SUSAN L (ALMQUIST) GRABINSKI Obituary (1953

Sue Grabinski Sue's Life Sue (Susan) Linda (Almquist) Grabinski, age 63, went to be with her Savior, Jesus Christ on Sunday, October 16, 2016 with her family by her side. Sue fought colon cancer beginning May 2013. She put on a fierce battle. Romans chapter 8 verse 28 says, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Sue was born to John and Mabel Almquist in Wrangell, Alaska on June 19, 1953. She joined her big brother Jack in the family. In 1954 the family moved back to the Willmar, Minnesota where brothers Tom and Bob were added to the family. Sue was confirmed at Calvary Lutheran Church in Willmar and participated in the youth group activities. Sue grew up in the Willmar area and attended all of her schooling there. During her high school years she worked, after school, as a "Candy Striper" in the local hospital serving meals to patients. She also worked at the local state institution for handicapped children in Willmar. That is where she found her love to become a teacher and attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD. In 1975, she earned her degree in Special Education, with a minor in math. Upon her college graduation, she and younger brother Tom decided to spend a summer working in Alaska. She had a yearning to return to her birth state and see what it was like. Both of them secured a summer seasonal job at the Gracious House Lodge, an outfitter/guide business on the Denali Highway, 80 miles east of Mt Denali National Park, in Alaska. She was the head cook for the Lodge, plus tow truck driver. It was while she was there that she received information on the potential for her first teaching job. There was an opening for a Special Education Teacher in Petersburg, Alaska. She applied and was accepted for that teaching position. While teaching in Petersburg, she met and married Tom Grabinski on August 20, 1977. To this union three children were born, Ryan in 1979; Kevin in 1981; and Nicole in 1985. Tom was employed by the US Forest Service and they moved to Bozeman, MT in the fall of 1979 and lived there until moving to Troy, MT in 1991. Sue was a stay at home mother/wife while in Bozeman. She was active in Peace Lutheran Church volunteering in many programs within the church and was also a Cub Scout Den Mother. Summers were spent taking family vacations, going camping, rafting and returning to Minnesota to visit Sue's family. Moving to Troy with the youngest now starting first grade brought back a desire to return to teaching, in addition to being a mom and wife. She applied in 1992 at the Morrison Elementary school as a teacher's aide in the special education program. She was accepted and began a career that lasted for 12 years. In the winter of 2003, Sue and Nicole took a trip to volunteer in South Africa, which was another wonderful Christian experience for her. Upon her decision to retire from teaching, she spent a year doing Christian volunteer work at orphanages with her daughter Nicole in Arizona, India and Mexico for several months in the fall/winter of 2004/5. After returning home from the overseas trip, her energy was not yet spent and she was offered and took on the responsibility of being chairperson for the Troy Food Pantry in 2005. She served in this capacity until her health in late 2016 forced her to relinquish her duties to other volunteers. She loved to go down to the pantry and restock the shelves on a weekly basis. She easily spent up to a couple days a week helping put food on the shelves to be given to families in Troy. During this time, she was also very active at Christ Lutheran Church in Libby. She served on church council, as a Sunday School Teacher, Vacation Bible School, Christ Kitchen and the women's servant group. It was the latter one that she really enjoyed with other church ladies traveling to other cities and working in crisis centers, food kitchens, and good will centers sorting clothes and other donated items for needy people. These women's servant trips took her to larger cities like Chicago, Albuquerque, Seattle, Sacramento, Spokane, Phoenix, San Antonio and Biloxi, MS after Hurricane Katrina. She made many friends during those trips and always returned tired and yet ready for the trip the next year. Sue loved to cook and bake, especially during the Christmas Holiday season. The family's favorite of her Christmas baking was a Scandinavian bread called Yulakaka, with a most tantalizing smell of Cardamom seeds. Her baking was notorious for variety, some two dozen kinds from her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother's recipes, and large quantities of each. Although her health declined during her last year it too was not without some life events she wanted to experience before the Lord welcomed her home. Sue became a grandmother in October 2010 and again in October 2012. Bethany and Sarai Nygren (Nicole's children) became another love of her life. She had them with her many times and the girls always wanted to sleep with Grandma when they were together. She was delighted to take a hot air balloon ride with the family in July 2016, a SE Alaska Cruise in August 2016, plus rafted the Kootenai River in September 2016. Sue was an amazing, yet humble woman who loved life, loved her family and friends and who made the whole world a better place. Sue is survived by her husband Tom of Troy; son Ryan (Jamie) of Belgrade; son Kevin of E. Helena; daughter Nicole (Jeremiah) Nygren and granddaughters Bethany and Sarai of Dillon; Brothers Jack (Cathy) Almquist of Willmar, MN, Tom Almquist of Roseville, MN, and Bob Almquist of Raymond, WA. Uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews and many cousins are remembered with special places in her heart. Her friends from Christ Lutheran and the Troy Food Pantry were very special in her life. Her parents, John and Mabel preceded her in death in 2000 and 2010. Sue's Celebration of Life services will be held at Christ Lutheran Church, 200 W. Larch St, Libby, MT on Saturday, November 5, 2016 at 11:00am, followed with lunch served in the Fellowship Hall. Sue's wish is for everyone to wear something casual and colorful to celebrate her life. Memorials can be made to Christ Lutheran Church, Lincoln County Wings Foundation or the Troy Food Pantry. Arrangements are by Schnackenberg & Nelson Funeral Home in Libby. online condolences and memories may be shared at www.schnackenbergfh.com. Interment will be later in the Bozeman area.