Susan Gaddis McCabe died at the age of 64 at home with her family in San Marcos, Texas on Tuesday, January 25, 2011. She faced her cancer diagnosis with bravery, wisdom and grace. Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1946 to Dr. Herman Gaddis of Bartlesville, Okla. and Vera Scott of Watonga, Okla., Susie has one brother, Thomas Gaddis of Corpus Christi. She met Thomas McCabe in 1964 in San Marcos where they were both attending Southwest Texas State College. The two married in November 1965 in Brownsville, Texas, and Susie was welcomed into the large McCabe family, becoming a beloved daughter, sister and aunt. She brought a special spirit to family gatherings because of her curiosity, laughter and love of life. She and Tommy lived in College Station and Edinburg, where she earned a Bachelor's of Elementary Education degree from Pan American University in 1976. She taught first grade at St. Matthew's Episcopal School in Edinburg before the family returned to San Marcos in 1980. Susie began her second career in 1983 as the first employee of Ascot Travel in San Marcos where she worked for 15 years. Almost immediately Susie began to travel the world. She especially loved France, Ireland, Italy, Israel and Turkey. Susie's travels fed her hunger for knowledge and a love of the arts, leading her to explore opera and studies in religion and literature through SAGE (Seminars for Adult Growth and Enrichment) at the University of Texas. She saw herself in service to the community, and over the years became a Hospice volunteer, a Master Gardener, President of Hays County Aggie Moms, and a charter member of Habitat for Humanity San Marcos, building six Habitat homes in San Marcos. This last experience sparked the idea to use McCabe labor to build a home for Tommy's mom to move to San Marcos. Tommy and Susie led the construction of the home, which has provided a gathering place for the family for the past ten years. An avid bridge player, Susie met weekly with her bridge club in San Marcos. In addition, Susie and Tommy began to uncover the mysteries of their families' heritage by exploring centuries of genealogy of the McCabe and Gaddis families. Susie's influence on all who loved her cannot be overstated. If you wanted to know the best way to spend an afternoon in London or Dublin or some other far-flung locale, she was the one who would point you to the eclectic, off-the-beaten-path museum that would become your favorite memory of the trip. She'd demonstrate the most effective way to iron a shirt while also describing a Puccini opera. Susie, who converted to Catholicism in the 1990s, taught volumes about spirituality just by patiently coaxing the sound from a Tibetan singing bowl. She was preceded in death by her parents, her maternal grandparents, C.T. Scott and Frances Boyd Scott of Watonga, Okla., and her paternal grandparents, William Gaddis and Maud Mize Gaddis of Bartlesville, Okla. She is survived by her husband, Tommy, son, Scott and wife, Cynthia Kopkowski McCabe, and daughter, Sabine Marie, of College Park, Md.; Kevin and wife, Libba Letton McCabe, and sons, Declan Letton and Liam Letton, of Austin; and Glenn McCabe and son, Seth Francis, of Cypress, Texas. In addition, she is survived by her brother, Tom Gaddis, and wife, Joye, of Corpus Christi, and many nephews and nieces. Services will be held on Friday, January 28, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. at H.L. Grant Catholic Student Center in San Marcos. Family friend Father Hayden Vaverek will officiate. Serving as pallbearers are Brian McCabe, Tim McCabe, Joe McCabe, Sam McCabe, Michael Pat McCabe, Casey McCabe, Adam Rodriguez, and John Spellmann Jr. Visitation will be held 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Thursday January 27 at Pennington Funeral Home. Interment will be immediately after the Friday service in the San Marcos Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or your local Hospice. Arrangements by Pennington Funeral Home, 323 N. Comanche, San Marcos, TX 78666, 512-353-4311.
Published in Austin American-Statesman on January 27, 2011