both envious of Mom’s sensational sense of style and angry she didn’t keep more of her clothes

for us to wear! (Special mention must be made to her dress for Homecoming Court, which was

easily the most spectacular piece of clothing we had ever seen and the most coveted option for

playing Dress-Up.)

After graduating, Susan went on to attend the University of Pittsburgh and often chanted “Hail to

Pitt” in our home when mention of Penn State was made. On a break from school, she was set

up on a blind date by her best friend, Amy Schiffman. There must have been something in the

pizza sauce, because meeting Edgar Kneiss at Revello’s Pizza that night led to almost 50 years

of wedded and domestic comedy; 2 daughters: Nicole and Jessica; 2 son-in-laws: Gordon

Murray; Andrew Rivera; 5 grandchildren: Julian and Frankie Murray, Taj, Donovan, and

Philomena Rivera. Together, Susan and Edgar moved into that same “back road” home, raising

their own family while compassionately caring for Susan’s mom next door. Their home was filled

with laughter, unconditional love, and of course, pizza on Friday nights.

Susan was the epitome of a girl-mom, effortlessly balancing her fierce love for her family and

her work with positivity, grace, and just the right amount of chaos to give us a glimpse of what

awaited when we started our own families. A patient-favorite at the dental office of Dr. Gary

Hughes, Dental Hygienist Susan loved creating positive experiences for anyone in her chair,

taking her time with anxious kids and telling jokes to anxious adults. She had a gift for making

others comfortable.

You could often find Susan either hanging out with kids at every event, making sure everyone

felt included, or coaxing people onto the dance floor with her infectious energy. We heard the

phrase “your mom is the coolest” more times than we could count—because she truly was—but

we didn’t fully realize it until we were much older and wiser. We made sure she knew she was

definitely in the “Cool Nana Club,” as her grandchildren held her on a pedestal that could reach

the cosmos- an adoration that was equally reciprocated. When her youngest granddaughter

Philomena Rose, whose middle name was an homage to her nana Susan Rose, left this earth

exactly 16 months before Susan, we knew the love and adoration between them remained

unbroken. And now, we take comfort in knowing they are being silly, sassy, and sensational

together again.

In lieu of flowers, Susan would have wanted others to make a donation to charities near her

heart: her granddaughter's non-profit the Philomena Phoundation at www.Philomenasphoundation.org, Alzheimer’s Foundation of

America at www.ALZ.org, or the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter at www.griffinpondanimalshelter.com, where she often volunteered to walk dogs before

taking a few home to spoil into their senior years.

In addition to little Mena, Susan is preceded in death by her parents, her beloved dogs, and her

sister-in-law, Su Elizabeth Szish who was, in her words, “the coolest person she ever met.”

Susan is survived by husband Edgar; children Nicole (Gordon) Murray (Monroeville, PA,) and

Jessica (Andrew) Rivera (Bellevue, NE); grandchildren; brothers John and Ron (Maureen);

sister Christine (Ken) Granahan; many nieces and nephews who all love a pun as much as she

did.

Friends are invited to share their memories and pay their respects at a Visitation on Sunday,

January 5th at Howell-Lussi Funeral Home in West Pittston 4-7pm, followed by a Memorial

Service on Monday January 6th at 11:00AM. Beyond the services, Susan would have wanted

others to embrace their inner-hippies: be kind, make peace, and dance, dance, dance.

Online condolences can be left at our website Howelllussi.com.