Suzan Kay Onthank

Former Newton resident Suzan (Sue) Kay Onthank, 69, of Arlington, Texas, died Thursday, April 15th following a knee surgery. She is survived by her four daughters (The Murphy Girls): Kari and Sandro Garcia of Arlington, Texas, Kami and Paul Dickey of Burleson, Texas, Kaci Murphy of Keller, Texas, and Kali Murphy and Jeff Hofferber of Fort Worth, Texas. She is also survived by her beloved brother Donald Onthank, Jr. of Arlington, Texas, her seven grandchildren who were her pride and joy: Austin and Adyson Dickey, Madison Murphy, and Graciela and Alessandro Garcia, and her niece, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her mother Evelyn Onthank, her father Donald Onthank, her brother Larry Sullivan, and two sisters at birth.
Sue was born in Grinnell, Iowa, and graduated from Newton High School in 1969. She moved to Texas in 1991, and began working for American Airlines. Sue retired from American Airlines in 2012 after 21 years of service. She had fun with the friends she made at American along with the travel she got to enjoy, but Sue always called Iowa home. She looked forward to going back for reunion weekends and seeing her long-time friends. She always wanted to know “what activities for Grandmas were coming up” with her grandchildren whom she loved so much, and she cherished time with her family. Her precious dog Daisy and cat Lucy were never far from her side.
We are heartbroken by our sudden loss but take comfort knowing she is with her parents who she missed deeply, and free from the pain and lack of mobility caused by her past strokes. We know we will see her again one day. Until then, we love you dearly.
A memorial service and burial will be held on Friday, June 11th at 10:30am at Westfield Community Church and Cemetery in Grinnell, Iowa. There will also be a Celebration of Life at the Elk’s Lodge in Newton, Iowa on Saturday, June 12th from 1pm-4pm.