5 days ago
Suzan Catherine Stage Suzan Stage was born Suzan Catherine
Jun. 4—Suzan Catherine Stage Suzan Stage was born Suzan Catherine Schiwart in Reno, Nevada in early 1965. She passed away on May 28, 2025. Suzan was the third of three children to Elmer "Tex" and Caroline Schiwart. She was ten years younger than her sister Cherrie, and eleven younger than her brother Steve. She graduated from Reed High School in Sparks, Nevada, a suburb of Reno, in 1983, following her father and brother into the military, joining the Nevada Air National Guard later that year. She went through Air Force Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio before transitioning to Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas for her Technical Training. Having participated in church choirs through her childhood, Suzan volunteered to sing in the Special Activities Choir during her technical training. It was in choir that she met her future husband, Michael Stage. They dated for the duration of his technical training, when he left for his first assignment in England. When Suzan completed her training, she returned to Reno to begin her career with the Air National Guard. The two maintained a long-distance relationship for two years. He would call every week, and twice used his leave to travel to Reno rather than visit his family in San Diego. Suzan also flew to England to visit Michael once over the winter vacation in 1985. Suzan moved from Reno to Mesa, Arizona in 1986 when Michael transferred from England to Williams Air Force Base in the eastern region of Phoenix, joining the Arizona Air National Guard. It was only a year later they decided to marry, the ceremony taking place in Reno with family and friends in attendance. The couple had returned to Arizona, and bought their first house in Tempe in 1989. Suzan was then pregnant with their son Thomas in 1990, when Michael was reassigned to Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico. Suzan transferred to the Air National Guard for that state, and Thomas was born at Cannon Air Force Base. After the first Gulf War, the Air Force went through a large drawdown, and Michael left active duty and joined Suzan in the Air National Guard in 1992. The couple remained in Clovis until 1996, before moving to Albuquerque. They both eventually obtained full-time positions at the guard unit at Kirtland Air Force Base. Suzan completed many combat deployments during her military career, including Kuwait, Turkey, northern Italy, and eventually capping her 31-years with a six-month deployment to Afghanistan. Upon leaving uniformed service, Suzan continued her career by joining the U.S. Forest Service. In 2019, Suzan was diagnosed with Stage-3 Ovarian Cancer. After a hysterectomy and two rounds of chemotherapy, the doctors proclaimed that she was in remission. Nine months later, the cancer had returned, sending her through more chemotherapy. Though they had initially given her about four years to live from the initial diagnosis, Suzan fought the deadly disease for over five years. She and Mike traveled for a month to Europe, the southern states to see family and friends, took a Nile River cruise to see pyramids and temples, and spent a week in the Hawaiian Islands with friends, the highlight of which was snorkeling at night with manta rays. After an aborted clinical trial at MD Andersen in Houston, she was sent home into hospice. Nine days later she died surrounded by family and friends who had come from around the country. She is survived by her husband Mike, son Tom, and brother Steve. She was adored and loved by those who knew her. Her smile was contagious, and never more so than when performing Star Wars cosplay for the local Rebel Legion and 501st Legion. She has become one with The Force and is deeply missed.
