Warren, PA: Suzanne “Sue” M. Talley, 60, formerly of Dunkirk, died Tuesday, July 28, 2026 at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was born in Dunkirk on July 23, 1966, the daughter of Linda (Pagano) Talley Williams and the late Keith Talley.
Sue worked as a Salesperson at the former Box Monkey Enterprises, Inc. in Fredonia. She also worked in the Advertising Department of the Dunkirk Observer for 10 years.
Surviving besides her mother are a daughter Joneece Talley and a sister Theresa Nickerson. Also surviving are two grandchildren; Faryn & Bryce Talley, a nephew; Donald “DJ” McDermott, III and her close friend Anna Galofaro. Besides her father she was predeceased by her stepfather Gerald Ward Williams, Sr. who died February 14, 2019 and her aunt Nancy Wagner.
Funeral Services will be held Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 2 o’clock from Riles & Woolley Funeral Home, 39 Main Street, Forestville, with Rev. David Watson, pastor of Sheridan United Methodist Church officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Westfield Stray Cat Rescue, 8494 Route 20, Westfield, NY 14787. To post condolences or memories go to https://rilesandwoolleyfuneralhome.com.
3 Comments
Brett MacCubbin
My condolences to the family. I worked with Sue at CellularOne year’s ago. God speed. RIP Sue.
Sharon Smith
Oh Linda and Theresa I am so very sorry to hear. We were out of town and I just returned to hear the news. I have such great memories growing up with your family. I am so very sorry. My deepest sympathies to you and your family. ❤️
Lynn "cj" Clarke
Linda and Terry, my heart aches for you and your extended family. I first met Sue when she was about 10 and I was in a pretty dark place following a divorce. She and my sons got along very well, even though the boys were quite young. Sue became their all-time favorite babysitter. We felt like family, and I often referred to her as my “practice daughter” or “First Daughter.” We had fun together then, and every time thereafter whenever we could get together, it was usually laughter most of the time. After I moved to Florida in ’05, we depended more on emails, and then texts and Facebook Messenger, but on as many trips back to WNY we would try to get together, and we enjoyed several lunches together with Sue along with Linda and Gerry. Again – a laughter-filled time.
One of the “inside jokes” for us was Chef Boy-R-Dee pizza in a box. One time when Sue was babysitting, I had a box of the pizza kit – a dough mix with instructions and some sauce. I offered this as one of the choices for dinner for the three of them. Sue rose to the challenge and not only chose to try this, but involved both boys in its creation. The three of them had so much fun making this oddball item that I made sure there were always a few boxes in the cabinet to be on hand tor times Sue was there. The boys remembered this tradition into adulthood, and always brought them a smile. When Sue was living in Texas (an adult by then) I would send her cards and letters and often some little thing included to make her smile and remember “home” = and once, I mailed her a couple of boxes of the Chef’s pizza mix, just for old time’s sake. She called me, laughing, and announced that she was going to make “box pizza” that night. It became an inside joke – a phone call – “Hi Sue, I’m in the neighborhood. So do you want to meet and grab some food?” and she’d answer – “Oh no, we should have the Chef-Boy-R-Dee pizza! ” Then after we could stop laughing, she’d ask how the boys were and what were they up to. But making “box pizza” was always special to us.
This was just one of her special talents – she’d always do creative things with them – from simply drawing to making little crafts, building with Lego, or creating with Play-Doh. She encouraged outdoor play when she was there during the day, even in the winter, and would play WITH them, building a snow fort, playing catch, or pushing them on the swings. And when the group we both belonged to would have a family event and have a picnic, a pool party, or a trip somewhere like Fantasy Island, Sue would usually offer to keep the boys with her, which would allow me to be an adult for a while with the other parents.
She and I were friends – for several winters, we would go skiing together, just she and I, and have as much fun as teenagers, although we were both adults with children. One evening driving home from Cockaigne, a pretty bad snowstorm hit. As we traveled down Rte 60 toward Dunkirk, the snow came so fast that my Gremlin wipers couldn’t keep up and the windshield got overwhelmed. So Sue opened the passenger window and stuck out as far as she could and wiped the window with her jacket sleeve in between our stops to scrape the entire thing.
In the mid- to late-1990s, (yes, big jump) when we lived out in Villanova, Sue would come visit in the summer (very few braved the giant drifts up on Ball Hill) and bring Joneece to swim, often with one or both of our granddaughters. The girls had fun together, and we adults would float or swim near enough to grab if a girl needed help, but also enjoying our time together.
One great thing about our relationship – it didn’t matter if it was two days, two months, or two years since we had an actual conversation, we could pick that up as soon as the email or message arrived, or as soon as the phone connected. Sue knew that I always loved her, and she could call me or call ON me, whenever she wanted or needed to. Sue occupied a chunk of my heart, and it’s that part that hurts the most right now. But I know the heartache that comes with the death of a child a parent, a sibling – and my heart goes out especially to Linda, Terry, and Joneece. May you gain comfort and strength from your faith, family, and friends. God Bless You.