Obituary of Susan Louise Rathje

Susan Louise Rathje, 75, of Great Falls, VA passed away Friday June 30^th 2023 at Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital unexpectedly.  On the evening of Saturday June 24^th 2023, she started coughing up blood and was sent to the ER.  Susan was operated on for an existing complicated heart condition but developed a skin reaction while receiving care.  She was airlifted to Virginia Commonwealth University Burn unit for treatment of her skin.  During her skin treatment, her heart condition worsened and could no longer be treated which led to her death.

Susan is preceded in death by her parents Susan and Frank Prisco.  She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Richard along with her 3 children, Kim and her husband Jim, David, and Keri and her husband TJ.  Susan is also survived by one sister Valerie and her husband Paul.

Susan was born in Queens, New York and attended Saint Anastasia grade school through 1961.  She then attended the Mary Louis Academy graduating in 1965.  She attended the Brooklyn Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in 1968.  She met her husband Richard in 1969, and they married in 1970.  She worked as a nurse in pediatrics and in med surge unit.  After moving to Virginia, she was heavily involved in the Forestville Elementary PTA, the Herndon Intermediate PTA, and the VFW in McLean.  She taught religious education for a while and later worked as a teaching assistant that supported underprivileged children.  Susan created a small wedding cake business for a time baking multi-tier wedding and special occasion cakes.  While raising her children, Susan took a break from nursing for a while and contributed her skills in the business world working at multiple companies.  In 1997 she initiated an outreach program for the homebound at Saint Joseph Catholic Church which brought together volunteers to provide the spiritual and temporal needs to the homebound in areas such as Eucharistic, Prayer, care giver respite, meals, emergency child care, community resources, and computer needs.  After handing the program over she took care of her Aunt Ann and her mother Susan who lived to the age of 96.  Susan enjoyed fishing, the beach, the mountains, family reunions, and cooking- especially meatballs and chicken cutlets.  Her love of Christmas and sharing it with others earned her the name of the “Christmas Lady” by those who knew her.  Every year she would bake tons of Christmas cookies and hand them out to neighbors, friends, family, and anyone else that dropped by.  She always had an open door and seat at her table for unexpected guests to dine. Susan loved her Catholic faith and when her life and health no longer afforded her the ability to go to church, she would participate in mass watching it on EWTN with her German Shepherd, Storm, by her side.  She touched people’s lives in all different ways, whether it was taking care of the neighborhood kid who broke his arm playing on the ice pond or standing up for those who could not do so for themselves.  Susan’s home was always open to the kids of the neighborhood for times during the day when there was no one to care for them or nowhere to go.  She carried a warmth, love and generosity that touched many including those she did not know well.  Even when Susan’s opinions and feelings on an issue were contrary to those around her, she would still offer it up since it came from her genuine concern of the person’s spiritual welfare and overall, well-being.  She will be greatly missed by her family and close friends.

A mass will be held at 11 am on Monday, July 17^th 2023 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 750 Peachtree Street, Herndon, VA 20170.  A private interment will be held at a later date.

The family has created an online photo album that friends are welcome to view: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-4Ij_6_LhZV34Menc5Inrc-A0Pc0rGRe

For those coming from out of town below is a list of hotels:

Hyatt Place Sterling 21481 Ridgetop Circle Sterling VA 20166 703-444-3909

Extended Stay America 46001 Waterview Plaza Sterling VA 20170 703-444-7240

Hampton Inn Dulles 46331 McClellan Way Sterling VA 20165 703-450-9595

Courtyard by Marriott 45500 Majestic Drive Dulles VA 20166 571-434-6400

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to EWTN or Inova Health Foundation. 

For EWTN donations either send a check to EWTN 5817 Old Leeds Road, Irondale, AL 35210 referencing in the memo In Memory of Susan Louise Rathje or Call 800-447-EWTN and use a credit card mentioning a donation is being made in the memory of Susan Louise Rathje. 

For Inova Health Foundation donations can be made via check with Susan Louise Rathje Inova Heart and Vascular Institute in the memo of the check and sent to Inova Health Foundation 8095 Innovation Park Dr Fairfax, VA 22031 or online using this link Memorial Gifts to Inova Health Foundation.  A donor can then select in Memory of and put in Susan Louise Rathje the gift should be put to Inova Heart and Vascular Institute.