I got to know Sue, when she was married to my cousin, Pierre.  In 1985 we went on a family trip to France and had many fun times.  Later, my husband, Wayne, and I visited Islesboro for the first time and stayed at the Babbidge home.  I fell madly in love with the whole place and continued to get to know Sue. 

We had a lot in common.  We were both CRAZY about dogs, handcrafting, gardening and history.  I loved all of the stories about her family and the island, and we could and did spend hours talking about all of this, and we bonded.  We would always overtalk each other to tell some dog story and share some dog photos. I had visited her after my husband died, and went to he church bazaar, for which she managed and made many items.  I last visited about two years ago, and met the very lovely Taffy, and Sue told me, "this is the first dog I've gotten to name."  We took Taffy for walks, and I made some unofficial dog portraits and sent her one.  Then I went to Portland and spent time with Amy and Seig, and again, more dogs and stories and loving fun!!


She was special and beautiful!! 

I wish I could be at Sue's service.  I would read one of my favorite Yeats poems, The Lake Isle of Innisfree, and dedicate it to her.


I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:   
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for honeybee,
And live alone in a bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings,
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise now and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore:
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.