WATERLOO - Sue Ann Hixson, 64, of Singapore, formerly of Waterloo, died Tuesday, Sept. 4, in California of a deep vein thrombosis.

She was born Feb. 24, 1943, in Waterloo, daughter of Harold and Grace Stoner Harter. She married Marvin Hixson on July 10, 1965, in Waterloo.

Mrs. Hixson was a 1961 graduate of Waterloo West High School and also graduated from Iowa State University. Mrs. Hixson was a clinical nutritionist and obtained a master's degree and internship at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio.

Sue and Marv were in the same Whittier primary school kindergarten class picture, taken in 1948, and started dating in their senior year at West High (1960). They got married four years later and have been together for 42+ years. It has been an exciting 47 years, and they had a wonderful life together. Their daughter April Dawn was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1977 and had been in 12 countries before 6 months of age. Since then, the travel and life experiences multiplied tenfold. The discovery of breast cancer in 1995 slowed her down only briefly, in fact it sped her up - being a docent in the Singapore Museum, traveling all over Asia with the Friends of the Museum, lecturing at the Singapore Heritage Council, writing textbooks and helping people understand breast cancer. Rediscovering her Iowa State Gamma Phi Beta buddies led to some riotous behavior over the last four years.

Sue became an athlete in 2002 when she became a founding member of the Singapore Breast Cancer Survivors' Dragon Boat teams (Paddlers in the Pink and a Breast in a Boat). Her first race was such a rush, and the ladies were so excited that they trained twice a week and raced internationally from Asia to Europe.

She was so excited about becoming a grandmother. Then tragedy struck on her way to California, 24 hours before April gave birth, when a blood clot from her leg brought her life to an end, two hours before the plane landed. April and Ben named their girl Susannah in honor of Sue Ann.

For the last 24 years Sue lived in Singapore, where Marv will continue to live and write a book for Susannah, telling her all about Grandmother Sue.

Survivors include her husband, Marvin, of Singapore; one daughter, April (Benjamin) Goldsmith of Campbell, Calif.; one granddaughter, Susannah Rose Goldsmith; and two brothers-in-law and their wives, Keith (Helen) Hixson of Marion and Dale (Lila) Hixson of Waterloo.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Kearns, Huisman-Schumacher Chapel on Kimball, with burial in Garden of Memories Cemetery. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and one hour before services Saturday at the funeral home.

Memorials may be directed to the family. Condolences may be left at www.kearnsfuneralservice.com.