Suzanne Harling

(Barre) Suzanne Lester Harling, 88, died peacefully at home on May 29, 2026.

Sue was born in Rochester, New York on March 30, 1938 to the late Eugene and Frances (Clark) Lester. She is predeceased by her sister, Diane, and her brother, Ralph. Sue is survived by her loving husband of 67 years, Ronald Harling, whom she repeatedly proclaimed was the best husband in the world. Together they raised seven children: Ann (Tim) Burley, Mary (Scott) Marsh, Carol Gillis, Patricia (Tim) Archer, Joyce (Daniel) Monacelli, Ronald (Maggie) Harling, and Stephen (Kathy) Harling. From those seven, they had twenty-three grandchildren: Brendon (Heather) Burley, Owen Burley, Ruth (Oliver) Wagner, Katherine (Uğuz Han) Hagiömeroğlu, Eileen Burley (Lin Zhang), Danielle (Huy Liêm) Nguyen, Stephen (Rachel) Hicks, Laura (Nathan) Herbert,Thomas (Jessica) Hicks, Brian (Mariel) Gillis, Elizabeth (Zach) Rossiter, Paul (Elizabeth) Archer, Elizabeth (William) Haibach, John (Lianne) Archer, Daniel Monacelli, Matthew (Mikayla) Monacelli, Jennifer (Eric) Bodine, Kyle (Melissa) Harling, Brett Harling, Riley Harling, Michael Clyde Harling, Emily Suzanne Harling, Nicholas Eugene Harling. With twenty-four great grandchildren her family totaled seventy-eight.

Sue lived in Brockport before moving to a farmhouse in Barre as a teenager. It was a move that altered the course of her life. There she met the love of her life, Ronald, a neighbor farm boy. She graduated from Albion High School in 1956, married her childhood sweetheart in 1958 and never looked back. Sue was proud of the work that she supported with her husband, Ronald, who worked as the local veterinarian serving both pet owners and farmers in Orleans County, but family was the most important thing to “Grandma Sue” and “Grandpa Doc.” And that family often extended to other people who gathered at their home and enjoyed a swim in the pool or an ice cream treat from the freezer. She loved her home and hosting people there believing it was the best place in the world. People who gathered would hear cherished stories, favorite adages, and possibly even a show tune, and all babies were welcomed with open arms in a rocking chair. Home and family were definitely at the heart of everything.

A funeral mass will be held for Sue at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church 9 South Main St., Holley, New York 14470 at 10:00am on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. In lieu of calling hours, Sue hoped that people would take a loved one out for ice cream or help a neighbor with their yard. In lieu of flowers, charitable donations are appreciated for St. Mary’s Church of Holley, New York or the Orleans County Hospice.