Rapp-Featherston, Suzanne (1945-2022)

RAPP, FEATHERSTONE

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 2/13/2022 at 15:46:37

Mary "Suzanne" Raap-Featherston

Born in Millersburg, IA
Born on Apr 28, 1945
Departed on Jan 29, 2022

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Mary “Suzanne” Raap-Featherston on Saturday, January 29th, 2022. Suzanne was born in Millersburg, Iowa on April 28th, 1945 to Harry and Mary Agnew. The oldest of 8 siblings, she left home to attend beauty school in Cedar Rapids at 18. She owned her first salon in her 20’s —Suzanne’s Hairlooms—a salon and store where she sold antiques with her mother. She continued the Suzanne’s enterprise for the next 50+ years, while also adding a kid’s salon over time called Kids Kutz. She lived in Cedar Rapids for 30 years before settling in Packwood, Iowa. During this time she was twice married and raised eight children. When her children left the home, she eventually moved to Texas. She retired from doing hair at 76 years old before moving back home to Des Moines, Iowa to be closer to family. Every time she moved, a new version of her Suzanne’s salon would be born. She owned and operated salons in Iowa, Nevada, California, and Texas. She loved making all ages of clients feel happy about the way they looked. This practice gave her great joy and fulfillment, as making someone feel good was so much more than just a job for her. Doing hair was her passion.

Some called her Suzanne or Susie, but her favorite people called her Mom. It’s no small achievement to raise eight children, especially while running salons full-time. She was loving, encouraging, and challenged her children to always be the best they could be. She sacrificed so much to make sure they had everything she could give them and that they knew how to be loving, respectful and kind to everyone they met too. Good table manners, smiling and sitting up straight were regular household practices. Her children were always well loved and well treated; there were always cookies or cakes around to be enjoyed. She didn’t cook as much in her later years but she was an excellent cook - always making our favorites like “must-go” (shepherd's pie), chicken and noodles and enchiladas.

Suzanne loved animals and spent the small bit of free time that she had showing and breeding Angora rabbits or raising alpacas. Her love for hair continually fueled her creativity. She often had the fiber made into hats, hair ties and rugs. At one time she owned 100 rabbits, so there was plenty of wool to be had. This hobby was her tiny extension of the farm she grew up helping in her childhood years.

Everyone who met Suzanne would certainly remember her for her warm and friendly nature. The hair stylist in her knew how to engage with anyone. She loved to be fun and was always the center of attention in any room. Her joyful nature was always in tandem with her spirit of generosity. In her later years, people she met would end up owning a bottle of shampoo and children would end up with a new lollipop. Every young customer at her children’s salons always left with their favorite piece of candy. She loved to dance (albeit similar to Elaine from Seinfeld) but the style of her dancing never deterred her from asking others to join in. The “Grandma dance” was always done with grandkids.

She delighted in making people smile. It will be hard to imagine gatherings without her shooting a straw wrapper at someone, stealing food from a nearby plate, all while ordering several desserts with matching to-go boxes. In her later years, she voiced regret in not “drinking and doing drugs”. In her last year of life, she took up the habit of ordering a drink but then having her children kindly finish it on her behalf, almost as if she was buying them a drink.

Suzanne was stylish, always put together and until she was hospitalized for her sudden illness was never without bright red lipstick. This bright red lipstick seemed to follow her everywhere. Every glass or straw she used was adorned with a kiss.

Her name (Suzanne) means “lily” which remarkably was also her favorite flower. She bought stargazer lilies often and their lovely fragrance would fill the salon or her home. Suzanne likewise also filled every room she was in, with her joyous smile, silly humor and laughter.

Suzanne is survived by her children, Mike (Kristin), Mary SuAnn (A.J.), Sarah (Brian), John (Jayme), Renae (Brent), Brian (Stacy), Mary Catherine (Matthew) , Megan (Chad), 17 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Mary Agnew, her sister, Charlotte Pingel, and brother, John Agnew.

May she find eternal rest and get to meet her guardian angel, Josephine. Although Suzanne is no longer with us, she will never be forgotten. Her spirit lives boldly within her eight adoring children.

At Suzanne’s request, a Celebration of Life “party” for friends and family in honor of Suzanne will be held on February 19th in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at Cedar Memorial from 1—4 PM. Eulogies will begin at 2:30 PM In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Suzanne’s memory to the Cedar Valley Humane Society.