Suzanne’s light and grace illuminated our small meeting for more than twenty years. Her probing questions, her thoughtful and eloquent responses, her intense curiosity about the world around her, and her determination to live every day in the presence of God helped each of us to deepen our own spiritual journey. She spent her life in unflagging search for meaning and truth. Without flinching from the cruelty and tragedy of the world, she loved Life (capital L) and her own life (small l) with an inspiring and infectious passion. She was fond of the quote, “Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts.”

She was born Suzanne Claudia Duhamel, in a small French Canadian community in Rhode Island. Raised in a devout Catholic family, she came to Quakerism as an adult after a long search for a spiritual home. Throughout her life she remained interested in other traditions and brought the teachings of Buddha, Meher Baba, Rumi and others into her Quaker practice. She was both intrigued by and wary of the figure of Jesus and struggled to integrate his message of undying love. She liked to say that if asked by a stranger to describe herself, she would start her list of identifying characteristics with, “I am a Quaker.”

Suzanne was orphaned by the age of twelve and was subsequently raised by an aunt and uncle. This trauma shaped the rest of her life and fueled her commitment to live it in full awareness of the mysteries of change and death. She attended college and then married Rhet Tignor, the love of her life for the next forty-four years. They raised three children, Ed Tignor, Emily Tignor Keenum and Jim Tignor, who have all joined Quaker meetings in their own hometowns. When they were launched, Suzanne returned to school, completing a Masters in Social Work degree. She was a beloved psychotherapist in both public and private settings for many years.

Suzanne was a mapmaker. She blazed many trails, calling us, with undaunted courage and penetrating honesty, to dig a little deeper, go a little farther in our search for God’s guidance. She showed us how to savor the simple things in life – chicken stock made from scratch or a grandchild’s broad smile. She taught us to gaze with a child’s sense of wonderment at the first iris or peony and to whoop with joy at weddings and birthday celebrations. More than one young Friend found themselves confiding in her, and her sage advice and deep wisdom, which ranged from child rearing to prayer to bread pudding, was absorbed by all. Her last endeavor as a cartographer found her charting a course for how to meet death face to face. We are grateful for the tracks she leaves behind.

“I can fall in love a hundred times a day,” Suzanne once told a close friend. And she did. She opened the door of her heart and gathered the world in. She was an extraordinary listener and a loyal friend. She loved to cook and she loved to eat. But more, she loved to share the bounty of her kitchen because she understood that fellowship and community are nurtured by generous hospitality. She loved everything French. She railed against environmental pollution, but eventually came to love picking up the garbage on the beach where she walked. She loved her family more than anything, and her devotion to her husband, her children and her six grandchildren was palpable.

And always she was surrounded by laughter. And often, she wept for the unbearable suffering in the world.

Suzanne found God in Nature, in close relationships with family and friends, in poetry and devotional reading, and in the attention she paid to the smallest details of her life. She was determined to be “awake” to it all and determined to align her will with the will of God. Surrendering to the Mystery became a kind of leading for Suzanne during the last days of her life. She turned her face in the direction of the Divine and did not close her eyes. She knew she was going home.

Suzanne served Williamsburg Friends Meeting for many years as convener of Ministry and Counsel. For the last two years she served as co-clerk. She was a gracious hostess and frequently shared her beautiful home for workshops and social gatherings.

She died at home on April 5, 2006 after a long battle with cancer. Suzanne was 64 years old. A memorial service was held in the manner of Friends on April 9, 2006. She leaves behind a legacy of a life fully observed, ardently experienced, and brimful of the possibilities for joy in everyday existence.