It has been a month since Susanne Joy Brown’s short life ended but she is now at peace and no longer in pain.
Born on a joyous day in 1969 at the Huntingdon County Hospital, there were tears as she passed away in the same building in 2025. But what really matters is the dash between these two dates.
Susanne was brought up on a dairy and cash-crop farm in Elgin with her three older brothers. Her motto quickly became, “What they can do, I can do better.”
She filled that dash with downhill ski trips from Titus Mountain in New York to Sunshine in British Columbia, scuba diving adventures, sky diving, her Harley Davidson, and three dogs.
After graduating from Chateauguay Valley Regional High School in 1987, Susanne graduated from Kemptville Agricultural College before earning degrees as part of the first class in agricultural journalism and photojournalism at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario.
She worked as a staff reporter for the Canadian Jersey Breeder before working as a field reporter for the agricultural newspaper Farm and Country in Toronto, where she went on to become the Eastern Ontario bureau chief.
Susanne returned to Quebec where she won at least ten awards from the Quebec Community Newspapers Association for her work at the Quebec Farmers Advocate. She next took on the role of editor, journalist, and photojournalist with The Gleaner before joining the municipal administration at the Town of Huntingdon, where she created and edited the bilingual Huntingdon Gazette.
She leaves behind many good memories. Susanne always thought of others, even while struggling with her own illnesses. We will always think of her impish smile, her sparkling eyes, and will pass her love and caring on to others.
Her family, spouse Richard Riel, mother Jean, and brothers David, Stephen, and Derick would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who cared for Susanne at the Huntingdon Residential and Long-term Care Centre (CHSLD), the Barrie Memorial Hospital in Ormstown, the Suroît Hospital in Valleyfield, and to Dr. F. Moore at the Jewish General Hospital.