Sue Ann Preminger Madrigal

Sue Ann Preminger Madrigal passed away Tuesday, July 27, 2021. She was 70 years old. She passed away peacefully, with her husband Jorge, son Daniel, and her siblings Steve, Ken, and Jean at her side.

Sue grew up in Palo Alto’s Barron Park alongside her siblings and her parents Ralph and Elsa Preminger. Her fondest memories from childhood were from their annual vacation to the Berkeley Tuolumne Family Camp on the outskirts of Yosemite, as well as trips to a beach cabin in Santa Cruz. Sue was an observant child, a quality that sharpened her sense of humor and made her engaging to everyone she encountered.

After graduating from Gunn High School, she attended college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she met her husband Jorge. She transferred to San Francisco State University where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. After school Sue visited Jorge in Bogotá, later, they lived and worked in Vancouver, B.C., a city they enjoyed and also where they were married. Additionally, Sue and Jorge found great satisfaction living and working in the cities of Huntington Beach, Edmonds/Seattle, and Pittsburgh, PA.

Sue and Jorge settled in San Francisco where she worked for the County as a social worker. In 1984 she gave birth to the light of her life, her son Dan. Living between San Francisco and Palo Alto, Dan went to Palo Alto schools, graduating from Palo Alto High School where his grandmother Elsa graduated 70 years earlier.

In Palo Alto they lived with their boxers Molly and Ginger.

Sue had a fondness for reading, folk music, and getting together with her family and friends. She also loved to travel around the world, including trips to London and Greece with her sister Jean and vacations to Spain and Portugal with her husband Jorge. She enjoyed spending time in nature, especially if she could hear the sounds of waves crashing on shore or a river running through a pine forest.

Sue was a natural, wonderful person, kind, generous, and thoughtful about making things better for everybody. She would regularly seek out newcomers at family gatherings and make them feel welcome. She was also known to start a game of Spoons or cards to keep the atmosphere lively.

Sue was loved by everyone who knew her. To Jorge’s family she was the “Muy querida TÍa Sue.” She is survived by her son, husband, siblings, siblingsin-law, cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends who deeply miss her warmth and presence.