Maura “Suzy” (Sonnefeld) Demas, 60, of Wheeling, WV, passed away on Tuesday, August 17, 2021, after a battle with cancer. She was born in West Virginia on July 12, 1961 and was adopted as an infant by her parents, Robert and Nancy Sonnefeld. She graduated from Central Catholic High School and spent most of her adult life in Wheeling.
Suzy had a profound love of animals and spent many days loving, caring for, and rescuing them and she always had a dog or cat by her side. She had a green thumb and always had the most beautiful gardens. She loved garage sales and brought new life to the antiques she salvaged. She made the best French onion soup which she would only eat out of French onion soup bowls. She loved snow and would often sneak outside early in the morning on a snowy day to enjoy the peacefulness that comes after a fresh snowfall. Her favorite holiday was Christmas and she decorated the most amazing Christmas tree. Suzy also loved grizzly bears and found great joy in following the grizzly bears in Montana.
Suzy’s life was cut too short, but we know she would want us to carry on by being kind to one another. She would want us to be a positive force in the lives of others, use our energy to build others up, and strive to make a difference in those we meet in this life. In the end, we all deserve that kindness.
Suzy is preceded in death by her father, Robert Sonnefeld, and mother, Nancy Sonnefeld. She is survived by her children: Maura Hamilton, Whitefish, MT; Robert Demas, Bothell, WA, and Julia Demas, Wheeling, WV; grand-daughter, Ava Demas; many cousins throughout the country; and several great friends.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, family asks that donations be made in Suzy’s honor to: National Alliance on Mental Illness Wheeling at <https://namiwheeling.org> or The Ohio Valley SPCA at <https://www.paypal.me/ovspca>.
I love you, mom. We miss you.