Our parents, Roy and Sue, passed peacefully within months of one another. They met in Dearborn Mich. and married within six months. Their joyous marriage of 62 years included three daughters, eight grandchildren, and homes filled with happy memories in Michigan, Utah and Nevada.
Sue, who was born Mary Roberta White in Detroit on August 3, 1938, passed away in her sleep after an eight-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease on December 19, 2025 in Lorton, Va. She had recently moved from living with Roy in Michigan to a Virginia assisted living facility near her oldest daughter. Sue’s vibrant, active life was led by her generous heart and sharp mind. She is remembered for starting a woman’s investment club and her community volunteerism ranging from serving as an original Sundance Film Festival ambassador to starting a food booth at the Park City Ride and Tie benefitting The League of Women Voters.
Roy, who was born Eldon Roy Zuchetto in Detroit on August 23, 1935, traveled from Michigan to Salt Lake City for his grandson’s medical school graduation at the University of Utah and passed unexpectedly in his sleep at his daughter’s home on May 14, 2026. Roy’s charming and confident personality meant everyone he encountered in his daily outings were the recipients of engaging banter and laughter. His world was built on connections and friendships that he held in high regard.
Roy grew up and graduated from high school in Allen Park Mich. After one year, he returned from Michigan State University to help his family when his father suddenly passed. Meanwhile, Sue was raised in Dearborn Mich. and graduated high school from Fordson. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in elementary school education at Eastern Michigan University. Upon marrying, they relocated to Utah with their two young daughters where Roy started and built a thriving property and casualty insurance business. Sue created beautiful, warm homes for the family, started the kindergarten program at St. Olaf’s Catholic School in Bountiful Ut., and once the children successfully raised, she traveled and advised others as a travel agent.
They enjoyed 52 incredible years of living in Bountiful, Park City, and Salt Lake City. They were avid skiers, golfers, tennis players, and patrons of the Utah Symphony and Ballet West. One of their proudest accomplishments was purchasing property to one day build the family home in Park City with Roy as the contractor. They traveled often within the US and internationally with friends and family. Roy recently shared that their favorite trips included Italy, the Soviet Union, and Panama.
In 2022, Roy and Sue moved from their condo at Legacy Village of Sugar House to Charlevoix Mich. where they enjoyed time with Sue’s sisters and Roy’s brother, and exploring the beautiful countryside, quaint towns, and Lake Michigan shoreline. Their winters were spent at a condo in Dearborn where they would wait for spring to thaw up north so they could return to Charlevoix. Sue moved to her daughter in Virginia when her Parkinson’s progressed to a point where she needed a more proper supportive environment.
Sue and Roy are preceded in death by their parents and youngest daughter Marissa Zuchetto. They are lovingly remembered by daughters Nicole Zuchetto (John Brettell) and Chalaine Z. Koszinowski (Beat); siblings Nelson Zuchetto, Linda McDonald, Kathy and Jeff Miller, and Julie Machak; and grandchildren Maya, Emmi, Lachlan, Holden, Max, Remy, Gabriella, and Eli.
The family will hold a private remembrance at Roy and Sue’s lakeside Charlevoix Mich. home this summer. Roy and Sue were lifelong pet owners who supported animal rescue and adopted many dogs and cats into the family. In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated for Best Friends Animal Society, a nonprofit organization based in Utah that saves animals and finds homes for them across the country. Their granddaughter currently works at a Best Friends location in New York City. Please give online at www.bestfriends.org.
