Obituary: Susan Bebb Seel
Prepared by Wylie Hunt
Susan Bebb Seel passed away after an eight-year battle with cancer on Feb. 29 in Stony Brook, surrounded by a loving family.
Sue was born on March 27, 1950, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was raised by Hellen and Dr. Kenneth Bebb in Wichita Falls, Texas. After living in the Washington, D.C., area, Sue moved to Stony Brook in 1994. She attended Wichita Falls public schools and graduated from the University of Texas with a master’s degree in speech pathology and audiology.
In the D.C. area, she was a founder of Rivendell School. Sue had a vision for unique ways of educating children. She poured her heart into developing a curriculum that reflected her faith and interest in literature, history, art and music. She was always an avid reader and member of the same book club of lovely ladies in Stony Brook for more than 30 years.
In 1996 she received certification as a life coach and coached clients of all ages. She coached clients at John T. Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, The Stony Brook School and countless others all over the country. She will be remembered as someone who received life from encouraging and inspiring others. Sue’s greatest joy came from relationships with family and friends.
Her motto was “Show up and connect.” She did that well and to her fullest capacity even with stage 4 cancer. Sue loved to hear other people’s stories and was a shining light to everyone who met her. Her passion and love for people was unsurpassed. Sue and Spencer shared that enthusiasm and compassion in their community outreach and in their business, Made to Move Tennis & Wellness. In conversations with her husband, sharing their faith about God’s design for us to be healthy and to move, the name of the club, Made to Move, came into being. Sue loved to move. She was a triathlete, and before she competed in triathlons, she was a tennis player and active every year at summer camp.
As a member of Caroline Episcopal Church in Setauket for 28 years, she was passionate about music and sang in the choir. Sue also led adult education classes and Bible study; taught Sunday School; volunteered for Vacation Bible School; was active in Long Island Episcopal Cursillo, a program that seeks to grow Christ-centered leaders to fulfill the mission of the church; and made many, many prayer shawls and meals for those in need.
In 2016, before being diagnosed with cancer. she and her husband started The Village Spot, a nonprofit organization committed to helping young people, ages 18 to 30, who might be struggling to find a career or a meaningful place in their communities.
She leaves behind her husband, Spencer Edelbaum; her sons, David and Alex Seel; her daughter-in-law Erin Seel; her grandchildren, Ian and Eliza Seel; her cousins, Carolyn Kelly, Beth Russell, Louise Ratz and her second cousin, Susan Hernly Reed. Sue was preceded in death by her parents, Hellen and Kenneth Bebb, and her brother, Richard Bebb.
A memorial service will be held at Caroline Episcopal Church, 1 Dyke Road, Setauket, on Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m. The service will be live streamed, with the link on the church’s website: www.carolinechurch.net.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Rivendell School, 2410 N. Kensington St., Arlington, VA 22205; Caroline Episcopal Church, 1 Dyke Road, Setauket, NY 11733; or GIST Cancer Research Fund at gistinfo.org.
