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- December 19, 2011
Ileane E. Suitor
Niagara Gazette
YOUNGSTOWN — Ileane E. Suitor, 95, of Youngstown, NY, joined her beloved husband, Harold B. and son, Timothy C., on Sunday, December 18, 2011. She was in the loving hands of her "family" at Our Lady of Peace in Lewiston, NY, when she passed.
Ileane's life journey was dedicated to her family and touched the lives of many Niagara County residents through her gift of caring through nursing.
She is survived by her brother, Eugene Caffo; three sons, Harold E. "Mickey" (Vicki), William P. (Cheryl) and Daniel J.; twelve grandchildren, Jim, Bill, Mary, Dawn, Beau, Scott, Jason, Ryan, Steve, Tim, Lindsay, and Ashley; and 17.5 great-grandchildren. She was the sister to the late Veronica, Stella and Louis.
As the first born of six children to Victor and Grace (Johnston) Caffo, Ileane began life in Huntsville, (Ontario) Canada on February 6, 1916. In May 1924, her family settled in Niagara Falls, NY. Tragically at the age of 12, her mother died. Her father's decision to send her to St. Vincent's Technical School (boarding) in Buffalo unexpectedly set her on her journey into nursing.
In 1933, she graduated from Mt. St. Joseph's Academy and entered nursing training at St. Mary's School of Nursing (the same Order as Our Lady of Peace, where Ileane spent her final days).
During training, she met her beloved husband, Harold, while caring for his mother. Harold and Ileane spent 40 loving years together where they lived in Niagara Falls and settled in Youngstown.
As fate would have it, Ileane would spend her last Labor Day Field Day in Youngstown leading the parade, in her original nurse's uniform, at the same event where she spent her very first date with Harold.
In 1981, she retired from nursing but continued to serve as a volunteer in nursing homes, senior citizen centers and at Mount St. Mary's Hospital in Lewiston, well into her 90s.
Ileane loved telling the story of her "first job hunt mystery." Upon graduating from nursing school in 1936, it was not necessary to job hunt since Mount St. Mary's kept graduates on staff while studying for the State Boards. She worked for $60 a month, 12 hours per day, six and a half days a week. After passing the State Boards, she received a raise to $75 a month. All graduates, especially those from out of town did not take this opportunity, preferring to return to their hometown. Ileane was very happy to remain in Niagara Falls so her "first job hunt" did not take place until 1960.
In 1960, the Suitor family relocated to Youngstown to live on the lake and Ileane had taken a few years out of nursing to attend to a family business. She truly missed nursing and wanted to return to the profession she loved, but wanted to stay close to home. Her desire was to find a nursing position with a local physician, but at the time there was only one physician in Youngstown and a couple in Lewiston. Rumor had it that a new physician was opening a practice in Lewiston, but she did not know who it was.
To assist in her search, she decided to put a "position wanted" in the local paper. The first couple weeks brought no responses, but to her surprise she received a phone call asking if she would be interested in a position with the local physician in Youngstown, Dr. Gerald Cacio. At the time, she had no idea how the office manager got her name and number. After the interview, both knew it was the perfect match and the best professional move she ever made.
She recalled Dr. Cacio a very gentle, kind, and generous professional. She served with Dr. Cacio for 21 years. During this time she made many lasting friendships with staff and the Youngstown community. Later, she would learn the mystery of how the office manager got her name and number. She was married to the "Classified Ad Manager" for the newspaper. Ileane loved telling this story because the doctor and Youngstown meant so much to her. She truly felt it was fate.
Ileane's service to Niagara County will be forever remembered, especially by her family, the residents of Youngstown, and the staff of Mount St. Mary's Hospital.
The family will be present on Wednesday from 2-4 & 7-9 PM at the RHONEY FUNERAL HOME, 901 Cayuga Street, LEWISTON, NY, where funeral services will be held on Thursday at 9:15 AM, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial, at 10:00 AM, at St. Bernard's Church, Hinman and Second Streets, Youngstown, NY, with Msgr. J. Thomas Moran officiating. Flowers are gratefully declined. Memorials may be made in her name to Catholic Charities or to the Youngstown Fire Co. Her final resting place will be next to her beloved husband, Harold, in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Lewiston, NY. Visit www.rhoneyfuneralhome.com for guest register.
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Abt 1916 - 2011 (~ 95 years)